Don Letts\u2019 reputation has been firmly established in both the film and music world by a substantial body of work from the late 70\u2019s through the 80\u2019s, 90\u2019s and well into the millennium. His work has been exhibited in The Kitchen N.Y.C, The Institute of Contemporary Art, The N.F.T in London and was honored at Brooklyn\u2019s BAM festival and The Milan Film festival. In March 2003 he won a Grammy for his documentary \u2018Westway To The World\u2019.<\/p>\n
He came to notoriety in the late 70\u2019s as the DJ that single handedly turned a whole generation of punks onto reggae. It was whilst as a d.j at the first punk club \u2018The Roxy\u2019 in 1977, that Don adopted the punk D.I.Y ethic and begun to make his first film \u2018The Punk Rock Movie\u2019. Shot on Super-8mm it is the only documentary on the U.K punk scene w\/ Sex Pistols-The Clash and many others. This led to a period directing over 300 music videos for an eclectic mix of diverse artists ranging from Public Image to Bob Marley. He then moved into documentary work covering the likes of Gil Scot-Heron, The Jam, Sun Ra, George Clinton and most recently Paul McCartney. Dancehall Queen (co-directedby Rick Elgood) shot in location in Jamaica 1997 was his first feature film.<\/p>\n
At the end of 2007 Don presented \u2018Speakers Corner\u2019 in conjunction with the British Arts council. Featuring several spoken word artists, poets and rappers with a musical band in a theatrical setting. The event toured the UK in November-December and was a contemporary response to the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade.<\/p>\n
Recently, Don has released an incredibly successful book \u2018There and Black Again\u2019, a compilation album for Late Night Tales, and a fantastic documentary film, \u2018Rebel Dread\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>