Tom Wilkes

Life[edit]

Wilkes was born in Long Beach, California and raised in southern California. Wilkes attended Long Beach City College, UCLA, and the Art Center College of Design in the 1950s and 1960s.


In 1967 Wilkes was the art director of the Monterey Pop Festival. From 1967 through 1969, he was the art director of A&M Records. He was a partner with Barry Feinstein in Camouflage Productions from 1970 through 1973, and a partner in Wilkes & Braun, Inc. from 1973 through 1974. In late 1974 and early in 1975, Tom was a partner and creative director in Hot M Productions along with David Lear, Drake Morton and Merrick Morton. He was art director of ABC Records from 1975 through 1977, and in 1978 he started Tom Wilkes Productions and became president of Project Interspeak, a nonprofit corporation.


Wilkes was responsible for scores of award-winning designs. In the Grammy Awards of 1974, he received a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package for Tommy performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and English Chamber Choir. In addition to creating hundreds of posters, logos, books, trade ads and illustrations, Wilkes designed such significant covers as the "invitation" iteration of the Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet; George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and The Concert for Bangladesh; Cheech & Chong's Big Bambu; and Neil Young's Harvest and Homegrown. Wilkes also produced and directed TV and radio spots, music videos, films, mixed media presentations and special events.


The two Beatles compilation albums released in 1973, 1962–1966 and 1967–1970 (also known as the Red and Blue Albums), were designed by Wilkes. His name was shown (only on the US versions of these albums) in the bottom left-hand corner of the paper sleeve (side four) for housing the vinyl record.