Tom Wilkes dies at 69; Grammy Award-winning art director and album cover designer

[The Straight Story]

Tom Wilkes dies at 69; Grammy Award-winning art director and album cover designer

Wilkes designed album covers for the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Janis Joplin and other legendary musicians.
By Dennis McLellan
July 11, 2009
Tom Wilkes, a Grammy Award-winning art director and album cover designer whose work included albums for the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Neil Young and other music legends, has died. He was 69.

Wilkes, who was diagnosed with a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) in 1999, died of a heart attack June 28 at his home in Pioneertown, Calif., said his daughter, Katherine Wilkes Fotch.

Wilkes was partner in a Long Beach advertising firm when he became art director for the 1967 Monterey International Pop Music Festival for which he created all of the graphics and print materials, including the festival's psychedelic posterthat was printed on foil stock.

"In fact, he won an award from Reynolds aluminum for the most creative use of aluminum foil," Fotch said. "He was always very proud of that."

Music producer Lou Adler, who produced the landmark music festival with singer John Phillips, said Wilkes "caught the spirit of the time" with his festival graphics.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-me-tom-wilkes11-2009jul11,0,1170616.story