'Roots Rock Reggae' depicts an unforgettable moment in Jamaica's history when music defined the island's struggles and immortalized its heroes. Director Jeremy Marre films Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Lee 'Scratch' Perry record in his legendary Black Ark studio with The Upsetters. Jimmy Cliff rehearses with Sly and Robbie, while Inner Circle's historic live gig is recorded on the violent Kingston streets. The legendary Abyssinians harmonize their haunting Rastafarian songs; Joe Higgs (formerly Bob Marley's teacher) plays and talks; majestic toaster U Roy raps alongside The Mighty Diamonds, and Third World record in a Kingston studio. There is also early archive footage of Toots and the Maytals, and Haile Selessie's royal visit to Jamaica while police and thieves battle it out on the streets, and the ghettos erupt in violence. 1977: An extraordinary year for Reggae music.

Documentary about reggae in Jamaica and its history. Filmed in 1979.

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lan...

Horsemouth, a drummer living in a ghetto of Kingston, plans to make money selling records. After his...

Urgh! A Music War is a British film released in 1982 featuring performances by punk rock, new wave, ...

Recorded in California at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, this live concert appearance from Bob Marle...

Documentary about reggae music and culture in London in 1977. Filmed in Super 8 camera by Don Letts....

This feature length documentary charts the story of the great Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee. A legend himself,...

An archive celebration of great reggae performances filmed in the BBC Studios, drawn from programmes...
Straight out of This is England! Or was it the other other way round? Never mind, now a classic, Wor...

After an unsuccessful attempt at establishing himself in the early 1970s music scene, Jamaican-born ...

For decades the iconic track “Bam Bam” has been a sampled darling within the music industry, creatin...

Over the course of more than two decades, Birmingham's UB40 have become global ambassadors for regga...

Over the years, few video documents have been issued about one of reggae's most popular and enduring...

A powerful portrait of the leaders of the reggae music Movement, and how Reggae has become a worldwi...

This is the never-before-told story of one of the most influential artists ever to come out of Jamai...

Forty years ago, Bob Marley embarked on a tour of Europe and the United States with The Wailers in s...

A documentary covering the life and death of Jamaican reggae musician and cultural icon Peter Tosh. ...

Bob Marley and the Wailers entered the newly refurbished Tuff Gong Studios on May 1, 1980 to rehears...