[Many thanks to Peter Jordens for bringing this film to our attention. Also see previous post The Untold Story of Forgotten UK Reggae Heroes, Cimarons.]

Harder Than the Rock: The Cimarons Story
Mark Warmington
UK: Margot Films, 2024
Documentary, music

Here’s description from Reggaeville.com:

Britain’s first reggae band, Cimarons, was formed by teenage Jamaican immigrants in a London bus shelter in 1967. 

Reggae exploded in the 1970s, with Cimarons at its heart. Thousands of miles from Jamaica, they brought excitement, experimentation and sheer anticipation booming from speaker boxes, putting the new generation of Black British youth in touch with their roots—in contact with who they really were. 

Industry legends, Cimarons worked with reggae-royalty Bob Marley, Toots & the Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and even Paul McCartney, but have been hugely under-recognised when it comes to their own music, impact and legacy. They are the forgotten men of reggae—when Marley first toured the UK in 1972, all the promotional material advertised Bob Marley & The Wailers, but in reality, it was Bob Marley & The Cimarons who the adoring fans saw on stage.

They went on to make some of the most interesting and hardcore Roots Reggae to emerge from the UK in the 1970s and this documentary will shine a light on their incredible back catalogue.

Having lost drummer Maurice Ellis to cancer, the band persists, despite decades of exploitation. Harder Than the Rock tells the story of their amazing history and follows the band’s final chapter as they dream of performing in front of live audiences again, one last time…

For full description and photos, go to https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/cimarons/news/view/the-cimarons-story-harder-than-the-rock-new-documentary-kickstarter/

For more on the film, see https://www.markwarmington.com/portfolio/harder-than-the-rock

For more on the director, visit https://www.thetalentmanager.com/talent/115632/mark-warmington