April 1985
As the house photographer for The Beverly Theatre, in Beverly Hills, CA - my first encounter with Gallagher was when I bumped into him unloading his van in the alley behind the theatre, prior to his show. I'd heard so much about him, and thought it was kinda cool that he had arrived 'a la Chuck Berry'- on his own without an entourage. I was given a heads-up by the theatre owners - Bob Stein and Jay Marciano - about needing to shoot from a spot that would offer 'protection' for both camera equipment and myself.
Hmmmm...nothing could have prepared me for what was to follow!

November 1986
My contract with the theatre required that I shoot every performance of every artist who'd performed at the theatre at least once, with the goal of creating a photographic archive that would be displayed in the upstairs lobby and in the backstage/dressing room area. These displays were abbreviated photo galleries that provided a visual history that could be enjoyed by visiting artists and their guests. Evidently, Gallagher had seen the photo's I'd taken during his previous show at The Beverly and liked what he saw. I got a call at home from Jay Marciano saying "Nancy - Gallagher's here - and wishes you were, too!"

So it was with this one phone call, that a long-term, whirlwind working relationship with Gallagher began. His shows were larger in scale now, with over-sized props and an assortment of wondrous inventions he'd created. No longer was he showing up without a crew and unloading by himself!

It was my great pleasure and good fortune to work with Gallagher and his team (including Ruth Ann and Gary Propper) for many years, including doing stills for several of his comedy specials for SHOWTIME and photographing live performances. There's only one of him...a madcap genius that still makes me smile.