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.
Over the years, he even conducted interviews while getting high with some of the artists he was interviewing, including Peter Tosh.
But there was one exception. In the 1980s, Roger stopped smoking completely for 14 months. Then came an opportunity that was apparently too good to pass up: the chance to smoke with Paul McCartney. 😂 And just like that, the 14-month spell was over.
Another story from a lifetime spent inside reggae culture — told by the man who was there.
🎬 LIVICATED – THE STORY OF ROGER STEFFENS’ REGGAE ARCHIVES
#RogerSteffens #Livicated #PeterTosh #PaulMcCartney #ReggaeHistory #ReggaeCulture
Every photograph in Roger Steffens’ archives has a story the lens couldn’t capture. Sometimes, the story is about what happens when the people who made the history step inside the archive themselves.
When David Hinds of Steel Pulse visited Roger Steffens’ Reggae Archives in Los Angeles, he wasn’t simply walking through a collection of reggae memorabilia. He was walking through a history he helped create.
Roger has followed, documented and preserved the story of Steel Pulse for decades. In fact, his connection with the band goes back to the early 1980s, when he worked in reggae promotion at Elektra Records on Steel Pulse’s True Democracy.
During the visit, David explored the rooms packed with photographs, records, posters, books and pieces of reggae history. In these photos, you can see him discovering some of those pieces for himself — including a Bob Marley & The Wailers concert poster covered in signatures and other artifacts Roger has preserved over the years.
There’s something special about watching an artist encounter his own history through someone else’s lifetime of preservation.
And perhaps that’s what Roger’s archives are really about: not simply collecting the past, but keeping it alive long enough for the people who made it — and the generations that follow — to experience it again.
From 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?