Rebel Music

Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae is a tribute to the leading icon in music, Bob Marley. In 1975, after meeting Marley in London, photographer Kate Simon gained unique access to the Wailers, capturing intensely personal moments and momentous events. Rebel Music presents over 400 photographs from Kate Simon's remarkable archive, most of which are published here for the first time.

Alongside Kate Simon's photographs are the stories behind the images. Introduced by Patti Smith, Kate Simon's own narrative is expanded by a cast of 24 contributors, including ex-Wailers guitarist Junior Marvin and bass player and band leader Aston 'Family Man' Barrett; the Wailers' cook and close friend Antonio 'Gilly' Gilbert; musicians such as Steven Van Zandt, Spencer Davis, Junior Delgado, Paul Simonon, and Steve Jordan; filmmaker Don Letts and producer Danny Sims; and Island Records founder, Chris Blackwell.

Simon captured it all: live photographs from The Wailers' 1975 concert at The Lyceum in London, where the legendary performance of 'No Woman No Cry' was recorded; photographs of the reggae greats of the late Seventies such as Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh; candid shots of The Wailers on the Exodus Tour and the One Love Peace Concert where Bob famously united Jamaica's opposing political leaders. Finally, in 1981, she rode with the funeral cortege from Kingston to St Ann and Bob Marley's final resting place.

Marley permanently altered the sound and impact of popular music, and his body of work continues to inspire generations of musicians and fans worldwide.

About the Author

Kate Simon is an iconic photographer who has worked with giants such as Andy Warhol, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Bob Marley, and Robert Mapplethorpe, to name just a few.

Kate has work in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Bob Marley Museum, and the Andy Warhol Museum.

Kate has had exhibitions throughout her career beginning in 1981 with New York/New Wave at P.S. 1 all the way through her one-person show in honor of William S. Burroughs’ centennial at ShowStudio in 2014. Her exhibition Chaos and Cosmos at Fort Works Art in 2019 was featured in Rolling Stone Magazine.

In 2004, Simon published a limited-edition book of her photographs of Bob Marley and Jamaica titled: Rebel MusicMarley’s first Island Records release, Catch a Fire, Rebel Music is to be published by Genesis in a new bookstore edition.

Simon’s photography has appeared on countless book jackets, record covers and in publications around the world. She has created numerous timeless photographs that define the subject and their part in modern popular culture.