The Rebel Music man: Dave Hendley exhibition opens this week

I’m really looking forward to visiting the forthcoming exhibition of the photography of Dave Hendley, who died this summer.

Hendley is best known for the photos he took of the Jamaican music scene in the 70s, but he holds a special place for me as the man responsible for one of my favourite compilations, the double-LP Rebel Music, released by Trojan at the end of that decade.

There isn’t a clunker on this survey of the development of reggae from 1968-76, taking in pop, toasting and roots rockers with contributions from such figureheads as Big Youth, Dennis Brown, Junior Byles, Gregory Isaacs, I. Roy and Peter Tosh.

During a difficult interview with an unforthcoming Bobby Gillespie in the 1990s, I recall that I managed to break at least a little bit of ice by finding common ground with the Primal Scream frontman over his delight in his recent discovery of Rebel Music.

It’s that kind of record: engaging, uplifting and inclusive.

Hendley compiled Rebel Music and a follow-up volume, as well as the Creation Rockers series, as an A&R man at Trojan Records. The story of how he launched his own imprint Sufferer’s Rights and then took the path back to photography, is captured in this Daily Telegraph obituary.

Here are a couple of top tracks from Rebel Music:

Thanks to Fiona Mathers at Fred Perry for alerting me to the exhibition, which is at London’s Central Saint Martin’s (where Hendley latterly taught photography) until December 1. Details here.

*I’m grateful to David Home for identifying the image (see comments).