Archivist? Historian? Reggae detective? Fashion icon?
We'll let you decide. 😎🇯🇲👟
For many Rastas, Ethiopia represented the spiritual homeland. Bob’s visit had been a lifelong dream, but as Roger Steffens often noted, the reality he encountered was more complex. Ethiopia was then under military rule, a far cry from what many had imagined from afar.
Bob spent only a few days there, yet the journey remained one of the most significant chapters of his life and deepened his connection to Africa and its people.
From the Roger Steffens Reggae Archives.
For many Rastas, Ethiopia represented the spiritual homeland. Bob’s visit had been a lifelong dream, but as Roger Steffens often noted, the reality he encountered was more complex. Ethiopia was then under military rule, a far cry from what many had imagined from afar.
Bob spent only a few days there, yet the journey remained one of the most significant chapters of his life and deepened his connection to Africa and its people.
From the Roger Steffens Reggae Archives.
For many Rastas, Ethiopia represented the spiritual homeland. Bob’s visit had been a lifelong dream, but as Roger Steffens often noted, the reality he encountered was more complex. Ethiopia was then under military rule, a far cry from what many had imagined from afar.
Bob spent only a few days there, yet the journey remained one of the most significant chapters of his life and deepened his connection to Africa and its people.
From the Roger Steffens Reggae Archives.
For many Rastas, Ethiopia represented the spiritual homeland. Bob’s visit had been a lifelong dream, but as Roger Steffens often noted, the reality he encountered was more complex. Ethiopia was then under military rule, a far cry from what many had imagined from afar.
Bob spent only a few days there, yet the journey remained one of the most significant chapters of his life and deepened his connection to Africa and its people.
From the Roger Steffens Reggae Archives.
A rare glimpse of Bob Marley in Ethiopia, 1978.
This Polaroid was taken during Bob’s only visit to Ethiopia and shows him in Shashamane, the Rastafarian settlement established on land granted by Emperor Haile Selassie I. Pictured with Bob are Ras Malachi and Lips (Bob's bodyguard).
For many Rastas, Ethiopia represented the spiritual homeland. Bob’s visit had been a lifelong dream, but as Roger Steffens often noted, the reality he encountered was more complex. Ethiopia was then under military rule, a far cry from what many had imagined from afar.
Bob spent only a few days there, yet the journey remained one of the most significant chapters of his life and deepened his connection to Africa and its people.
From the Roger Steffens Reggae Archives.
Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, The Wailers, and countless reggae legends.
Every item is received, documented, and displayed. The most historically significant pieces are then moved to secure storage in the Los Angeles area to help preserve them for future generations.
This room is more than an office. It's the front door to what has become the world's largest reggae archive.
Take a look around... every shelf has a story to tell.
In this tiny space, Joe Higgs taught them guitar, harmony, songwriting, stagecraft, and the discipline that would help shape reggae music forever. Known as the Father of Reggae, Joe Higgs may be one of the most influential musical mentors of the 20th century. It is no exaggeration to say that reggae history was born in this yard.
Without Joe Higgs, the story of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and reggae itself might have been very different.
Millions know the names of the artists he inspired. Far fewer know the name of the man who mentored them.
For more than 50 years, Roger Steffens has preserved hundreds of thousands of rare recordings, photographs, interviews, films, posters, and artifacts documenting Jamaica's musical heritage.
Now the conversation turns to a bigger question:
Should Jamaica do more to help bring this priceless cultural treasure home?
As the producers of LIVICATED – The Story of Roger Steffens' Reggae Archives, we're excited to see this issue being discussed on a national platform.
Tune in and join the conversation.
🇯🇲 The birthplace of reggae.
🎶 The world's largest reggae archive.
📚 One heritage worth preserving.
Ben Harper was introduced to the archives by Oliver Charles, his drummer, who is the son of Chili Charles who was Roger's partner in L.A. Reggae. Ben would go to the archives to learn about reggae music and the history that's contained within its walls.
He loved it there so much, his widely popular music video "With My Own Two Hands" opens with Ben putting the needle down on a record in the archive.
Roger Steffens has spent over 50 years preserving about hundreds of thousands of rare reggae items in his home in Los Angeles, California. Bob Marley & Peter Tosh photographs, board tapes, and unreleased recordings that exist nowhere else on earth.
LIVICATED is the documentary that finally tells Roger's story.. over the course of over 25 years.
Right now, we're just shy of 6 days before our fundraiser closes and we only need less than 1,000k away from making our goal of raising 20k for distribution and a small marketing budget!
We've raised over $19k ... We are so close! Packages start at $25 all the way up to 7k for the Associate Producer on our website.
Every tier gets you early access to this film before it goes out to the public. Tag your friend who loves reggae.
While making LIVICATED, Earl “Chinna” Smith took a moment to record this short video in support of Roger Steffens’ reggae archives and the documentary project.
