Bob Marley Biography

Robert Nesta Marley was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived from February 6, 1945, to May 11, 1981. He is the most well-known reggae musician and is credited with popularising the genre outside of Jamaica. Many consider Marley, a devout Rastafari, to be a prophet of the religion.

The classics "I Shot the Sheriff," "No Woman, No Cry," "Three Little Birds," "Exodus," "Could You Be Loved," "Jamming," and "Redemption Song" are among Marley's ska, rocksteady, and reggae tunes. Many of his songs were protests against social injustice, while others stressed religious values of peace, particularly Rastafarian beliefs. In Jamaica, hymnals with traditional worship music have come to include "One Love," an anthem of international brotherhood and arguably his most beloved piece. Legend (1984), a posthumous compilation album, is the best-selling reggae album of all time, with over 12 million copies sold.

Marley rose to international fame as a musician. Nonetheless, outside of Jamaica, Marley's ritual marijuana usage and self-indulgent rock star lifestyle (he fathered eleven children by seven different women) restricted serious acceptance of him as a holy figure. On December 3, 1976, an assassination attempt on his life occurred, forcing him to flee Jamaica for over a year. Marley collapsed while jogging in New York City's Central Park in 1980, while on tour in America. His cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and liver, which had been previously diagnosed.

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Information About Bob Marley Singer

What is Bob Marley’s date of birth?

Bob Marley birthday: February 6 1945

Bob Marley Age: 36 years old

What is Bob Marley’s date of death?

Bob Marley death date: May 11 1981

What island is Bob Marley from?

Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Colony of Jamaica

Did Bob Marley have Children?

Bob Marley’s Children: Yes. 11, including Sharon, Cedella, David "Ziggy", Stephen, Rohan, Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian.

About Bob Marley History and Early Life

Marley (born Robert Nesta Marley) grew up in the small Jamaican town of Nine Miles, in the parish of Saint Ann. Norval Sinclair Marley, his father, was a white Jamaican who was born in Sussex to British parents. When Norval married Cedella Booker, an 18-year-old black Jamaican who would become Bob Marley's mother, he pretended to be a Marine lieutenant but was actually a plantation overseer. Norval supported his wife and child financially, but he was frequently away on business trips, so he rarely saw them. Bob Marley was still a youngster when Norval died.

Because of his mixed racial roots, Marley was subjected to racial prejudice as a child, and he faced issues about his own racial identity throughout his life. Following Norval's death, Marley and his mother relocated to Kingston's Trenchtown ghetto. Bob was compelled to study self-defence after being bullied because of his racial heritage and tiny stature (he was just 5'4" tall). He acquired the moniker "Tuff Gong" because of his physical strength.

Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer) became a buddy of Marley's, with whom he began to play music. Bob dropped out of school when he was 14 and went to work as an apprentice at a local welder's shop. He and Livingston spent their leisure time making music with Joe Higgs, a local singer and fervent Rastafari who is widely recognised as Marley's guru. Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh) at a jam session with Higgs and Livingston, who shared his musical ambitions.

Marley's first two songs, "Judge Not" and "One Cup of Coffee," were recorded in 1962 with local music producer Leslie Kong. These tracks, issued under the pseudonym Bobby Martell on Beverley's label, received little recognition. Later, on the album Songs of Freedom, a posthumous collection of Marley's songs, the songs were re-released.

Why is Bob Marley Famous?

Bob Marley is known for his Musical Career.

The Wailers

Bob Marley, Bunny Livingston, Peter McIntosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith created "The Teenagers," a ska and rocksteady band, in 1963. They went under the names "The Wailing Rudeboys," "The Wailing Wailers," and "The Wailers" before finally settling on "The Wailers." Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers by 1966, leaving Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh as the core trio.

Marley became the band's leader, vocalist, and composer. Coxsone Dodd of Studio One produced much of The Wailers' early work, including their first song, "Simmer Down." In 1964, The Wailers' single "Simmer Down" reached the top of the Jamaican charts, establishing them as one of the most popular bands in the country.

Marley married Rita Anderson in 1966 and spent a few months in Wilmington, Delaware, near his mother's home. When he returned to Jamaica, he joined the Rastafari movement and began wearing his signature dreadlocks.

Marley and his band hooked up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, The Upsetters, after a feud with Dodd. Despite the fact that their collaboration lasted less than a year, they produced some of The Wailers' best work. After a disagreement over the assignment of recording rights, Marley and Perry split up, but they remained friends and collaborated again.

