Photo Credit: RGR Collection / Alamy
Part documentary, part fiction, Rockers follows Kingston drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace as he navigates Jamaica’s vibrant reggae scene. When local criminals steal his motorcycle, Horsemouth embarks on a quest to recover it, enlisting the help of some of reggae’s most legendary musicians along the way. Featuring appearances by Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Jacob Miller, and others, the film captures the spirit, humor, and resilience of Jamaica’s roots reggae community during the late 1970s.
FILM DETAILS
RELEASE DATE: June 27, 1980
RUNTIME: 1h 40m
GENRE: Comedy, Drama
STARRING: Leroy Wallace, Richard “Dirty Harry” Hall, Monica Craig
DIRECTOR: Theodoros Bafaloukos
SCREENPLAY: Theodoros Bafaloukos
STORY: Theodoros Bafaloukos
PRODUCERS: Patrick Hulsey, David Streit, Avrom Robin
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Rockers Film Corporation
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Peter Sova
EDITORS: Susan Steinberg
MUSIC BY: Compiled by Chris Blackwell for Mango/Island
About Theodoros Bafaloukos
Ted Bafaloukos was a Greek-born filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist best known as the writer and director of Rockers (1978), one of the most iconic reggae films ever made. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Bafaloukos first gained recognition as a photographer before immersing himself in New York’s reggae scene during the 1970s. Inspired by the music, culture, and communal spirit of reggae, particularly after seeing Augustus Pablo perform live, he traveled to Jamaica and set out to make a reggae film despite having no formal script or cast in place.
Ted Bafaloukos
That leap of faith became Rockers, a cult classic that captured the energy, humor, and social realities of Jamaica through a cast largely made up of reggae legends and real-life personalities, including Leroy’ Horsemouth’ Wallace, Burning Spear, Big Youth, and Gregory Isaacs.
Bafaloukos later chronicled the making of the film and his experiences in Jamaica and New York in his richly illustrated book ROCKERS: Ted Bafaloukos + 1970s New York + Kingston + On Set Mayhem = The Making of Reggae’s Most Iconic Film, offering a vivid behind-the-scenes look at the passion, chaos, and cultural power that shaped one of reggae cinema’s defining works.
WATCH:
Rockers
SOUNDTRACK
Music featured in Rockers is performed by various reggae artists, with the soundtrack compiled by Chris Blackwell and released by Mango Records in 1979.
TRACK LIST
“We ‘A’ Rockers” – Inner Circle
“Money Worries” – The Maytones
“Police and Thieves” – Junior Murvin
“Book of Rules” – The Heptones
“Stepping Razor” – Peter Tosh
“Tenement Yard” – Jacob Miller
“Fade Away” – Junior Byles
“Rockers” – Bunny Wailer
“Slave Master” – Gregory Isaacs
“Man in the Street” – Rockers All Stars
“Graduation in Zion” – Kiddus I
“Jah No Dead” – Burning Spear
“Satta Massagana” – Third World
“Natty Take Over” – Justin Hinds & The Dominoes
