Bob Marley
Bob Marley was born in the rural Jamaican town of Nine Mile in 1945. His father, Norval, the son of an English overseer, left the family immediately afterwards. He died when Bob was only 9. Bob's mother, who was only 19 when Bob was born, moved to Trenchtown, a slum of the capital Kingston. Bob became influenced by the musicical influences of Kingston.
He heard Ska, Rocksteady, Calypso as well as American Soul, Rural Jamaica brought images to Bob's music, while the poverty of urban life brought pain to his music.
In 1963 he formed a group called the Wailers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
In 1966 Bob married Rita Anderson. Rita had been a member of her own group called the Soulettes. They had had a number of hits in Jamaica. Bob had been a producer for the group.
Rita had introduced the Wailers to Rastafarianism, a popular religous movement in Jamaica. A principal belief was that the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie would be a saviour for the people of Jamaica. As part of his religious views, Bob also became an advocate for the health and medicinal properties of marijuana or ganja.
Their relationship was different the conventional western one. Bob adopted Rita's daughter from a previous relationship. But Rita adopted Bob's many children from multiple extramarital relationships.
Ultimately the couple reared 12 children.
All the musical influences in Bob's life blended into a new type of music with a slower, constant beat, called Reggae.
Their sound drew fans across the Caribbean. They created a string of hits like No Woman, No Cry; I shot the Sheriff; and One Love.
In 1974 Peter Tosh and Livingston left the group to pursue solo careers.
The group signed to Island records. In 1974 a song, written by the group and sung by Eric Clapton," I shot the Sheriff" became an international hit, reaching number 1 in the US.
This brought the Wailers international prominence. The Wailers now included Rita and her backing singers.
In 1976 due to increased violence in Jamaica, Bob and his family moved to London. Recording in London studios added influences that made the sound more accessible to mainstream audiences. He produced the albums Exodus and Kaya.
In 1977 Bob attended a doctor with a painful big toe. The doctor diagnosed cancer and recommended immediate amputation. Bob, concerned about his ability to perform, refused. This proved a costly decision.
In 1978 having returned to Jamaica, Bob continued to tour, cared for by Rita. He continued to produce great music. He had hits like 3 Little Birds, Buffalo Soldiers, Could you be loved and Redemption Song.
Bob's health continued to deteriorate. In 1980 he collapsed before concerts in Miami.
By 1981 cancer had spread to Bob's brain and he died at the age of 36.
Today, Bob Marley’s music is still being played and people still pay tribute to him. Marley, the yellow Labrador retriever from the emotional roller-coaster of a movie that is Marley and Me was named after Bob Marley for example. On a cheerier note, Bob’s son Ziggy Marley sang the theme tune to the children’s TV show Arthur (an adaption of the books by Marc Brown) and also voiced a jellyfish called Ernie in the animated film Shark Tale (2004).
