Neville Garrick was a Jamaican graphic artist who created album covers and other artwork for stars of reggae, including Bob Marley (1945–1981).
- Died: November 14, 2023 (Who else died on November 14?)
- Details of death: Died in California of cancer at the age of 73.
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Neville Garrick’s legacy
Garrick began working with Marley and the Wailers in the early 1970s, and his first album cover for the band was 1976’s “Rastaman Vibration.” Garrick’s artwork for the album featured a painted image of a pensive Marley over a burlap background, and it was recently ranked No. 22 on Billboard’s list of the top 100 album covers of all time. The magazine’s entry on “Rastaman Vibration” noted that the album cover “went a long way toward establishing the iconography of Marley that continues to this day.” His other memorable covers for Marley included “Exodus” and “Uprising,” and he said his favorite Marley cover was for the posthumously released “Confrontation.”
As he worked with Marley, Garrick continued to shape the look of the reggae movement, creating indelible images that remain defining symbols of the genre. He brought his work to other musicians as well, designing covers for such artists as Peter Tosh (1944–1987), Bunny Wailer (1947–2021), Jimmy Cliff, Burning Spear, and others. Garrick also designed the vibrant backdrops for Marley’s concert tours and for the Reggae Sunsplash festivals from 1981 to 1988.
In 1986, Garrick co-founded the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica, and he served as its executive director for a period. He co-produced the 1992 Markey documentary “Time Will Tell.” Garrick was recently honored with Jamaica’s Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander (CD).
Garrick on his cover for “Rastaman Vibration”
“I was messing around, and I did a water-colour wash over a photocopy of one of my black and white images of Bob. Canvas was really expensive and I’d been painting on burlap – there was a company in Jamaica making burlap. So I cut the image out and stuck it on burlap and put it on my wall. And lo and behold, Bob was outside my window. I wasn’t aware, but suddenly heard him say, ‘An album cover dat!’ And I look out and Bob says, ‘I like that, I like that.’” —from a 2001 interview for Eye magazine
Tributes to Neville Garrick
Full obituary: Jamaica Observer
