1970’s Lovers Rock Exhibition is the first exhibition to focus on the 1970s heady days of the reggae genre’s history.
1970’s Lovers Rock Exhibition is the first exhibition to focus on the 1970s heady days of the reggae genre’s history. It’s curated by CeeBee Multimedia a.k.a Colin Brown, who is a Chaaawaaa Radio presenter, Reggae Fraternity UK executive and key supporter of International Reggae Day UK.
Disenchanted by much of what he saw as prevalent but apocryphal histories of Lovers Rock, often written by journalists and historians from outside the reggae and British African community, Brown decided to redress the situation.
This meant years of delving into histories and biographies, acquiring hard-to-find records, speaking to artists, producers, journalists and reggae specialists to find more information, acquire artefacts, and corroborate information.
The exhibition will highlight both artists and bands who have so often been overlooked, and the most successful artists of the period, like Janet Kay of ‘Silly Games’ fame.
The 1970’s Lovers Rock UK Exhibition is the first ever to focus on the foundation years of the genre. Artists and bands who have so often been overlooked are highlighted and the most successful artists of the period like Janet Kay (Silly Games) are celebrated.
A serious attempt is made to establish the chronology of when UK based reggae artists and bands released their first Lovers Rock song. The exhibition charts the evolution from a Jamaican sound to a distinctively British sound, from Romantic Reggae to UK Lovers Rock.
Lovers Rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid-1970s.
The roots of lovers’ rock lies in the last days of the rocksteady era and early days of reggae, with Jamaican and American singers such as Ken Boothe, Johnny Nash and John Holt enjoying international hits with versions of well-known love songs.
The event will be hosted in conjunction with UK Reggae History and will feature their ‘Lovers Rock’ exhibition, as well as an in depth talk and Q&A with Colin Brown.
Timetable:
14:00 Exhibition Opens
18:00 Presentation on The History of Lovers Rock by Colin Brown
19:00 Meet the Artist & Interview Featuring Shezzie aka Pauline Catlin-Reid (Brown Sugar – I’m In Love with a Dreadlocks)
THIS EVENT IS NOT TO BE MISSED
This event will take place on Sunday 1 November 2026 from 14:00 to 21:00 GMT at The Black Cultural Centre Islington, 16–18 Hornsey Road, London, N7 7BT. The nearest tube station is Highbury and Islington (Victoria and Overground). 10 minute walk to Hornsey Road.
Free on street parking.
Food and drinks will be on sale.
The event is FREE. Donations would be appreciated.
Book your FREE ticket here https://tinyurl.com/yzu872v9
Please note that this event will be filmed and photographed for historical record and uploaded to the World Wide Web. By attending and participating in this event, you are giving your consent to be filmed and waiving any and all claims regarding the use of your image.