Spanish Tony

Tony Sanchez, also known as ‘Spanish Tony’, was a British photographer of Spanish ancestry and was deeply intertwined with the legendary Keith Richards, guitarist of the Rolling Stones, as he served as Richards’ assistant for eight years.

Sanchez was one of the Rolling Stones’ two official photographers, along with Michael Cooper for The Stones in the Park free outdoor festival held in London’s Hyde Park on 5 July 1969.

His introduction to the Rolling Stones came through his connection with the art dealer Robert Fraser. According to Keith Richards, Sanchez, who had been a croupier and bouncer, was able to help Fraser when he was in trouble with gambling debts and became Fraser’s personal assistant/drug dealer.

In 2000, Tony Sanchez passed away. And until recently, these pictures, taken during his unique access to the Stones, The Beatles, and the entire ‘60s pop scene, remained hidden away in boxes in a loft in Biggin Hill, southeast London.

“Spanish Tony Media is a family-run business formed in 2021, in London. The business was set up with the sole purpose of promoting the collection of photographs, videos, and audio tapes taken by Tony Sanchez in the 1970s. Many of these artifacts will never have been seen before by the public and are of considerable historical importance in Pop Culture.”