Shusei Nagaoka


Shusei Nagaoka was a Japanese illustrator.

Famous works

Nagaoka is best known for his music album cover art in the 1970s and 1980s. Artists for whom he illustrated covers include Electric Light Orchestra, Earth, Wind & Fire, Deep Purple, Space, Maze, George Clinton, Kitaro, Rose Royce, Caldera, and Pure Prairie League.
He assisted in the designing of the 1970 Osaka Expo, and was selected as one of the most significant artists in 200 years of American Illustration.
Several books of his artwork have been published, and in 1981 examples of his work were launched into outer space and orbited via the Russian Mir space station.
Other companies and organizations where his work was featured included: NHK Television, TBS Japan, & National Geographic.

Awards

He received several awards, along with platinum and gold albums, in recognition of his work.

Selected album artwork

Now & Then -, 1973Spitfire - Jefferson Starship, 1976All 'N All - Earth, Wind & Fire, 1977Out of the Blue - Electric Light Orchestra, 1977Deliverance - Space, 1977 Sunbear, Sunbear, Soul Train Records, 1977New Horizons - The Sylvers, 1977When We Rock, We Rock, and When We Roll, We Roll - Deep Purple, 1978The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire, Vol. 1 - Earth, Wind & Fire, 1978Pleasure Principle - Parlet, 1978Just Blue - Space, 1978I Am - Earth, Wind & Fire, 1979Dazz - Kinsman Dazz, 1979Oasis - Kitaro, 1979Can't Hold Back - Pure Prairie League, 1979Raise! - Earth, Wind & Fire, 1981