Dennis Morris. Music + Life

A career retrospective on one of the all time great photographers of both music and black culture Dennis Morris When we think of the trailblazing photographer Dennis Morris s work music is right there Morris s adventures in the 1970s reggae and punk scene laid the groundwork for a six decade career It all began with Bob Marley Morris doorstepped Marley in his early teens while skipping school and went on to capture much of Marley s tour which launched his career as a music photographer He later became the official photographer for the Sex Pistols and for John Lydon s next project Public Image Limited Morris was art director and designer as well as taking iconic images for the band He captured the greats of reggae and roots music from Lee Scratch Perry to Toots and Jimmy Cliff forming friendships with many of the acts Morris s documentary and street photography work with roots in his experiences as a Black teenager in 1970s Britain bring us visionary projects that explore race politics and cultural identity From the miner s strike to squat protests from civil rights organizations to pop up studio portraits his work was a reckoning with his new home capturing eccentricity and individual spirits with his camera Edited by Laurie Hurwitz this book