Crouched between the front row of the audience and the stage, young freelance photographer Richard Crawley waited, camera poised, for the perfect shot as Melbourne's iconic Festival Hall rocked to the opening night of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.
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Forty-eight years later, as fans mourned the death of the queen of rock 'n roll on Wednesday, Crawley still rates the shot he captured of the dynamic Turner that March night in 1975 among his best.
The image, which is only available for sale at Henna Street Picture Framers, has never been published.
The Tower Hill photographer, whose iconic 1970s photos of the likes of Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Muddy Waters and Michael Jackson featured in metro and music publications of the day, described his black and white Tina portrait as "a very powerful image".
"Tina gave it everything that night and for me - this image sums up perfectly why she has always been the greatest female R&B/rock vocalist and performer of all time," Crawley said.
"In my opinion, simply the best."
He recalled being barely a metre away from the stage when he captured the singer in isolation from the band during a performance of River Deep - Mountain High.
"Tina was obviously the star, an amazing rhythm and blues/soul singer with immense stage presence and famously the best legs in the business," Crawley said.
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