Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae

‘This collection of timeless photographs gives us an up close inside look at this uniquely complex man and brilliant iconic artist who forever changed the world. One love…’ – Lenny Kravitz

Rebel Music is a tribute to one of the greatest legends in world music, Bob Marley. In 1975, Kate Simon first photographed Bob Marley and the Wailers at the Lyceum in London, where the now-legendary live performance of ‘No Woman No Cry’ was recorded. They then collaborated throughout the Seventies, with Simon shooting some of the most intimate, enduring and emblematic images ever taken of Marley, including his iconic Kaya album cover.

Simon captured it all: portraits of the reggae greats of the Seventies, such as Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh; the Exodus Tour, on the road with Bob Marley and The Wailers as they performed across Europe; and the One Love Peace Concert, where Bob famously united Jamaica’s opposing political leaders. Ultimately, in 1981, Simon would ride with the funeral cortege from Kingston to St Ann and Bob Marley’s final resting place.

Rebel Music contains over 400 photographs from Simon’s archives, many published here for the first time. Introduced by Patti Smith, with a foreword by Lenny Kravitz and afterword by Keith Richards, a cast of 24 contributors join Simon in sharing the stories behind the images, including ex-Wailers guitarist Junior Marvin and bass player and band leader Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett; musicians such as Junior Delgado, Steve Jordan, Paul Simonon and Bruce Springsteen; filmmaker Don Letts and producer Danny Sims; and Island Records founder, Chris Blackwell.

Review

‘This collection of timeless photographs gives us an up close inside look at this uniquely complex man and brilliant iconic artist who forever changed the world. One love…’ – Lenny Kravitz

‘No one will ever forget the impact Bob and Jamaican music had on the world.’ – Keith Richards

‘Kate Simon has always been one of my favourite photographers. She captures intimate moments that we have never seen.’ – Cedella Marley

‘After looking at thousands of negatives of Bob, some of which I had never printed before, I had a dream that Bob was still alive and that he was playing that night. Can you imagine if you could have the chance to see Bob Marley today? What would he be singing about?’ –  Kate Simon

‘Kate shot in an honest, direct manner. She did not seek to expose, but to shoot the picture her subject pictured - the joyful, mutable moments. How fortunate we are to have these images.’ – Patti Smith 

‘She had a sort of war correspondent feel to her; she would get right into it. Somehow she had the ability to communicate and to get everybody to relax and to take the great pictures that she got.’ – Chris Blackwell