Iconic Album Cover is a Doctored Photo of a Colorado Saloon

Fans of the legendary Texas groove-metal outfit Pantera are undoubtedly familiar with the cover art that decorates at least five of the band's most successful studio albums. While Pantera technically began releasing records long before the band was a household name, the album that put the band on the map was released in 1990, their fifth album titled Cowboys from Hell.

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However, it may come as a surprise to you that after decades of seeing the cover art of this iconic album many times, even some of the most die-hard fans of the band don't know that the original photo was taken in the early 1900s at a saloon in Telluride, Colorado.

Iconic Photo Taken in Telluride Colorado

The cover of Cowboys from Hell sets the four members of the band at the time, vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, drummer Vinnie Paul (Abbott,) and his brother, guitarist Dimebag Darrell (Abbott) in what appears to be an old saloon.

Well, the reason it appears this way is because the original picture was taken back in 1910 at what was called the Cosmopolitan Saloon in Telluride, Colorado.

To be more specific, the establishment's full name was Cosmopolitan Saloon and Gambling Hall and with the exception of the band members, the people seen in the photograph were wealthy and elite members of the community.

Dimebag Darrell, known as Diamond Darrell at the time, is seen playing guitar on the floor, his brother Vinnie Paul appears to be counting a wad of money, bassist Rex Brown looks rather nonchalant though nonetheless out of place, while vocalist Phil Anselmo is depicted jumping in the air, a feat that took roughly ten takes of the singer jumping off a barstool until the photographer got the desired shot.