HARROGATE Theatre is linking up with RedHouse Originals, the pop, modern and urban art gallery in nearby Cheltenham Mount, to present a series of exhibitions in the theatre’s bars.

The first show focuses on the timeless, intuitive, iconic and alluring photographic work of Yorkshireman Terry Cryer, including the unveiling of rare and unseen images from his archives.

Born in Leeds in 1934, Cryer first made his name photographing the legends of the jazz and blues explosion in England in the mid to late-1950s.

His 1958 portrait of Muddy Waters is now featured on the Mississippi Blues Trail to mark the site of the legendary blues musician’s cabin at the Delta, while Sammy Davis Jr was so enamoured with Cryer’s photograph, taken in a London nightclub in 1960, that he used it as his publicity shot throughout that decade.

During the Sixties and Seventies, Cryer went on to photograph stars of the stage and silver screen, such as Steve McQueen at Le Mans, Peter Sellers at the London Palladium and Elizabeth Taylor at The Dorchester.

His photographs are on display in both Harrogate Theatre’s bars, each drawing on a different aspect of his career.

The Stalls Bar has a Jazz & Blues theme, showcasing images from the Fifties, among them the aforementioned Davis and Waters, plus the debut of a photograph with a special link to Harrogate. Never seen until now, Cryer’s portrait of Chris Barber and Sister Rosetta Tharpe on stage at Harrogate’s Royal Hall in 1958 has gone on public display for the first time.

“This image brings together two of the most influential figures in the jazz and blues movement, highlighting Harrogate’s heritage as a destination for some of the finest artists and live performers of the last century,” says Kevin Jamieson, Harrogate Theatre’s communications manager and deputy chief executive.

The Circle Bar concentrates on Cryer’s Stars of the Stage and Silver Screen. McQueen, Sellers, Taylor and Richard Burton are featured, and many of the shots were taken in the early 1960s during Cryer’s time as in-house photographer at the London Palladium.

Look out in particular for the portrait of Leeds actor Peter O’Toole, photographed in a Mayfair hotel in 1963 as the pair awaited a meeting with Ed Sullivan, now on show for the first time.

Cryer and O’Toole grew up around the corner from each other in Saville Green, Leeds, but had not encountered each other since an inter-school football match in the late-1940s. “We met at the bar and discussed growing up in Leeds and the match,” recalls Terry. “He was tremendous company and a true gentleman.”

Photographs in Cryer’s Harrogate Theatre show are available to buy. Each image is published in a limited edition of 25 and the prints and are signed, numbered and titled by the photographer.

The exhibition runs until March. In addition, Cryer’s work can be seen at RedHouse Originals’ winter show, The Time Is Now, until January 30.