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See
Jamaica
and See The song page for
lyrics and chords
Bob Marley Bio (Robert
Nesta Marley)
In Remembrance
February 6, 1945 to May 11th, 1981
Background information
Birth name Robert Nesta Marley, also known as "Tuff Gong"
Born February 6, 1945 at Nine Miles, Saint Ann, Jamaica
Died May 11, 1981 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, Florida, USA
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, guitarist
Instrument: Guitar &
Vocals
Years active as an entertainer 1962-1981
Labels: Studio One - Beverley's - Upsetter/Trojan - Island/Tuff Gong
Genres of music which he and his band played - Reggae Ska Rocksteady
Name the band "Bob Marley and the Wailers"
Official Website Http://www.bobmarley.com
Bob Marley was born on Tuesday in the small
village of Nine Miles in Saint Ann, Jamaica. His father, Norval
Sinclair Marley, was a white Jamaican born in 1895 to British parents
from Sussex. Norval was a Marine officer and captain, as well as a
plantation overseer, when he married Cedella Booker, an
eighteen-year-old black Jamaican. Norval provided financial support
for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on
trips. Bob was ten years old when Norval died of a heart attack in
1955 at age 60.
Marley and his mother moved to Kingston's Trenchtown slum after
Norval's death. Marley was forced to learn self-defense, as he became
the target of bullying because of his racial makeup and stature (he
was 5'4" (163 cm) tall). He gained a reputation for his physical
strength and constitution, which earned him the nickname "Tuff Gong".
An early photo-Peter McIn"Tosh", Marley and Bunny "Wailer".
Young Marley became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later
Bunny Wailer), with whom Marley started to play music. Marley left
school at the age of 14 and started as an apprentice at a local
welder's shop. In his free time, he and Livingston made music with Joe
Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafarian whom many critics regard
as Marley's mentor. It was at one of the jam sessions with Higgs and
Livingston that Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh),
who had similar musical ambitions.
In 1962, Marley recorded his first two singles, "Judge Not" and "One
Cup of Coffee", with local music producer Leslie Kong. These songs
attracted little attention, and were later re-released on Marley's
Songs of Freedom album.
In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Livingston, Peter
McIntosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith formed
a ska and rocksteady group, calling themselves "The Teenagers". They
later changed their name to "The Wailing Rudeboys", then to "The
Wailing Wailers", and finally to "The Wailers". By 1966, Braithwaite,
Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of
Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh.
Marley took on the role of leader, singer, and main songwriter. Much
of The Wailers' early work, including their first single Simmer Down,
was produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One. The single topped Jamaican
Charts in 1964 and established The Wailers as one of the hottest
groups in the country. They followed up with songs such as "Soul
Rebel" and "400 Years" Refers to the prophetic 400 years of slavery
before they shall return home to Africa.
In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson. They moved near his mother's
residence in Wilmington, Delaware in the United States for a few
months. Shortly after returning to Jamaica, Marley began once again
playing for night clubs. During this time he still had a clean cut
appearance until around 1968 when he began practicing
Rastafari
and started to wear his trademark dreadlocks.
After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee
"Scratch" Perry and his studio band, The Upsetters. Although the
alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider The
Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding
the assignment of recording rights, but they would remain friends and
work together again.
The Wailers' first album, Catch A Fire, was released worldwide in
1973, and sold well. It was followed a year later by Burnin', which
included "Get Up, Stand Up" and "I Shot The Sheriff".
The latter of which Eric Clapton
made into an international hit in 1974.
The Wailers broke up in 1974, with each of the three main members
going on to pursue solo careers. The reason for the breakup is
shrouded in conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements
amongst Livingston, McIntosh, and Marley concerning performances,
while others claim that Livingston and McIntosh simply preferred solo
work. McIntosh began recording under the name Peter Tosh, and
Livingston continued on as Bunny Wailer.
See
The song page for lyrics and
chords
In December 1976, two days before "Smile
Jamaica", a free concert organized by Jamaican Prime Minister Michael
Manley in an attempt to ease tension between two warring political
groups, Marley, his wife, and manager Don Taylor were wounded in an
assault by unknown gunmen inside Marley's home. Taylor and Marley's
wife sustained serious injuries, but later made full recoveries. Bob
Marley received only minor injuries in the chest and arm. The shooting
was thought to have been politically motivated, as many felt the
concert was really a support rally for Manley. Nonetheless, the
concert proceeded, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled.
Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976 for England, where he recorded
his Exodus and Kaya albums. Exodus stayed on the British album charts
for 56 consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: "Exodus",
"Waiting In Vain", "Jamming", and also "One Love", a rendition of
Curtis Mayfield's hit, "People Get Ready". It was here that he was
arrested and received a conviction for possession of a small quantity
of cannabis while traveling in London.
