Bob Marley – An Historical Overview

Humble Beginnings

Bob Marley was born on 6 February 1945 in Jamaica. His father was Norval Sinclair Marley and his mother was Cedella Booker. His father was white while his mother was black – because of this he suffered a lot of racial prejudice because of his mixed parentage. His father was away on business most of the time , but did support the family financially. Bob Marley’s father died when he was 10 years old.

After the loss of his father the family moved to Trenchtown in Kingston. Bob endured a lot of bullying in his youth – as a result of being short for his age and his mixed heritage. He taught himself self defense and developed physical strength.

It was during this time that he met Bunny Wailer and they started playing music together. Bob apprenticed as a trainee welder and played music in his spare time. He also played with Joe Higgs a local musician and Rastafarian. During a jam session he met up with Peter McIntosh who would later become known as Peter Tosh.

Musical History

During 1962 Bob recorded two singles , ‘Judge Not’ and ‘One Cup of Coffee’. During 1963 Bob Marley , Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh formed a band. They changed their name several times before finally settling on ‘The Wailers’. Bob was responsible for singing and composing the music and lyrics. Two songs were recorded with record producer Clement Dodd called ‘I’m still Waiting’ and ‘It hurts To Be Alone’. During this period Bobb stayed in a backroom at Dodd’s house.

He use to do odd jobs for Dodds and during one of these jobs he met Rita Anderson. He married her in 1966. Under Dodd the Wailers recorded several singles together. The most popular being ‘One Love’. It drew on the Rastafarian faith and spoke about unity , peace and love. It was a departure from the more radical songs that the Wailers usually performed. The Wailers were on their way to becoming one of the most popular bands in Jamaica. Follow up singles included ‘Soul Rebel’ and ‘400 Years’.

After getting married Bob moved with his mother to live in Wilmington , Delaware. This was a conflicted period in his musical life as many producers wanted him to compromise on his Rastafarian beliefs. As a result Bob moved back to Jamaica. Bob started wearing his dreadlocks which were to become his trademark. The dreadlocks were an important tenant of the Rastafarian faith.

The Wailers and Rita Marley tried to remix some of their old tunes between 1968 and 1972 in London. This did not however work out. During 1973 they released their first global album. Called ‘Catch a Fire’ it was a commercial success. A year later the follow-up ‘Burnin’ was released. ‘I Shot The Sheriff’ was the big hit off that album and has been covered by many other artists including Eric Clapton. This really propelled Bob Marley onto the international scene.

The Wailers broke up in 1974 as all of the Wailers were keen on pursuing solo careers. Bob Marley continued to call his band Bob Marley and The Wailers and recruited new members for his band.

Bob Marley enjoyed his first international hit during 1975 called ‘No Woman , No Cry’. During 1976 Bob released ‘Rastaman Vibration’ which topped the Billboard album charts for 4 weeks. During 1976 Bob and his wife were wounded during an attempted assassination in Jamaica. Fortunately Bob suffered minor injuries and his wife Rita made a full recovery.

Bob recorded following 2 albums in London called ‘Exodus’ and ‘Kaya’. ‘Exodus’ was a huge hit in the UK dominating the charts for over a year.

Death of Bob Marley

During 1977 Bob Marley was diagnosed with cancer. He suffered an injury to his big toe and this never healed properly. His Rastafarian faith prevented him undergoing surgery to amputate the toe. The Rastafarian belief is that you should keep your body whole. The Rastafarian faith also supported smoking marijuana believing that it was a link to the spiritual.

His cancer eventually spread to his lungs and liver. This did not stop Bob from recording and playing live gigs. During this period he recorded ‘Survival’ in 1979 and ‘Uprising’ during 1980. He died on 11 May 1982 at Cedar of Lebanon hospital in Florida. Bob Marley was only 36 years old when he passed away.

Bob Marley’s Legacy

Bob Marley’s legend as a musician and Rastafarian continued to grow and he has become more famous after his death that he was while alive. In 2001 he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Bob Marley played an instrumental role in bringing Reggae music to the masses and he continues to embody Regga music to this day.