In an attempt to commercialise The Wailers' sound, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter McIntosh, and Bunny Livingston re-cut several classic tunes with JAD Records in Kingston and London between 1968 and 1972. These tracks "should never have been released on an album... they were merely demos for record companies to listen to," Livingston subsequently claimed.

Catch A Fire, the Wailers' first album, was released globally in 1973 and was a commercial success. Burnin, which included the tracks "Get Up, Stand Up" and "I Shot The Sheriff," was released a year later. In 1974, Eric Clapton's cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" became a hit, boosting Marley's international fame.

The Wailers disbanded in 1974, with each of the three major members leaving the band.

Bob Marley & The Wailers

Despite the breakup, Bob Marley & The Wailers continued to record. Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion made up his new backup band. Backing vocals were provided by the "I Threes," which included Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Bob Marley's wife, Rita.

Marley's first song outside of Jamaica, "No Woman, No Cry," from the Natty Dread album, gave him a worldwide breakthrough in 1975. Rastaman Vibration (1976), his first hit album in the United States, spent four weeks on the Billboard top ten.

Marley departed Jamaica at the end of 1976 to record his Exodus and Kaya albums in England. Exodus remained on the UK album charts for 56 weeks in a row. It had four successful singles in the United Kingdom: "Exodus," "Waiting In Vain," "Jamming," and "One Love," a cover of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready." He was arrested and found guilty of possessing a minor amount of marijuana in this location.

Marley played at another political performance in Jamaica in 1978, the One Love Peace Concert, in an attempt to bring peace between warring parties. Manley and his political challenger, Edward Seaga, joined each other on stage near the end of the performance at Marley's request.

Survival was released in 1979, and it was a defiant and politically motivated album. Marley's support for African challenges was represented in songs like "Zimbabwe," "Africa Unite," "Wake Up and Live," and "Survival." He was invited to perform during Zimbabwe's Independence Day celebrations on April 17, 1980.

Bob Marley's final studio album, Uprising (1980), is one of his most devout works, including songs like "Redemption Song" and "Forever Loving Jah." Confrontation, a postmortem album released in 1983, including previously unheard material such as the smash "Buffalo Soldier" and new mixes of singles previously exclusively available in Jamaica.

Religion

Bob Marley belonged to the Rastafari movement, whose culture influenced the formation of reggae music. Bob Marley became the Rastafari's leading proponent, bringing their music out of Jamaica's socially impoverished neighbourhoods and onto the international music arena.

Marley's adoption of the typical Rastafari dreadlocks and famed usage of cannabis as a sacred sacrament in the late 1960s was an intrinsic part of his image, and he is now considered a "Rasta" legend. He is claimed to have entered each concert proclaiming Jah Rastafari's divinity. Many of Bob Marley's songs contained references to the Bible.

Marley was baptised into the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church a few months before his death and given the name Berhane Selassie, which means "the Light of the Holy Trinity" in Amharic.

About Bob Marley Later Years

Marley was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in his right big toe after a football (soccer) injury in July 1977. Marley resisted amputation due to concerns that it would interfere with his dancing and the Rastafari concept that the body must be "whole." Marley rejected all surgical options in favour of alternative methods that would not jeopardise his religious beliefs. He also declined to register a will, citing the Rastafari belief that writing one's death down disregards life's eternal nature.

Marley's brain, lungs, liver, and stomach were all affected by cancer. He fell while jogging in Central Park after playing two gigs at New York's Madison Square Garden as part of his fall 1980 Uprising Tour. The rest of the tour was eventually cancelled.

On September 23, 1980, Bob Marley gave his final concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is where the live version of "Redemption Song" from Songs of Freedom was recorded. Marley sought medical aid from Josef Issels, a Munich specialist, but his cancer had already progressed to the final stage.

Death

Marley felt ill while flying home from Germany to Jamaica for his final days, and landed in Miami for quick medical treatment. He died on May 11, 1981, at the age of 36, at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, Florida. "Money can't purchase life," he told his son Ziggy in his final words.

In Jamaica, Marley was given a state funeral. He was buried with his Gibson "Les Paul" model guitar, a soccer ball, a marijuana bud, a ring given to him by Prince Asfa Wossen of Ethiopia, and a Bible in a mausoleum near his birthplace. He received the Jamaican Order of Merit a month before his death.

Marley remains the most visible symbol of reggae's worldwide popularity decades after his death. His music has risen in popularity over time, providing a steady source of income for his estate and elevating him to legendary status in twentieth-century music. He continues to be extremely popular and well-known throughout the world, particularly in Africa.

In 1994, Bob Marley was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The Exodus album was named the finest record of the twentieth century by TIME magazine.