To prepare for the show, exhibit curator Paul Martineau spent several months plowing through 1, 200 boxes of prints in a cold cinder-block room at the Herb Ritts Foundation in Hollywood, looking for shots with the L.A.-bred photographer's signature style: glowing California light, bold shadows, bare skin and film-noir settings.

WSJ: Herb Ritts at the Getty: Capturing the Soul of Fashion

Before he was a three-time Grammy winner, Keb Mo was simply Kevin Moore. (Laughter.) Keb Mo was just little Kevin -- (laughter) -- the kid down the block in South Central L.A. Little Kevin.

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