Roger Steffens Says Marley Family Failed To Match Joe Bogdanovich’s Offer For Massive Bob Marley Collection

Reggae superfan and journalist Roger Steffens has disclosed that the Marleys failed to match the offer made by music impresario Josef Bogdanovich, who reportedly closed a deal to bring a veritable trove of Bob Marley memorabilia and artifacts to Jamaica.

“It never got to the point of negotiation,” Steffens told DancehallMag. “Ironically, I got a call from Mr. [Michael] Lee-Chin’s people saying he would like to buy it, pending an appraisal, followed by a call from long-time friends Ziggy and Cedella Marley, saying they would match any offer I got. Neither came to fruition.”

Bogdanovich is the owner and CEO of DownSound Entertainment, a significant shareholder of the KLE Group, and in 2016, he acquired the rights to Reggae Sumfest. A successful entrepreneur with a diverse portfolio of interests, Bogdanovich also owns and operates the R Hotel in Kingston and is the majority shareholder of H&L True Value.

Steffens’ collection, widely considered the world’s largest and most comprehensive of Marley artifacts, includes a T-shirt from Marley’s iconic 1978 “One Love” concert in Jamaica.

Roger Steffens

Rather than parting with his 51-year labor of love, Steffens sees himself stepping into a new role: Curator Emeritus. He views the Marley archive as a “gift to the world.”

“I’m not exactly parting from it,” he said. “I’m accompanying it on its journey to Museum status as Curator Emeritus. It belongs to the world, truly, not just to one person.”

When asked why he hadn’t donated the archives to the Jamaican government, Steffens joked, “Having spent more than a half a million dollars out of my own pocket over the past 51 years, my wife would have left me if I just gave everything away.”

Steffens said that the government of Jamaica recognized the true value of his collection of Marley memorabilia, which includes a used copy of the Wailers’ first album, “Catch a Fire”, reggae posters, album covers, buttons, live cassettes, and interviews.

“Any time I spoke with the Institute of Jamaica or with Minister Grange, it was always assumed that I would be compensated for my work,” he said.

From left, famed musician Herbie Miller poses with journalist Roger Steffens, Minister of Entertainment Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, and Colin Leslie during Global Reggae Day 2008 which was held in Kingston.

The collection also boasts rare white-label Trojan releases, magazine articles, folk art, paintings, and Haile Selassie memorabilia, including an autographed, postmarked envelope commemorating his famed October 4, 1963, speech to the United Nations, the words of which were set to music by Marley in “War.”

Steffens praised Bogdanovich’s track record.

“That’s one of the reasons, of course. His fine record of cleaning up Sting and building up Sumfest; his own tv and recording accomplishments; and his general desire to big-up and help Jamaica reach world-class status all impressed me. I know he’s an honorable man, whose love for reggae and its surrounding culture, is equal to mine,” Steffens said.

“Can’t wait to begin the work, which will consume the rest of my life,” he added.

“I want everyone on the island to realize how their culture captured the imagination of the world, so there will be tons of international artefacts documenting that part of the story.”