Bob Marley

From Jamaica Wiki

The timeless performer with the vision of "One World One Love"

Bob Marley rose from the small town of Jamaica to be the greatest performer ever born. His works were based on the music-Reggae Music-popularly known as the Jamaican music.

In his short span of life (36-years), he had touched the chords of people across the world and crossed the human boundaries of racism through his message of “One World, One Love”. He was a symbol of the oppression; discrimination faced by the blacks and sought to give the blacks their pride and identity back.

Born in small village in Jamaica on February 6, 1945, out of mixed-race wedlock, had a profound effect on Robert Nesta Marley’s’ life. His father, Marley, a Marine officer and a white Jamaican; then 50-years married an 18-year black Jamaican Cedella. He rarely saw his father who was away at sea mostly, although, he provided financial support to them. He was just 10-years when his father died at the age of 60-years.

His childhood was marked with bullying and racial prejudice due to his mixed racial origins, which influenced his thinking as not being either against nor supportive of black or white, but just being a gift of God who brought him out of both white and black. He along with his mother shifted to Kingston Trenchtown slum; where he earned the nickname of "Tuff Gong" due to his physical prowess as he fought the bullying.

Around 15-years before Marley’s’ birth, a revolution had begun to give the Africans pride and identity to their original heritage/roots. Africans were at the receiving end of the whites in every aspect of lives due to their slavery for years. Marcus Garvey, founder of Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), with the dream of having a black state without any white domination. In 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen became king of Ethiopia (renaming himself as Haile Selassie). These developments paved the way for a new religion the “Rastafari”, with the king as their Supreme God. It was a way to escape the humiliation of the whites and gave them a voice to speak for their rights to be treated as humans.

Marley loved music and found an ally in with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (Bunny Wailer), and later on Peter McIntosh (Peter Tosh). They trained under the Joe Higgs, a local singer. Their first musical step was in 1962, with two singles produced.

In 1963, Bob Marley with 5 more formed the band “The Teenagers" renamed to "The Wailing Rudeboys", then to "The Wailing Wailers", and finally "The Wailers" (the result of the influence of the Rastafari religion”).

In 1964, their song “Simmer Down” topped the Jamaican Charts and their band was the hottest one in Jamaica. In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson and joined the Rastafari movement (thus his trademark dreadlocks). He had total 13 children, 2 from Rita, 2 of Rita earlier marriage and rest of other women.

Wailers' first album, “Catch A Fire”, (1973) released internationally was well received. Despite the breakup of Wailer in 1974, Marley continued performing as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His international acclaim came in 1975 & 1976, with the song "No Woman, No Cry" and “Rastaman Vibration”. In 1975, he survived an assassination attempt.

He went on to produce more smashing and chart-topping charts all over the world. His songs filled with love, religion and oneness were well received by all. He is considered the first superstar of the Third World. His last concert took place at Pennsylvania on September 23, 1980.

He was true to his religion and refused anything that would go against his religion, even the amputation of his cancerous toe in 1977 which could have saved his life. He sought help very late in 1980, and died in United States on May 11, 1981. He was finally buried in his Jamaican hometown.

In his short span of life, he won many awards, including the Hollywood, Grammy awards, distinction of being the best artist (BBC, Rolling Stone) and Jamaica's third highest honor, the Jamaican Order of Merit.

A true hero, who sought to redeem others with his music, was sadly killed by the religion which was supposed to redeem him.