Rockers is a 1978 Jamaican film by Theodoros Bafaloukos. Several popular reggae artists star in the movie, including Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Dillinger, Robbie Shakespeare, and Jacob Miller.
Rockers was originally intended to be a documentary but blossomed into a full-length feature showing the reggae culture at its peak.

“How did a freelance photographer from a remote Greek island direct the greatest reggae feature film to date? This beautifully presented hardback weaves a complex, entrancing explanation, revealing in elegiac prose and striking photographs how director Ted Bafaloukos’s sailor father pointed him to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1964 following a random encounter. In 1975, Ted begins shooting Augustus Pablo and Burning Spear in Brooklyn, leading to his first trip to Jamaica and the concept of the cinematic reggae venture, despite being first detained as a suspected CIA agent. Things unfold organically as Ted opts for Spear’s drummer Horsemouth in the lead role, the supporting cast featuring Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, Kiddus I and producer Jack Ruby, among others. Making the film requires repeated hugs with the local obeah woman, tussles with gunmen, pilfered production funds and test negotiations with Bob Marley; the end result surpassing even Bafaloukos’s own expectations.” – 5-Star Review in MOJO Magazine

“From start to finish, Rockers engages with its warm good humour and razor-sharp observation. A fine writer, Bafaloukos introduces us to the Kingston melodica-player Augustus Pablo, whose great studio album King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown (1976) provided Bafaloukos with a title for his film. […An] altogether fascinating book.” – Ian Thomson for the Times Literary Supplement (UK)

Ted Bafaloukos (1946 – 2016) – Ted was born in Greece and left Andros Greece at age 17 in the mid 60s to attend RISD (1964 – 1968). He served 2 years in the Greek Army. He then moved to New York shortly thereafter and eventually became fascinated by Jamaican Music after seeing an intimate live show in Brooklyn.