In 1978, Marley performed at another political concert in Jamaica, the
One Love Peace Concert, again in an effort to calm warring parties.
Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Manley and his
political rival, Edward Seaga, joined each other on stage and shook
hands.
The
Rastafarian Religion took a hold on Bob in 1968. In his
early days, Bob's songs were to the glory of God and Jesus but once he
became a Rastafarian under the influence of Joe Higgs, his music began
to change to reflect the Rastafari view point and even to discredit
Jesus as shown in his "Get up -Stand Up". Bob Marley became the
leading proponent of the Rastafari, taking their music out of the
socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music
scene. Marley's adopted of the characteristic Rastafarian dreadlocks
-"dreads"- (oddly enough Haile Salassie the leader and proclaimed
messiah of the Rastafarians did not have dread locks) and openly
used Ganja (marijuana) as a sacred sacrament.
His Cancer and demise.
In July 1977, Marley was found to have malignant melanoma in a
football wound on his right hallux (big toe). Marley refused
amputation, citing worries that the operation would affect his
dancing, as well as the Rastafarian belief that the body must be
"whole". Failure to accept timely treatment permitted the cancer to
spread to Marley's brain, lungs, liver, and stomach and on a return
flight from a Munich Doctor whom he sought only too late, he became
ill and landed in Miami to seek help. He was admitted in the Cedars of
Lebanon Hospital where he passed away on May 11th 1981. He was given a
state burial in his home country of Jamaica with a funeral procession
that was 3 miles long. He was buried with his Gibson Les Paul guitar,
a football (soccer ball) and a ganja bud.
His death is shrouded in speculation. The
official cause was cancer but this author, who was a day late getting
to JA for the funeral (the funeral procession was said to have
been 3 miles long) heard many who would like to blame the
government for his passing. Some said he was slowly poisoned, other
claimed he was assassinated after his last concert in at Madison
Square Garden.
There was a basis for this concern as Bob had troublesome times with
regard to the officials. The gunman attack on his family at his home,
which was only a few block from "Queens House" (the prime
minsters residence), was considered an attempt to prevent him
from performing at a rally sponsored one of the political parties.
Beyond this several attempts to silence him and his influence were
made. See his songs
that portray his struggle. Specifically see
No Woman No Cry that is a tribute to
those lost when it is claimed that government employees set fire to a
shanty town (Trenchtown - Many
whom were former neighbors and admirers of Bob Marley)
during a a time of political upheaval. This was during a strong wind,
causing the fire to roar through the wood, tar paper and tin shacks,
resulting in many people to losing their lives. See also the famous and often
envied I Shot The Sheriff which
is based on an actual occurrence. Study the words and you will find
that Bob shot at the Sheriff whom he could see and obviously missed
and implies that the sheriff shot his own deputy so that he could pin
it on Bob Marley. The police were constantly attempting to
arrest him but he always seemed to evade arrest sometime because of a
change in the political atmosphere and at other times through
cunningness.
There is a story that has made the circuit that the police burst into
a room where supposedly Marley, Tosh and a few other were sitting
around smoking some Ganja. There were caught red handed with a coconut
bowl pipe packed full to the rim. Caught dead to rights Bob asked the
police (Babylons as they were called) for one last
request before they took him away. They asked him what he wanted to
which he replied "Make I man take one last draw hof de bowl" to which
they agreed seeing as how this would only serve to further convict
him. It is said "im uff n im puff, n im uff n puff til de bowl
glowed red, n den im uff some more. Im draw pon hit til im heyes dey
bug. Dem im let hout ha cloud hof smoke to fill de room. When de hair
clear, im no where to be found. Im n Tosh ad went out de window n
gone" Hint - To understand this you may want to see our
section "Learn
Jamaican mon"
Bob and Rita had 13 children many of whom
were by outside girlfriends and 2 which were Rita's by a previous
marriage. David Marley better known as "Ziggy" went on to follow in
his father's footsteps and performs concerts throughout the world
using some of his father's material as well as his own, but has yet to
attain the recognition that his father did.
Bob's Children
Imani Carole, born May 22, 1963 to Cheryl Murray
Sharon, born November 23, 1964 to Rita in a separate marriage;
Cedella, born August 23, 1967 to Rita;
David "Ziggy", born October 17, 1968 to Rita;
Stephen, born April 20, 1972 to Rita;
Robert "Robbie", born May 16, 1972 to Pat Williams;
Rohan, born May 19, 1972 to Janet Hunt;
Karen, born 1973 to Janet Bowen;
Stephanie, born 1974; acknowledged as Bob's daughter but questionable;
Julian, born June 4, 1975 to Lucy Pounder;
Ky-Mani, born February 26, 1976 to Anita Belnavis;
Damian, born July 21, 1978 to Cindy Breakspeare;
Makeda, born May 30, 1981 to Yvette Crichton.
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