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I guess he thought that since I was black and Jamaican – well, sort of – he'd be in good hands. Little did he know that the closest I'd been to Jamaica was watching The Harder They Come at the Classic Cinema in Brixton.
— Don Letts [1]
A portrait of Letts by photographer Dean Chalkley featured in the exhibition Return of the Rudeboy at Somerset House in the middle of 2014. [5] [6]
In a conservative culture that feels like punk never happened, the time is right for Return of the Rudeboy.
— Don Letts [6]
In recognition of Letts' unique contribution to music, on 16 October 2013 he was presented with a BASCA Gold Badge of Merit. [7]
Letts is married to Grace and the couple have two children. He also has a son and a daughter from a previous relationship. [8]
In September 2020 Letts and his wife Grace were featured on BBC's Gardeners' World , showing how they had combined their different tastes for plants and culture in their town garden in north west London. [9]
In 2022, Letts received an honorary doctorate from Nottingham University. [10]
In 1978, Letts recorded an EP, Steel Leg v the Electric Dread, with Keith Levene, Jah Wobble and Steel Leg. After Mick Jones was fired from the Clash, he and Letts founded Big Audio Dynamite in 1984. In 1990 Letts formed Screaming Target. [11] As of 1 April 2009, Letts is presenting a weekly show on BBC Radio 6 Music. in 2022 Don's singles 'Outta Sync' and 'Wrong' were released in anticipation of his debut album 'Outta Sync' produced by Gaudi and released on 29 September, 2023.
In 2006, he published his autobiography, Culture Clash: Dread Meets Punk Rockers. [12]
Since his first movie, The Punk Rock Movie (1978), Letts has expanded to doing documentaries and music videos for multiple bands. In 1997, he travelled to Jamaica to direct Dancehall Queen . [4] His film Westway to the World (2000) won a Grammy Award in 2003. A new documentary, Rebel Dread (2022) about Letts was released discussing his story as a first generation Black British, cultural mover and shaker, filmmaker, and musician.
Year | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
1978 | The Punk Rock Movie | |
1997 | Dancing in the Streets: Planet Rock | TV movie |
Dancehall Queen | ||
2000 | The Clash: Westway to the World | Documentary |
2003 | The Essential Clash | Video |
One Love | ||
2004 | Making of 'London Calling': The Last Testament | Video |
2005 | Punk: Attitude | TV movie |
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Gil Scott-Heron | ||
Brother from Another Planet: Sun Ra | ||
2006 | The Making of All Mod Cons: The Jam | |
Tales of Dr. Funkenstein : George Clinton | ||
Rock It to Rio: Franz Ferdinand | ||
2007 | Soul Britannia | |
2008 | The Clash Live: Revolution Rock | TV movie [13] |
2009 | Carnival! | |
2010 | Strummerville | |
2011 | Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen | |
2012 | Subculture | |
2016 | The Story of Skinhead [14] |
"A good idea attempted is better than a bad idea perfected." [1] – Don Letts to The Guardian
Big Audio Dynamite were an English band, formed in London in 1984 by Mick Jones, former lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Clash. The band mixed various musical styles, incorporating elements of punk rock, dance music, hip hop, reggae, and funk. After releasing a number of well-received studio albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Big Audio Dynamite broke up in 1997. In 2011, the band embarked on a reunion tour.
The Clash were an English rock band that formed in London in 1976 and were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they used elements of reggae, dub, funk, ska, and rockabilly, and they contributed to the post-punk and new wave movements that followed punk. For most of their recording career, the Clash consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer, lead guitarist and vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Nicky "Topper" Headon.
The Punk Rock Movie is a British 1978 film that was assembled from Super 8 camera footage shot by Don Letts, the disc jockey at The Roxy club during the early days of the UK punk rock movement, principally during the 100 days in 1977 in which punk acts were featured at The Roxy club in London.
The Clash is the debut studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on 8 April 1977 through CBS Records. Recorded and mixed over three weeks in February 1977 for £4,000, it would go on to reach No. 12 on the UK charts, and has been included on many retrospective rankings as one of the greatest punk albums of all time.
The 101ers were a pub rock band from the 1970s playing mostly in a rockabilly style, notable as being the band that Joe Strummer left to join The Clash. Formed in London in May 1974, the 101ers made their performing debut on 7 September at the Telegraph pub in Brixton, under the name 'El Huaso and the 101 All Stars'. The name would later be shortened to the '101 All Stars' and finally just the '101ers'. The group played at free festivals such as Stonehenge, and established themselves on the London pub rock circuit prior to the advent of punk.
Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon is an English drummer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer of punk rock band the Clash. Known for his contributions to the drumming world, Headon was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the Clash in 2003.
Michael Geoffrey Jones is a British musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer best known as co-founder and lead guitarist of punk rock band the Clash, until his dismissal by frontman Joe Strummer in 1983. In 1984, he formed Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts. Jones has played with the band Carbon/Silicon along with Tony James since 2002 and was part of the Gorillaz live band for a world tour in 2010–2011. In late 2011, Jones collaborated with Pete Wylie and members of the Farm to form the Justice Tonight Band.
People from the Caribbean have made significant contributions to British Black music for many generations.
"(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a 7-inch single, with the b-side "The Prisoner", on 16 June 1978 through CBS Records.
The Clash: Westway to the World is a 2000 documentary film about the British punk rock band The Clash. In 2003 it won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video.
The discography of the British punk rock band the Clash consists of six studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums and 31 singles.
"Complete Control" is a song by The Clash, released as a 7" single and featured on the U.S. release of their debut album.
Michael George Campbell, better known as Mikey Dread, was a Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster. He was one of the most influential performers and innovators in reggae music.
"Police and Thieves" is a reggae song first recorded by the falsetto singer Junior Murvin in 1976. It was covered by the punk band The Clash and included on their self-titled debut album released in 1977.
Rude Boy is a 1980 British film directed by Jack Hazan and David Mingay and filmed in 1978 and early 1979.
"Janie Jones" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It is the opening track on their debut album, The Clash (1977). The song is named after Janie Jones, a cabaret singer who organised sex parties at her Kensington home.
Acme Attractions was a London clothing store on Kings Road, Chelsea, London, that in the early 1970s provided a place for many punk and reggae musicians and scenesters to hang out. Shop assistant and manager Don Letts described Acme Attraction as a place "where the interaction between the different factions became more important than selling merchandise, even though at that age it was a deadly combination."
The Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk rock, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly. For most of their recording career, The Clash consisted of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon, with Terry Chimes or Nicky "Topper" Headon on drums and percussion. The band features in several documentaries and other films.
"Garageland" is a song by English punk rock band The Clash featured as the final track for their 1977 debut album The Clash.
Return of the Rudeboy was a photography exhibition created by the photographer and film-maker Dean Chalkley and the Creative Director Harris Elliott.