Illustrations by Gene Bilbrew
Gene's real name was Eugene Webster Bilbrew, born June 29, 1923 in Los Angeles. Gene was a singer and formed the jazz vocal group The Mellow Tones in 1943 (later renamed The Basin Street Boys) performing under the name Gene Price. In 1950 he changed careers and began working as an illustrator. As a fetish arist he used the pseudonyms Eneg, Gilbert, Van Rod, and Bondy. Gene died, according to Eric Stanton, "behind a Times Square adult bookstore" in May of 1974.
See Richard Pérez Seves book, GENE BILBREW REVEALED: The Unsung Legacy of a Fetish Art Pioneer, for the story of the first black career fetish artist in history.