Chris Blackwell – författare

An Uncut Magazine Book of the Year A Telegraph Book of the Year A Financial Times Book of the Year'An adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary' - BONOAs the founder of Island Records, renowned music producer Chris Blackwell has discovered and worked with some of the most legendary artists of the second half of the twentieth century - from Steve Winwood to Cat Stevens, Bob Marley to Grace Jones, U2 to Roxy Music, via Nick Drake, the B-52's and Robert Palmer. A maverick free spirit himself, Blackwell turned Island into a home for groundbreaking musicians and their wildly divergent music styles, playing an instrumental role in bringing reggae to the world stage.Now, as he turns eighty-five, the great raconteur takes us back to the island where it all began: Jamaica - the paradise where his family once partied with the likes of Noël Coward, Ian Fleming and Errol Flynn and where, as local Jamaican sounds began to adopt contemporary American trends, Blackwell's burgeoning musical instincts flourished. It was also the birthplace of the cutting-edge Island Records, founded by Blackwell in 1959. But that was just the start of a truly remarkable career...Winding through the music industry, this fascinating memoir makes for a giddy ride, encountering Island's many esteemed collaborators over the years and unpacking the initiatives, decisions and risks that ultimately brought such enduring success to Blackwell, both in music and beyond.

Lee Jaffe is a cross-disciplinary visual artist, musician and poet who captured extremely intimate photographs of Bob Marley and The Wailers during the last three years that they performed together. After their initial introduction in their mutual friend Chris Blackwell s room at Hotel Chelsea, Jaffe went on to forge a close creative partnership and friendship with Marley and eventually lived with him and his wife Rita in Jamaica. Jaffe, a first-hand witness to the birth of reggae music, had the opportunity to perform on stage and in the studio with Marley and his band and travel extensively with them through rural Jamaica, London, Los Angeles, and New York. All the while, Jaffe was consistently capturing portraits that offer an intimate view of the lives of these legendary performers, revealing both their struggles and successes. Jaffe s photographs accompanied by his first-person accounts and stories provide a behind-the-scenes look at one of music s generational greats and allow the viewer to be witness to some of Marley s most defining moments. The book will feature many never-before-seen photographs by Lee Jaffe accompanied by text.

'An adventurer, an entrepreneur, a buccaneer, a visionary' - BONOAs the founder of Island Records, fabled music producer Chris Blackwell has discovered and worked with some of the most important musicians of the second half of the twentieth century - from Steve Winwood to Cat Stevens, Bob Marley to Grace Jones, U2 to Roxy Music, plus countless others. He is also widely credited with having brought reggae music to the world stage.Now, as reflects on his life, Blackwell takes us back to the island where it all began: Jamaica - the place where his family once partied with the likes of Noël Coward, Ian Fleming and Errol Flynn and where, as Jamaican local music began to adopt contemporary American trends, Blackwell's burgeoning musical instincts flourished. It was also the birthplace of the now-legendary Island Records, founded by Blackwell in 1959.Five years later, while living in London selling Jamaican records to Caribbean immigrants, Blackwell came across the vocal talents of teenager Millie Small, who he paired with the song 'My Boy Lollipop'. The producer added a ska beat and released what would be a worldwide hit.But this was just the beginning of a truly remarkable career. In this fascinating memoir, including up to fifty photos supplied by Blackwell's team, the music icon will discuss the many artists he's worked with over the years, as well as unpicking the initiatives, decisions and risks that ultimately brought such success to both Blackwell and his esteemed musical collaborators.