The Howard County
I N
F O C U S
VOL.15, NO.11
F O R
P E O P L E
O V E R
More than 30,000 readers throughout Howard County
Nature photographer looks back
Celebrity encounters
Oberman quickly built a portfolio that reads like a who’s who of R&B and rock. He met James Brown, The Impressions, Joe Tex and The Jimmy Castor Bunch before rock’s British invasion truly reshaped the soundscape. From 1967 to 1973, as the cultural revolution rippled through music, he was there to document it, writing stories about The
5 0 NOVEMBER 2025
I N S I D E …
PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL OBERMAN
By Elias M. Taye When Michael Oberman was 16 years old, he landed a weekend job as a copy boy at the Washington Star. It was a small footnote in a long career that would encompass journalism, music and photography, but in retrospect, the Columbia resident, now 78, says it feels like destiny. His older brother, Ron, was a music columnist at the paper at the time. When Ron got to interview the Beatles during their inaugural U.S. visit in 1964, young Michael was hooked. “I said to my brother, ‘What a job you got!’” Oberman recalled with a grin. He wanted in. A few years later, still just 19 and studying journalism at the University of Maryland, Oberman seized his chance. When Ron left for a publicity job at Mercury Records, Michael lobbied his brother’s editor to let him take over the column. She balked — after all, he wasn’t even out of his teens — but Oberman countered that his brother had started at 20. With that, he became the new voice of the paper’s music column, entering the music world, where he was seen as much a peer as a reporter. “I had long hair; they had long hair,” he explained in an interview with the Beacon. “They knew I was cool. I was hip. They welcomed me.”
FREE
LEISURE & TRAVEL
Explore Turkey’s modern cities and ancient ruins; plus, natural ways to prevent jet lag page 10
Columbia resident Michael Oberman hosted David Bowie on his first visit to America in 1971. After decades of hobnobbing with famous musicians, Oberman pivoted to nature photography. “It’s not work for me — it’s love,” he said.
Doors, the Grateful Dead and more than 300 other iconic bands. Among the many stories that could fill a book — and eventually did — one stands apart. In January 1971, British musician David Bowie visited America for the first time. His album The Man Who Sold the World had yet to break through in the U.S., and Ron, by then Mercury Records’ publicity director, brought Bowie over on a modest promotional tour. Bowie had one unusual request: He wanted to spend his first night
Celebrating 35 y years in the heart of downtow wn Columbia
410-9 992-1241 41 vantagepoin ntresidences.org
with an American family. The Obermans obliged. Michael remembers when his brother picked Bowie up from Dulles Airport and brought him home. A now-famous photo of Bowie sitting with the Oberman family in their Silver Spring, Maryland, living room has since been viewed millions of times. “He just wanted to hang out with an American family,” Oberman said. That night, they didn’t dwell on Bowie’s
ARTS & STYLE
New local chapter of Quilts of Valor gives handmade quilts to Maryland veterans page 19
See PHOTOGRAPHER, page 20
friiends and families we’ve w serrved through the years. ye “Wh hen you’re a residentt, you n nloc k a world of opportu unities.” - Doug - Resident i
FITNESS & HEALTH k Dentists help your heart k Holiday survival guide
4
LAW & MONEY k Why some fear retiring k Latest scams
16
ADVERTISER DIRECTORY
23
PLUS CROSSWORD, BEACON BITS, CLASSIFIEDS & MORE