Chinna is not only one of reggae’s great guitarists, but also a deeply respected figure within Rastafari culture and Jamaican music history, so his support truly means a lot to us.
If you’d like to help us bring this story of reggae heritage and preservation to larger audiences, check out the fundraiser perks on our website, including signed books by Roger, exclusive LIVICATED shirts, posters, Prints of Roger's Bob Marley Photos, and the option to have your name included in the film’s end credits.
Also, a huge thanks to everyone who has supported our LIVICATED fundraiser so far. Some of the perks are seriously special: signed Bob Marley cover issues of The Beat Magazine, high-quality prints from Roger Steffens’ personal photo collection, rare reggae memorabilia, and more. Every contribution helps us bring this documentary to the finish line and preserve this history for future generations.
Also, a huge thanks to everyone who has supported our LIVICATED fundraiser so far. Some of the perks are seriously special: signed Bob Marley cover issues of The Beat Magazine, high-quality prints from Roger Steffens’ personal photo collection, rare reggae memorabilia, and more. Every contribution helps us bring this documentary to the finish line and preserve this history for future generations.
One of the things that makes LIVICATED special is the people who believed in the project long before anyone knew if it would ever be finished.
Los Angeles reggae musician, producer, and keyboard master Roger Rivas and The Bullets licensed one of their songs for the film, helping us bring the sound and spirit of classical Jamaican music into the documentary the right way.
For those who don’t know, Roger Rivas is one of the great modern guardians of vintage reggae and dub sounds. Through bands like The Aggrolites, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Night Owls, and The Brothers of Reggae, he has spent years keeping the soul of 1960s and 70s Jamaican music alive while working with legendary artists including Alton Ellis, Prince Buster, Derrick Morgan, Pat Kelly, Keith & Tex, and many more.
As Roger often says, the old East L.A. Chicano soul sound and Jamaican music share the same heartbeat. You can hear that spirit in everything he touches.
Big respect to Roger Rivas and The Bullets for being part of the LIVICATED journey.
One of the things that constantly reminds us why LIVICATED matters is discovering pieces like this inside Roger Steffens’ reggae archives.
This framed “Heartland Reggae” poster connects to an important era of reggae history and features names that helped shape the music worldwide, including Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, U-Roy, Dennis Brown, Althea & Donna, Junior Tucker, and Judy Mowatt.
What makes this piece even more special are the handwritten messages and autographs left directly on the poster over the years. Roger told us who signed it, but honestly… after spending so much time inside the archives surrounded by thousands of records, photos, tapes, flyers, and historical artifacts, we forgot exactly which signatures belonged to whom!
That’s part of what makes Roger’s collection so incredible. It’s not just about famous names, records, or photographs. It’s about preserving the human traces, memories, stories, and cultural connections surrounding reggae music across generations.
LIVICATED was built to help preserve and share that history before pieces of it disappear forever.
This hand-painted concert banner from Negril is a perfect example.
Likely created in the late 1970s or early 1980s, it promoted Jimmy Cliff “in person” with the African Oneness Vibration and the Oneness Band, alongside a screening of The Harder They Come. Special guest: Don Carlos.
The banner was painted locally before cheap mass printing became common for smaller reggae events. You can still see the improvised lettering, uneven spacing, corrections, and the raw energy that made these street promotions feel alive.
“Each one bring one to Oneness / Come rub a dub with your partner to music culture and knowledge.”
That single line says so much about the roots reggae era. Community, consciousness, spirituality, dance, and education all blend together.
Most banners like this were exposed to weather, folded, reused, or simply thrown away after the dance. The fact that this one survived at all is remarkable.
The organizers of the show later gave this banner to Roger, and today it remains part of his reggae archives, preserving not just the music, but the atmosphere, language, street culture, and everyday history of reggae in Jamaica.
The image became known to us as “The Rasta Thinker.” A quiet moment captured by Roger Steffens that somehow reflected the spirit of the entire project: memory, reflection, history, and uncertainty about the future of reggae preservation.
At the time, we were deep into editing what we thought would be the film’s final scenes when Roger suddenly called us and asked us to stop everything. An offer had been made to purchase the archives.
The entire project paused overnight.
Instead of finishing the documentary, we found ourselves following Roger to Jamaica, where he was meeting with potential buyers while trying to ensure the archives would remain protected, respected, and accessible for future generations.
That unexpected turn became part of the story itself.
Ten years later, we’re still here. Still filming. Still preserving. Still trying to bring this story to the screen the right way.
Now, after years of devotion to the story and countless hours in the edit room, we are very excited to announce that the next chapter of LIVICATED begins - one step closer to you finally getting to watch the movie!
Funds will be utilized for: Film Festivals, Premieres, Screenings, Streaming Distribution, and Awareness Campaigns.
Our official fundraiser for the documentary launches on LIVICATED Dot Com
Email subscribers will receive private early access 24 hours before the public launch. We have limited quantities on some perks and exclusive collector's items, sign up to get first access!