Visual Culture: Peter Simon’s “Reggae Bloodlines” Show

Words by Jesse Serwer—

Peter Simon is one of few photographers who have documented reggae from its early days all the way through the present. His photos of people like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Toots and Sly and Robbie are some of reggae’s most iconic images, and his work illustrated one of the earliest and best known books on reggae, 1977’s Reggae Bloodlines: In Search of the Music and Culture of Jamaica.

That book is the inspiration for a new retrospective photo exhibit, Reggae Bloodlines: Lens of A Generation, debuting tonight at Puls8 in Kingston, Jamaica. The show, which will also visit New York City and Simon’s home of Martha’s Vineyard, coincides with a new venture with VP Records. The label is incorporating Simon’s catalog of Jamaican-themed images into a T-shirt line and a Reggae Bloodlines compilation. Check out some of our favorite images via Simon’s website.