The Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris is presenting the first major retrospective of Dennis Morris’s work, showcasing his photography from 1960s and 1970s London. Celebrated as a ‘living legend’ in Japan, Morris is best known for his iconic images of Bob Marley, as well as his striking portraits of punk and rock figures, including the Sex Pistols, Marianne Faithfull, and French bands such as The Rita Mitsouko.
The Parisian exhibition, titled Dennis Morris – Music + Life, offers a glimpse into Morris’s black-and-white photographs, capturing the Jamaican and Sikh communities in London’s Hackney during the 1970s, as well as the white working-class, "The Happy Breed".
Morris’s passion for photography began at an early age - his first photograph was published on the front page of the Daily Mirror when he was just 11. He met Bob Marley in the early 1970s at the age of 16 and went on to capture some of the most iconic images of the reggae legend, both on and off stage.
The photographer who describes himself as always "sharp, stylish and cool" didn’t just capture images, he worked as a stylist for various Jamaican musicians and played a role in transforming Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols into John Lydon for his next venture, Public Image Limited (PiL).
More recently, Morris worked with the band Oasis, drawing comparisons to the Sex Pistols, describing it as "absolute chaos".
RFI: You had an exhibition at La Fab in Paris last year, and now at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie. What is your connection to Paris?
Dennis Morris: I've been and worked in Paris many times. I used to do a lot of work for Rock&folk magazine and I have many connections here. I've worked with quite a few French bands such as The Rita Mitsouko, Telephone, FFF.
Paris is a very creative place. It's a place where I think artists can come to find themselves. You know, sometimes artists reach a point in their career where they are looking for something, a new direction or they feel stagnated.
Artists will come to Paris to find themselves and then to recreate themselves in that sense.
And Paris is a beautiful city, architecturally, spiritually in that way.
RFI: At the MEP, there is a dedicated space showcasing your photographs of Bob Marley, both on and off stage. When did you first meet him?
Dennis Morris: The first time I met Bob Marley, it was my last year at school and I was very much into photography and music.
I had read in one of the music papers that he was coming over to do his first tour of England. I decided I wanted to meet him and take some photos of him.
So I went to the first venue he was to play on the tour in London, a place called the Speakeasy Club.
I didn't go to school that day and went to the club, maybe at 10am in the morning. I didn't know anything really about the music, how bands operated. I was there at 10am and they didn't turn up till around 3 or 4pm to do their sound check.
I just waited and waited and eventually he arrived, and I walked up to him and said: "Can I take your picture? He said: "Yeah man, come in." I went into the club with him, and while they were doing their sound check when they had a break, he was asking me what it was like to be a young black kid in England. And I was asking him about Jamaica.
He really liked me and said: "Would I like to come on the tour?" And I said, yes. So the next day I packed my bag as if I was doing sports and went to the hotel.
In those days, there wasn't a tour bus. It was a van. And the very famous picture, one of my most iconic images of Bob. I was sitting in the row of seats behind, and he turned round and said: “You ready, Dennis?” And I said, yeah. And took the shot.
It's become one of my most iconic images.
RFI: Are you a musician yourself?
Dennis Morris: Yes, I had a stage in my career as a photographer where I decided I wanted to make my own music. A band was formed with Basement Five.
I was the lead vocalist and very funny story was basically we were like a black punk band. But it was basically my influences from photography was punk and reggae, and I sort of fused the two together.
It was very difficult for us because no one really understood us… Because we were black, people expected us to play reggae or to play funk or soul, and we weren't like that at all.
And so what was really strange about it was at the time our support was U2, we went on to bigger things. But we had a very big following, but we had very bad management. U2 had a brilliant manager.
RFI: You’ve mentioned overcoming significant challenges in your life to become a photographer.How important is this achievement for you?
Dennis Morris: My ambition as a photographer was to be seen or recognised as one of the great photographers. If I have achieved that, I'm not sure. That's not for me to say. That's for the public to say.
I'm also very grateful for what photography has given me in terms of it's opened many doors for me. I've travelled the world through my photography and my work is recognised worldwide.
For instance, in Japan, they call me "living legend". Dennis Morris is a living legend, you know... So I am very proud of what I've been able to achieve.
RFI: What does ‘punk’ mean for you? Are you a punk?
Dennis Morris: I am a punk. Punk is a state of mind, a way of thinking. It's not really about the way you dress.
What punk really means is the ability, the desire to achieve what you want against all the odds, to go against the grain in that sense.
Working with Bob Marley…I learned how to be positive within myself, to recognise myself as a as a black man, as being equal to anyone. I learned my history. And more importantly, it gave me a sense to ground myself.
With punk, I learned how to kick down the door to take what I want. And through Bob Marley, I learned how to ground myself through spirituality in that sense and positivity.
► The exhibition Dennis Morris – Music + Life runs until 18 May, 2025 at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris.
