ONE LOVE: REGGAE: Neil Kenlock: Photographer

“The album that I chose is a Bob Marley one called “Exodus”,which is a incredible album as far as I'm concerned. I've met Bob Marley several times I photographed him after he came to this country, Britain, and he brought some ganja in his suitcase and he was arrested. He was taken to Marylebone Magistrate Court, which I've taken photograph of that, and he thought that they was gonna deport him back and imprison him. But fortunately because so many of us was there cheering him the magistrate allowed him to go without having a custodian sentence. Later on I was lucky enough to go to his house in Chelsea and we both sat down. He sat in one chair, I sat in another chair and I refused to speak to him and he refused to speak to me. Because if a famous people come meet me I never ask them question, which is probably the wrong thing - I should have got more out of him but anyway he left the room that we were in and went into this bedroom and came back and he brought me this record. Maybe you can read it out for me.” (laughs)W {quote}Rastafari - 'Bob Marley and the Wailers ..Exodus' - yes ...wow!{quote}“Yes that's great, great stuff. And another thing when I first know of Bob Marley and I listened to his lyrics I was thinking that he was copying natural songs and sayings of Jamaican so he wasn't really that proper artist that he should be because he was replicating the community. Whatever people say, you know - was thrown away so he would just say them and grab them and use it as his own. But later on I realised that I was wrong - that what he did was fantastic. He passed many messages to the community, encouraged them to be successful, you know, and he gave them joy and strength and carry Jamaican name around the world. So I was wrong on that, you know, I liked him in the end.”W “Thank you so much.”Neil “You're highly welcome (laughs) - Rastafari!”W “Rastafari!”Neil Kenlock: Black Cultural Archives, Brixton, London 18th January, 2019Neil is photographed at the Archive during his exhibition 'Expectations:The Untold Story of Black British Community Leaders in the 1960s and 1970s. He stands before a photograph he took of his parents and one of himself as a young man.Bob Marley and The Wailers: “Exodus” released 1977Neil Kenlock Creative Review interviewThe GuardianBlack Cultural Archives
Neil Kenlock: Photographer, Bob Marley and The Wailers: Exodus

 

“The album that I chose is a Bob Marley one called “Exodus”,which is a incredible album as far as I'm concerned.  

I've met Bob Marley several times I photographed him after he came to this country, Britain, and he brought some ganja in his suitcase and he was arrested. He was taken to Marylebone Magistrate Court, which I've taken photograph of that, and he thought that they was gonna deport him back and imprison him. But fortunately because so many of us was there cheering him the magistrate allowed him to go without having a custodian sentence. Later on I was lucky enough to go to his house in Chelsea and we both sat down. He sat in one chair, I sat in another chair and I refused to speak to him and he refused to speak to me. Because if a famous people come meet me I never ask them question, which is probably the wrong thing - I should have got more out of him but anyway he left the room that we were in and went into this bedroom and came back and he brought me this record. Maybe you can read it out for me.” (laughs) 

W "Rastafari - 'Bob Marley and the Wailers ..Exodus' - yes ...wow!" 

“Yes that's great, great stuff. And another thing when I first know of Bob Marley and I listened to his lyrics I was thinking that he was copying natural songs and sayings of Jamaican so he wasn't really that proper artist that he should be because he was replicating the community. Whatever people say, you know - was thrown away so he would just say them and grab them and use it as his own.  

But later on I realised that I was wrong - that what he did was fantastic. He passed many messages to the community, encouraged them to be successful, you know, and he gave them joy and strength and carry Jamaican name around the world. So I was wrong on that, you know, I liked him in the end.” 

W “Thank you so much.” 

Neil “You're highly welcome (laughs) - Rastafari!” 

W “Rastafari!” 

Neil Kenlock: Black Cultural Archives, Brixton, London 18th January, 2019 

Neil is photographed at the Archive during his exhibition 'Expectations:The Untold Story of Black British Community Leaders in the 1960s and 1970s.  

He stands before a photograph he took of his parents and one of himself as a young man. 

Bob Marley and The Wailers: “Exodus” released 1977 

Neil Kenlock  

Creative Review interview 

The Guardian 

Black Cultural Archives