Roger Steffens – författare

In 1973 young artist and filmmaker Lee Jaffe met Bob Marley in New York City and within hours cemented a friendship that would see Jaffe becoming a "Wailer" right down (or up) to his dreadlocks. While Marley was well known in Jamaica, he was little known in the rest of the world. Jaffe witnessed Marley's life and increasing fame during those years. He helped organize Marley's first American tour and played reggae with the Wailers throughout Jamaica. He learned Rastafarian ways. And he took wonderful, candid photographs of the many colorful characters who moved through Bob's world. This book, with the photographs and Jaffe's account of those exciting years, is a lens through which we have an intimate view of the young Marley. Jaffe's recollections of life with Marley are little diminished by time. Indeed, they are as colorful as the photographs, and as revealing. 120 four-color photographs.

Roger Steffens toured with Bob Marley for two weeks of his final tour of California in 1979 and the music icon was the first guest of Steffens’ award-winning radio show. In So Much Things To Say, Steffens draws on a lifetime of scholarship to tell the story of Marley’s childhood abandonment, his formative years in Trench Town, his seemingly meteoric rise to international fame and his tragic death at 36. Weaving together the voices of Rita Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer—as well as band members, family and friends—Steffens reveals extraordinary new details, dispels myths and highlights the most dramatic elements of Marley’s life; his psychic abilities and his overriding commitment to the peace and love message of Rastafari. This landmark work will reshape our understanding of this legendary performer.

Roger Steffens toured with Bob Marley for two weeks of his final tour of California in 1979 and the music icon was the first guest of Steffens’ award-winning radio show. In So Much Things To Say, Steffens draws on a lifetime of scholarship to tell the story of Marley’s childhood abandonment, his formative years in Trench Town, his seemingly meteoric rise to international fame and his tragic death at 36. Weaving together the voices of Rita Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer—as well as band members, family and friends—Steffens reveals extraordinary new details, dispels myths and highlights the most dramatic elements of Marley’s life; his psychic abilities and his overriding commitment to the peace and love message of Rastafari. This landmark work will reshape our understanding of this legendary performer.

Guiding us on this colorful book-length journey is one of the men who introduced reggae to America and helped rock the world with its syncopated beat, Roger Steffens. Through lectures, books, magazine articles, radio, and television, Steffens has shared his knowledge of reggae from coast to coast. He is the world’s premier archivist and collector of reggae memorabilia, and brings the best of his in-depth interviews with such reggae legends as Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, and “Toots” Hibbert to this unique scrapbook. Covering topics such as “Roots and Ska,” “Rock Steady,” “The Golden Age,” “Rockers, Digital and Dance Hall,” and “Internationalization,” and supplemented with sidebar features on historic figures, styles, and events, The Reggae Scrapbook demonstrates the bold statement made by the rise of this irresistible musical and social force. Already the book is gaining powerful critical comment: "Rich in political, religious and herbaceous context, this lively package is primer for the uninitiated and treasure trove for the fan," raved the San Francisco Chronicle.