Genesis is proud to present a major tribute to one of the greatest legends in world music, Bob Marley. Feted by The Rolling Stones, adored by The Beatles, his songs covered by the likes of Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, he changed the face of popular music and inspired generations of musicians. The boxset of his work - Songs of Freedom remains one of the best-selling boxsets of all time.
Kate Simon gained unique access to Bob Marley and the Wailers, capturing moments from the candid and intensely personal to events of momentous importance. Rebel Music presents over 400 photographs from her remarkable archive, much of which is published he
'I got out of the pool and there was Bob Marley sitting at one of those tables with tin umbrellas. And that's when I took the Kaya portrait. It wasn't a formal photo session or anything. I was wearing my swimsuit, that's how informal it was.' Kate Simon
She captured it all: Marley's nightly shamanic performances; birthday celebrations on the tour bus; Bob contemplating, in quiet shock, a possible future for himself as he stands in a warehouse in Germany, full of artificial limbs; the endless games of football played in rehearsals, and hotel rooms; the group's joyous devotion to the Rastafarian faith; the airports and aeroplanes; the smiles; the occasional frowns; the jamming and, of course, the group's religious dedication to marijuana.
'She had a sort of war correspondent feel to her; she would get right into it. She travelled the whole way on the bus with them, roughed it up with everybody; she was really ready to do that and somehow she had the ability to communicate and to get everybody to relax and to take the great pictures that she got.' Chris Blackwell
The Manuscript
Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae
Alongside the hundreds of images runs the stories behind the images. Kate Simon's dialogue is augmented by a massive cast of 24 contributors, including: ex-Wailers Junior Marvin, Family Man Barrett and an Introduction by Patti Smith.
Rebel Music also includes a comprehensive timeline of Bob Marley's life, along with a complete chronology of his recordings, UK and US releases and respective charts placings, put together with the help of the world's foremost reggae expert, Roger Steffens.
'He often seemed to have a kind of melancholy about him. He was serious, pensive.' Kate Simon
'That man have the blues, ya know? Bob Marley, full up of the blues. And it's the same music, just played in a different way.' Junior Delgado
'It was almost a spiritual experience. I was blessed to see so many performances. Bob didn't actually perform very often in Jamaica himself, but when he did it was very special. But so many times I've had the privilege of concentrating on different aspects of the performances and it was like a religious experience. He was connecting with your head; he was freeing your spirit; he was teaching you something, not just entertaining. They often say an artist needs to look at the audience to connect: Bob really didn't. His eyes were closed, he was deep in meditation, sometimes almost in a trance.' Dera Tomkins
The Author
Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae
Kate Simon first met and photographed Bob Marley performing at the Lyceum Theatre, London, in 1975. Soon after she travelled to Jamaica where she photographed the leading lights of the roots reggae scene - including Pete Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Lee Scratch Pe
'Between 1973 and 1975, you name them, I shot them; from The Rolling Stones, through Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder and David Bowie to Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper. I photographed Keith Moon being denied entry to the BBC Club. I would shoot offstage sessions all day and concerts at night. It was a great time.' Kate Simon
'Kate shot in an honest, direct manner. A fellow worker, she could be found in the trenches with her trusted black body Nikon F-2. 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
The Contributors
Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae
The stories behind the photographs are told by Kate herself, alongside a massive cast of 24 contributors including:
Elizabeth Barraclough, Aston 'Family Man' Barrett, Chris Blackwell, Eric Clapton, Spencer Davis, Junior Delgado, Neville Garrick, Antonio 'Gillie' Gilbert, Randall Grass, Dickie Jobson, Wayne Jobson, Steve Jordan, David Kennedy, Don Letts, Junior Marvin, Glenn O'Brien, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Fred Schruers, Paul Simonon, Danny Sims, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Roger Steffens, Joe Strummer, Dera Tomkins, Steven Van Zandt, Jeff
Walker.