Vibrant photographs by Beth Lesser show what life in Bob Marley’s Jamaica looked like during the dancehall scene of the 1980s
Canadian photographer Beth Lesser fell in love with reggae in the late 1970s and decided to document the dizzying, smoke-hazed streets of Kingston in 1981
A YOUNG musician laying down some rhymes in a graffiti-covered music studio, a model courting attention from street style photographers in vibrant striped trousers and a group of men smoking in a crowded backyard.
These are just some of the spectacular photographs that encapsulate Jamaica’s dancehall scene in the 1980s.
Canadian photographer Beth Lesser fell in love with reggae in the late 1970s and decided to document the dizzying, smoke-hazed streets of Kingston in 1981.
It was the golden age of dancehall – an uptempo style of dance music derived from reggae, in which a DJ improves lyrics over a recorded backing track or to the accompaniment of live musicians.
Rastafarianism was also giving way to Jamaica’s burgeoning, rum-fuelled music culture with its DJs and MCs.
Beth commented: “The music was everywhere. It was played off well-worn mix tapes and cassette recordings of live dance sessions.
“It was in the buses, the taxis, blaring out of restaurants and shops.”
Beth spent the next decade visiting the country and capturing the scene – which was then still pretty obscure.
She took thousands of pictures of live dances, recording studios, artists hanging out with friends and the clothing fashions at the time.
During this time she also started a magazine, Reggae Quarterly, which she worked on throughout the 1980s.
Beth’s exhaustive work has previously been celebrated with a book, Dance Hall: The Rise of Dance Hall Culture, which was published in 2008.
She said: “I just want all those artists who were so influential at the time, not to be forgotten. The 80s are still relevant.”
In the striking image collection, Major Stitch is pictured looking at records at a youth promotion dance at Sugar Minot’s House, while U Madoo poses outside Skateland in Kingston.
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Musicians Brown and Nicodemus are cheered on by a crowd while recording in a music studio, and Roy and the Stur-Gav Crew hang around with mates on the wall outside their home.
Although not depicted in the images, Bob Marley is still the most famous musical artist to come out of Jamaica.
He achieved international fame and acclaim by blending reggae, ska and rocksteady in his compositions.
He started out in 1986 with a band called The Wailers, before pursuing a solo career in 1974.
Marley’s most famous hits include, Is This Love, Satisfy My Soul and One Love.
He was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in 1977, and died on 11 May 1981 in Miami at age 36.
He was a committed Rastafari who infused his music with a sense of spirituality.
He is considered one of the most influential musicians of all time and credited with popularising reggae music around the world, as well as serving as a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity.