In BABYLON BY BUS: Bob Marley & The Wailers Live and Up Close we relive the golden age of reggae in the 1970s, when Bob Marley and reggae music celebrated their greatest triumphs. BABYLON BY BUS describes Marley’s concerts in the Netherlands in detail and brings the stories to life with the unique photos taken by pop photographer Gijsbert Hanekroot. The black-and-white and full-colour photos capture Marley at his best.

Bob Marley was born in Jamaica in a small village without electricity and running water. He spent his youth in Kingston’s ghetto, where he recorded his first tracks at the age of seventeen. He quickly rose to fame and became the world’s most famous political entertainer, and to many a symbol of freedom and hope.

In the spring of 1976, Marley and The Wailers took the reggae revolution to the European mainland. They played a concert in Amsterdam, where the band was welcomed enthusiastically by fans and press alike. Sell-out concerts followed in the years 1977 to 1980 in The Hague, Rotterdam (twice) and Geleen.

This book takes the reader back to the 1970s and the heydays of Bob Marley & The Wailers. BABYLON BY BUS is a treasure for every Bob Marley and reggae enthusiast. 

Gijsbert Hanekroot (Brussels, 1945) started his career as a professional photographer in 1969. This turned out to be the perfect time to capture the explosion of the rock scene in the 70s, which resulted in many iconic photographs. This book contains his most striking photographs of Bob Marley, and includes a number of gems that have not been published before.

Martijn Huisman (Rotterdam, 1986) got hooked on reggae and Bob Marley as a teenager. As a student he began to write about Marley’s visits to the Netherlands and Japan. Huisman is a researcher and writer who has since appeared, among others, on Dutch Radio 1, bbc World Service radio, and in the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper. He was also a delegate speaker at the 2018 Reggae Innovation and Sound System Culture conference in Birmingham.