What makes Bob Marley feel so timeless? That’s something I’ve been considering as the culture celebrated what would have been the legend’s 75th birthday on February 7th. For one, there’s the cross-cultural appeal of his reggae’s easy-skanking rhythm, and of course there’s the incomparable voice singing sweet songs in melodies pure and true, carrying a message of optimism, uplift, and peace. 

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But if you took a sample of the world’s dorm rooms, you’d realize there’s another dimension to Bob’s enduring appeal: the man gave good photo. And chances are, if you’ve seen one of those bedroom Bob Marley posters, the photo on it was taken by Dennis Morris. 

The photographer is a legend in his own right, having been the in-house picture-maker during punk-legends Sex Pistols incandescent run (in addition to all sorts of museum-exhibited anthropological works of artists and minority communities alike).

But for Morris, it all began as a 16 year-old young man in the UK, playing hooky to attend Marley’s first show in England, when the two connected, leading to a collaboration of image making that would last the rest of Marley’s life and would help frame the musician’s vibrant magnetism. 

Dennis joined me on Your Evening to share his meet-cute story with Bob, and to reflect on the way time is affecting our collective understanding of Marley.

You can see Dennis’s Marley photos at the Gulla Jonsdottir Atelier gallery in West Hollywood’s Kimpton La Peer hotel, and learn more about him at his site: dennismorris.com