r/BobMarley

Hidden away from the public for decades, this reggae archive holds rare footage, recordings, and history that could have easily disappeared.

We’ve been following this story for over 25 years.

This is just the tip of the reggae iceberg.

www.livicated.com

From Jamaica to Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands, Bob Marley’s image has appeared on postage stamps across the world. And these are only a small part of the collection in Roger Steffens’ Reggae Archives, which also includes Marley stamps from Asia and Europe.

For decades, Roger has documented something much bigger than the international popularity of reggae: how Bob Marley became a voice embraced by people and cultures thousands of miles from Jamaica.

In many emerging and post-colonial nations, Marley’s songs about oppression, freedom, dignity, resistance and African identity spoke to experiences that were already deeply familiar. People didn’t need to be Jamaican to understand the message. They made it their own.

These stamps tell part of that story. From Jamaica to Grenada, Tanzania, Mozambique, Burundi, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mongolia and beyond, Bob’s face appearing on a nation’s postage is another small piece of evidence of just how far the music and the message traveled.

Roger has spent decades documenting this internationalization of Bob Marley and reggae: not simply how reggae spread around the world, but how the world embraced it and gave it new meaning.

What do you think guys ?

Every photograph in Roger Steffens’ archives has a story the lens couldn't capture.

At first glance, this looks like a simple candid moment between Roger Steffens and Neville Garrick, Bob Marley’s legendary art director, whose relationship with Roger went back decades through their shared history of documenting and preserving reggae.

But look at what Neville is pointing at: Roger’s T-shirt.

The image on Roger’s shirt is Neville’s own artwork for Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Confrontation album.

Released posthumously in 1983, Confrontation features Bob as St. George on horseback, striking down the dragon, a representation of Babylon and the struggle of good against evil.

Neville later recalled that Bob himself had wanted the album to be called Confrontation and described its theme as “the fight of good against evil.” Neville developed the Ethiopian St. George and the Dragon concept and spent around 100 hours painting the cover.

There’s also a fascinating detail behind the artwork. According to the story preserved by Roger, Neville’s original version depicted the dragon wearing a crown, reinforcing its representation of Babylon, but the crown was removed before the artwork appeared on the finished album.

We don't know exactly what Roger and Neville were saying when this photograph was taken, but Neville pointing at his own artwork on Roger's chest, and the expressions on their faces, makes the moment speak pretty well for itself.

Sometimes the story really is hiding right there in the photograph.

From the Roger Steffens Reggae Archives

LIVICATED: THE STORY OF ROGER STEFFENS’ REGGAE ARCHIVES

... he felt a philosophical kinship with her and was deeply impressed by her voice.

That connection led to three weeks of recording in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1975

The result was Escape From Babylon (1976), produced by Bob Marley and featuring The Wailers, The I-Threes, Earl "Chinna" Smith, Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Carlton Barrett, Al Anderson, and even Lee "Scratch" Perry as co-producer.

Roger Steffens has often pointed to unreleased demos and composing sessions as invaluable insights into Bob Marley's creative process. The 1975 recordings with Martha Veléz offer a rare glimpse of Marley developing songs in an intimate acoustic setting.

Bob didn't just produce the album. He also contributed several of his own songs, including "Bend Down Low," "Get Up, Stand Up," and "There You Are" ("Stand Alone"), while "Disco Night" was co-written by Bob Marley and Martha Veléz. During this period, some songwriting credits were also published under Rita Marley's name because of Bob's publishing dispute.

These rare signed front and back album covers are part of Roger Steffens' Reggae Archives, preserving one of the least -known collaborations in Bob Marley's remarkable career

LIVICATED – THE STORY OF ROGER STEFFENS' REGGAE ARCHIVES

Have you ever listened to Escape From Babylon?

While digging through an old KCRW cassette of Roger's interview with the legendary Nina Simone, Roger couldn't resist singing one of her songs for us... complete with some wonderfully strange lyrics!

It's moments like these that make spending time in the archives so special. Every tape, photograph, and recording has a story, and Roger always seems to have one more to tell.

LIVICATED – THE STORY OF ROGER STEFFENS' REGGAE ARCHIVES

Because preserving history isn't just about saving recordings... it's about preserving the memories, laughter, and stories that come with them.

Have you ever heard Roger sing?