On the Scene with artist Ruby Mazur

Apr. 11—If Ruby Mazur's only work as a "rock n pop " artist had been designing the cover art for the Rolling Stones's 1972 single, "Tumbling Dice, " the cover art that introduced the group's universally recognized "mouth and tongue " logo, he would still have a place in rock culture history. Multiply that more than 3, 000 times and you'll get an idea of the breadth of Mazur's work. In a career that spans almost a half-century, Mazur, 74, has created more than 3, 000 album covers for a list of superstar artists that includes Elton John, B.B. King, Sarah Vaughan, Jimmy Buffett and Ray Charles.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mazur grew up in Massapequa on New York's Long Island. He discovered art and painting when he was 5 and it eventually became his life's work. Mazur spent more than two decades in the record business as the art director for the Famous Music, ABC Dunhlll, and finally, Paramount, record labels.

He transitioned into a new career as a fine arts painter in the late 1980s and currently makes his home on Maui.

One of Mazur's most recent paintings is "The Rock N Roll Last Supper." An homage to Leonardo da Vinci's 15th-century mural, the 5-by-12-foot canvas that showcases 41 deceased recording artists at a final meal—Elvis is seated front and center. Mazur's "Last Supper " is on display with several paintings from his new " 'High Volume' Pop Art " series at the Holle Fine Art Gallery in Lahaina. A version of "The Rock N Roll Last Supper " in black and white is included in his beautifully illustrated coffee-table autobiography, "Get Up ... and Move On."

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What was your inspiration for "The Rock N Roll Last Supper ?"

My (right ) hand has been slowly going—my painting hand—and I was driving into the gallery on a Friday night and I was thinking I really need to paint one grandioso piece before my hand gives way and I can't paint all that well. As I was driving I heard a song on the radio, "Rock and Roll Heaven, " and as I was listening the windshield became the finished painting of "The Rock N Roll Last Supper, " and I had this vision of doing this huge 12-foot painting. I went home the next day and started sketching it out. It took three years to completion, but I finished it.

What was your criteria in picking people and placing them in the picture ?

We started with Elvis, "The King, " in the center, and shortly after I started sketching him in Aretha Franklin passed away, so I put her to his left as the Queen of Soul. I thought if we have the King and Queen, we have to have the Prince, so I put him in behind Aretha and worked my way out.

There is one person I think very few people will recognize. Tell me about him.

Taz DiGregorio, from the Charlie Daniels Band. He's under the table in the cowboy hat. His widow was so appreciative of it, and what went to my heart is that Taz is laughing and smiling (in the painting ). I hear his laughter every time I say his name. Charlie passed away just last year, but "The Last Supper " was finished and I couldn't include him in it. I did the first three album covers for Charlie and that's where Taz and I became friends.

One of your early album covers that got a lot of attention was for the first album by Crowfoot. What inspired you to use the Native American on the heads side of the old Buffalo nickel as the basis for the cover art ?

Back then, well, the name of the group was Crowfoot, a Native American tribe, and somehow the image of the Indian head (nickel ) came to me. There must have been a reason, but it got me nominated for a Grammy Award so that was pretty cool.

In your autobiography, "Get Up ... and Move On, " you are refreshingly honest about your career's ups and downs, and I love the story about how you almost double-talked your way into getting a group you were managing, the Hassles, onstage to open for the Beatles at Shea Stadium. The book is also an introduction to your body of work as an art director and artist. Why did you decide to publish it now ?

I thought of writing a book about three years ago. As I was finishing up the book coronavirus came in and stopped the world, and I kept thinking, "What a perfect time for my story to be put out there because everybody is feeling sorry for themselves." I was, like, "Hey, get over it ! You got to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, get up and move on." I thought it was a great idea to show all the crap that I've gone through in my life and (my ) getting up and moving on.

In the beginning of the book you introduce yourself with this : "Obstacles in life are like walls. ... A loser won't even try to climb over them. A winner goes right through them." Where does that come from ?

That's how I look at obstacles : "Get out of my way !"

What are you doing with your new series of paintings ?

What I'm trying to do, and it's working beautifully, is capture not just the look of the artists but their sound through color and through brushstrokes. It's like an audio-visual painting, and we came up with the title "High Volume "—which is like "Turn it up ! Turn it up ! Turn it up !"—and it's taking off like crazy. I'm having so much fun, and people are loving it and that makes me very happy because they're getting it.------Reach John Berger at ­ jberger @staradvertiser.com.