Some years ago, just weeks after concluding her photo session with the late Queen Elizabeth, London, England-based celebrity photographer Anne-Marie Michel quit her regular haunts of Paris, Rome and Cannes for the truck stops of Ohio, Arizona and Texas. Her mission: “I want to take photos that mean something to me."
What emerged was the photo book “Sisters of the Road,” an iconography of 40 female truckers and the gritty spaces they traverse. In addition to receiving critical acclaim from several outlets, the photos were exhibited throughout the United States in a rolling tour -- the photo gallery built inside a dry van and hauled behind the tractor of one of the featured owner-operators.
A mural of one of Michel’s subjects, Idella Marie Hansen (pictured above), was commissioned in Australia. In addition, a London-based theatrical production based on the book is currently in the works.
[Related: 'Sisters of the Road' a haunting, iconographic portrait of professional truckers]
First a book, then a tour, now a music video
Michel’s latest collaboration is with singer-songwriter and Overdrive contributor “Long Haul Paul" Marhoefer, who incorporated select images from the book in his latest music video release.
Despite having a big catalog of his own, Marhoefer chose the “Highway Prayer” song for the video, penned by one of his songwriting heroes, Texas-based Adam Carroll.
The song’s production features an all-star cast of musicians, including legendary producer and session man Gurf Morlix on bass, Austin Americana maven Jenni Finlay on harmonies, and a member of the Ronstadt dynasty, Linda’s nephew and frequent Marhoefer collaborator Michael Ronstadt on cello.
Of the photo work in Sisters of the Road, Marhoefer dubbed the images in the book “visual metaphors for the grit and resilience which still remains in this country. The quiet dignity that Anne-Marie captured in these subjects is like looking at a DNA sequence of the soul of America. They evoke the innate dignity of honest physical labor, the whole St. Benedict thing about making one’s work a prayer."
Of the song selection, then, Marhoefer added, "I don't know of any song of my own that encapsulates that as much as Adam Carroll's 'Highway Prayer.'"
Photographer Anne-Marie Michel and Long Haul PaulDenise Marhoefer
Early reactions to the video’s release have been encouraging. “One of our video's early screeners said that Ms. Michel’s images reminded her of photographer Dorthea Lange's depression-era work,” Marhoefer noted.
The song was recorded and produced by Jeff Templeton at Milk House Studios in Richmond, Indiana, in collaboration with Rootball Recordings and Barefoot Recordings, both based in Austin, Texas.
Connective cinematography and editing for the video were provided by James “Tex” Crowley of Texomatic Motor Media.
[Related: With whorls of history, trucking and otherwise: Introducing Long Haul Paul's 'Corn Belt Cafe']
