Dee Lippingwell has she wants to share.
It含羞草研究社檚 the title of her new, limited-edition book that documents the 17-year history of Merritt Mountain Music Festival, the popular country-music gathering once held in the B.C. Interior town.
A longtime concert photographer based in Surrey, Lippingwell was the festival含羞草研究社檚 official photographer from 1993 to 2009.
Just published, the 220-page softcover book features her photos of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and other country stars, along with shots of festival moments.
含羞草研究社楳ountain含羞草研究社� memories: Surrey photog含羞草研究社檚 book recalls 含羞草研究社榗razy-ass scene含羞草研究社� of Merritt music fest.
含羞草研究社� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
Campground C party zone and more remembered in Dee Lippingwell含羞草研究社檚 third book.
Lippingwell含羞草研究社檚 yearly job was to 含羞草研究社渂asically take photographs of everything on a daily basis,含羞草研究社� she explains in the book, her third filled with concert photos.
含羞草研究社淲e looked forward to whatever the festival had in store for us 含羞草研究社� rain, hail, blistering sun, dust storms, just to name a few,含羞草研究社� she writes. 含羞草研究社淏ut we came prepared for everything and were never disappointed at each year含羞草研究社檚 review, only to start planning for the next year and what would be done different or added. We were a family that included paid and unpaid participants, all of us anxiously awaiting the next Mountainfest.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社� RELATED STORY, from January: .
PICTURED: Dee Lippingwell
The book含羞草研究社檚 intro, written by former Province entertainment reporter John McLaughlin, chronicles the festival含羞草研究社檚 infamous Campground C party zone, filled with cowboy hat-wearing guys (含羞草研究社淐ody含羞草研究社�) and bikini-clad gals (含羞草研究社淐rystal含羞草研究社�), tricked-out bars, pool tables, pools, DIY dance floors and lots of liquor.
含羞草研究社淭here were a lot of different customers that kept Merritt as a top summer event on their calendars every year, buffing up the RV and making plans to camp with friends,含羞草研究社� McLaughlin writes. 含羞草研究社淐ody, Crystal and their many friends and all their cute, pink livers are actually what kept the place going all those years, kept the beer garden full and the party never ending. It was a crazy-ass scene until it wasn含羞草研究社檛 and, like starlings out the barn door, the kids swarmed off with some new distraction and just didn含羞草研究社檛 come back.含羞草研究社�
(Story continues below photo)
PICTURED: Country musician Keith Urban on stage at Merritt Mountain Music Festival in 2002, in a photograph by Surrey含羞草研究社檚 Dee Lippingwell.
McLaughlin tells the story of the festival含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社渋gnoble finale含羞草研究社� in 2009.
含羞草研究社淎dd in the disaster of a brain boggling backstage cash demand from Kenny Chesney含羞草研究社檚 people, payable before his sold-out performance, which led to a mad scramble and left all the staff and freelancers, including our own Dee (Lippingwell), unpaid to this day. That left behind plenty of fury and drama, lawsuits flew like scared chickens but in the end, somehow, there was simply no money. Zip. It was amazing to see it go down, but down indeed went Merritt Mountain Music Festival.含羞草研究社�
Only 250 copies of 含羞草研究社淢emories From the Mountain含羞草研究社� are available (for $65 on ), and each book comes signed and numbered.
Lippingwell, 75, photographed the festival with the help of her husband, Paul, and some hired shooters.
Over the years she含羞草研究社檚 catalogued images of the 3,500 rock, country and pop concerts she含羞草研究社檚 photographed since her very first, a Pink Floyd gig in Vancouver in 1973.
Lippingwell含羞草研究社檚 1987 book, 含羞草研究社淭he Best Seat in the House,含羞草研究社� was followed in 2012 by the self-published 含羞草研究社淔irst Three Songs含羞草研究社� No Flash,含羞草研究社� a title that referenced the instructions typically given to concert photographers before a show begins.
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