AN exhibition of unique behind the scenes photographs from the early days of Top of the Pops is set to bring the glory days of the music show into focus.

The bands captured by the show's resident photographer, the late Harry Goodwin, will go on display in Hartlepool Art Gallery next weekend.

Called ‘My Generation: The Glory Years of British Rock’, the images capture the charisma and style of every chart-topping rock musician of the era, both on stage and behind the scenes between 1964 and 1973.

The shots, whether spectacular or everyday, have an ‘in the moment’ authenticity and appeal and in many cases the original footage of the performances is now lost.

Intimate pictures of Elton John, The Who, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson Five, will be on display until the middle of November.

Other iconic stars captured include Jimi Hendrix playing the guitar with his teeth and Paul McCartney pouring tea, will feature alongside Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and The Beach Boys.

A Hartlepool Council spokesman said: "The display of over 60 prints and 200 images from the BBC’s archive forms a unique record of the period and is available for the public to see for the very first time. The touring exhibition has been organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London."

Born in Manchester in 1924, Harry Goodwin started his working life in his father’s bookmaking business and his photographic talents were first put to use by the RAF during the Second World War.

In the 1950s, he made photography his full time job, working on the beauty pageant and boxing circuits and getting his first front cover in the Daily Mirror.

In the early 60s he started work as a scene shifter for the BBC in Manchester.

At the time he recalled: “I used to get the odd photo I could sell to the Radio Times. There was a 12-week pilot of a series called Top of the Pops in 1964, and they needed someone to photograph the bands.”

His flair for the job was soon evident, and over the next ten years he would photograph some of the most famous and successful stars in the music industry.

Complementing the images in the exhibition will be an array of clothing and objects from the collections of the Museum of Hartlepool and Preston Park Museum.

Hartlepool Art Gallery is open Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am to 5pm. The Hartlepool Art Gallery exhibition programme is sponsored by local company Niramax Total Waste Solutions.