The schoolboy with a camera who hung out with Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols

IT was a vocation which started, aged 11, connected the screen of the Daily Mirror.

Now 65, Dennis Morris is 1 of Britain’s astir celebrated photographers, renowned for his iconic portraits of immoderate of music’s top legends - from Bob Marley and the Sex Pistols to Marianne Faithfull and the Stone Roses.

But backmost past helium was conscionable a lad with a camera, wandering the streets of Hackney looking for thing to snap. When 1 Sunday helium stumbled upon a protestation for the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and began taking pictures, 1 of them was sold to the Mirror by an bureau and appeared connected the adjacent day’s beforehand page.

Loitering with the Kodak Box Brownie helium had been fixed astatine a photography nine for choirboys successful his religion was besides however Dennis, inactive a young teen, got the accidental astir seasoned photographers could lone dreamed about, and which would extremity up changing his life.

Hearing that Bob Marley and the Wailers were coming to London, the reggae-mad 13-year-old bunked disconnected schoolhouse truthful helium could get a glimpse of his hero, waiting from 9am to 3pm extracurricular the signifier doorway of the Speakeasy Club successful London’s West End wherever the set were to play their archetypal gig successful May 1973.

He remembers: “Finally Bob Marley and the Wailers arrived. I approached Bob and asked if I could instrumentality his picture. Laughing astatine my Cockney accent, Bob said, ‘Yah, mon, travel connected in.’

“‘I went into the nine with him and took photos. During breaks, helium asked maine what it was similar to beryllium a young achromatic kid surviving successful England, and I asked him astir Jamaica. I felt helium genuinely took to me.

“After the gig, helium asked if I wanted to travel on connected the tour. I said yes, and the adjacent greeting I packed my bags, said goodbye to my mum similar I was going to school, went to their edifice and jumped successful the backmost of the van.

“Bob conscionable turned astir and asked, ‘You ready, Dennis?’ ‘Yeah, ready!’ I replied, clicking my camera. And the escapade began.”

Dennis’s backstage photos of Bob and his set became celebrated the world over, appearing connected the screen of Time Out and Melody Maker earlier the young snapper had adjacent turned 17.

Even so, erstwhile Dennis, who arrived successful London aged 4 arsenic portion of the Windrush generation, told his schoolhouse careers advisor helium wanted to beryllium a photographer, helium was told to deliberation again.

He recalls: “The feline conscionable looked astatine maine similar I was mad. Then helium said, ‘Be realistic. There’s nary specified happening arsenic a achromatic photographer.’ Those were his words and I've ne'er forgotten them. I told him astir Gordon Parks and James Van Der Zee, but helium conscionable looked astatine maine blankly and shook his head."

Now considered 1 of the all-time large photographers of euphony and achromatic culture, known for iconic images of artists and bands specified arsenic the Sex Pistols, Marianne Faithful, Grace Jones, the Stone Roses and Oasis, Dennis’s enactment is this week being brought unneurotic for the archetypal clip successful a caller book, Music + Life, arsenic good arsenic an accumulation astatine the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie successful Paris.

Dennis credits Bob Marley with helping him content successful himself contempt the careers advisor’s enactment down, helium says: “Talking to Bob connected a regular basis, astatine that pivotal constituent successful my life, everything seemed possible.

“I told Bob however overmuch I wanted to beryllium a photographer. He said, ‘Well, they’ll archer you you can’t bash it, but you person to believe, Dennis.’ He instilled that condemnation successful maine that, if you judge successful yourself, if you’re determined, you’ll marque it.

“Bob and I conscionable clicked. I ne'er knew my father, and helium ne'er truly knew his. He gave maine the assurance to beryllium myself”

While the archetypal UK circuit was chopped abbreviated - “and I went location and got a hiding”, recalls Dennis - the 2 forged a adjacent relationship which lasted until the Jamaican singer’s decease successful 1981 and produced immoderate of the astir celebrated images of the reggae icon, charting his emergence from playing tiny crowds to packed stadiums.

They besides caught the oculus of a young John Lydon, who requested that helium instrumentality the archetypal authoritative shots of the Sex Pistols aft their signed to Virgin Records. Dennis was inactive successful his teens and the aforesaid property arsenic the band, who soon learned to spot him and allowed him unrestricted entree to their chaotic beingness and tumultuous emergence to fame.

Again, it was the opening of a relationship that produced world-famous images of the band, including their infamous vessel travel down the Thames to the Houses of Parliament to beforehand the merchandise of ‘God Save the Queen’. Dennis remembers: “From the archetypal clip I met them, it was a crazy, astonishing rollercoaster ride. These 4 radical challenged what British nine had built up arsenic its standard. They mocked the constitution and the royal family. Punk wasn’t a manner statement, it was a authorities of mind.

‘If I learned from Bob Marley however to support myself grounded, and astir spirituality and my past arsenic a achromatic man, what I got from the Sex Pistols was however to footwear down the doorway to get what you want, however to propulsion back, however to resist.

“It turned retired that we’d each virtually grown up together. John grew up successful Finsbury Park, conscionable a fewer miles distant from wherever I was successful Hackney, and Sid (Vicious) grew up successful the aforesaid benignant of neighbourhood, successful Stoke Newington. They were the achromatic kids we utilized to spot hanging retired astatine the blues dances.”

He adds: “Deep down Sid was shy, rather a gentle person, tender, thing similar the mode he’s portrayed. But helium besides had unspeakable signifier fright, and he’d get overwhelmed by the adulation and hysteria. After helium recovered (girlfriend) Nancy Spungen and started utilizing heroin, helium became a antithetic person. John begged Sid to get escaped of Nancy. When they were unneurotic Sid was similar a kitten, but without her helium would destruct his room, instrumentality drugs, chopped himself.”

Dennis besides chronicled the lives of Caribbean immigrants successful the 60s and 70s arsenic they struggled against hardship and racism, portraits which are conscionable arsenic earthy and revealing arsenic those of the euphony legends helium is astir celebrated for.

• Dennis Morris: Music + Life is published by Thames & Hudson for £40