David Burnett

1233181211BUR7603-BMarley44 Copyright © David Burnett. All Rights Reserved.

In 1976, while on assignment in Jamaica for Time magazine, David Burnett photographed Bob Marley for the first time, and Burnett became so entranced by Marley’s charisma that he continued to document the reggae king throughout his groundbreaking European “Exodus” tour. Burnett’s vision, coupled with Marley’s larger-than-life charisma, resulted in an amazing collection of images, only a handful of which appeared in the Time article. The other photos — more than 200 in all — appear for the
book1first time in his book Soul Rebel. This stunning visual biography offers a rare look at Marley’s personal life in Jamaica, as well as the exodus from his home country that culminated in his tragic death in 1981. Though it focused on Marley, Burnett’s work also canvassed a wide array of up-and-coming reggae talents, providing striking early looks at Peter Tosh, Lee Scratch Perry, Burning Spear, and Ras Michael. Compelling and incomparably candid, the photographs in Soul Rebel are a remarkable testament to the legacy of a legend.

David Burnett launched his photographic career as an intern at Time magazine in 1967. From 1970 to 1972, he covered the Vietnam War as a staff photographer for Life magazine. In 1975, he co-founded Contact Press Images in New York. Traveling to more than 75 countries, Burnett has produced photographic essays for Time, Life, Fortune, The New Yorker, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, and many others. His awards include “Magazine Photographer of the year” from the Pictures of the Year Competition, the “World Press Photo of the Year,” and the Robert Capa Award from the Overseas Press Club, to name but a few.

Photographs by David Burnett. Click an image to launch slideshow

Govinda Gallery held the first exhibition of Burnett’s photographs of Marley in March 2009 to celebrate the publication of Soul Rebel: Intimate Portraits of Bob Marley (Insight Editions, 2009). Govinda Gallery’s Chris Murray edited and wrote the introduction to Soul Rebel. David Burnett’s limited edition prints of Bob Marley are available through Govinda Gallery.

govinda gallery bob marley high times david burnett Copyright © David Burnett. All Rights Reserved.

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