David Corio was born in London, England, in 1960. He began his professional career in 1978 taking photographs for New Musical Express, followed by The Face, Time Out and Black Echoes, covering a wide range of music and portraiture. His work has featured on hundreds of album sleeves, particularly Reggae, R&B and Hip Hop music.
After finishing art school and working in an industrial darkroom, David was a music writer for City Limits and freelance photographer for many popular magazines, newspapers and record companies. They included The Daily Telegraph, Q, Mojo, Rolling Stone, Greensleeves Records, EMI and Island Records, among others. David moved to New York in 1992 to shoot for The New York Times. He has also worked extensively with cultural institutions including the School of Visual Arts, the Swedish Institute, New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers.
The Black Chord, a celebration of Black music, David’s comprehensive collection of Reggae, R&B, Afrobeats, Funk, and Hip Hop photography was published by Universe in 1999. Recently updated, the book was re-released in 2024.
Staying with the rock theme, but taking things a little more literally - David created Megaliths, a 14-year project photographing the prehistoric standing stones of England and Wales. It was published in 2003.
David’s photographs have been exhibited extensively across Europe, North America and Asia. Skilled in capturing the perfect moment, both in live music shows and studio sessions, his work reflects a groundbreaking era in music history. No pun intended!
