Musicians - Bob Marley

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	Musicians - Bob Marley

Robert Nesta Marley, OM, (February 6 1945 – May 11 1981) better known as Bob Marley, was a Jamaican singer, guitarist, songwriter, Rastafarian and activist. He is the most widely known writer and performer of Reggae music, famous for popularising the genre outside of Jamaica. Much of his music dealt with the struggles of the impoverished and gave a voice to the thousands of oppressed citizens around the world.

Early life and career

Bob Marley was born in Nine Miles, Saint Ann, Jamaica. His father, Norval Marley, was born in Jamaica in 1895 to a family originally from Sussex, England. Norval Marley was a soldier before becoming a plantation overseer, the job he held when he married Bob Marley's mother, Cedella Booker, an eighteen-year-old black girl. His affluent English family disapproved of mixed race relationships and although Norval provided financial support, he seldom saw his son. Marley faced questions about his own racial identity throughout his life with a white father and a black mother, especially when Jamaica was experiencing racial tension in the mid-1900s. He reflects, "I don't have prejudice against myself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white."

Bob Marley was raised by his mother, Cedella Marley, who moved them to Kingston's Trenchtown slum in the mid-1950s. He became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (aka 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, while spending his free time with Bunny Livingston, making music. Joe Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafarian, was key to Bob Marley's success. Many critics realize him as the true mentor of Bob Marley. It was at one of the sessions with Higgs that Marley and Livingston met Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh) who also had musical ambitions.

In 1962 Bob Marley recorded his first two singles, "Judge Not" and "One Cup of Coffee", produced by Leslie Kong, a local music producer. The singles attracted little attention at that time. Both were later re-released in the album Songs of Freedom.

The Wailers

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" which became "The Wailing Rudeboys", "The Wailing Wailers" and finally shortened to "The Wailers". Braithwaite, Kelso and Smith had left The Wailers by 1966, leaving the trio of Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh.

Bob Marley soon took on the role of the leader, being the main songwriter and singer. 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 Jamaica. They followed up with songs like "Soul Rebel" and "400 Years". In 1966, Bob Marley married Rita Anderson, and stayed for a few months in the United States where his mother was now living. Upon returning to Jamaica and The Wailers, Marley began practicing Rastafari and started to wear dreadlocks (See the section Religion for more on Marley's religiousness).

After a conflict with Coxsone 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 finest work by The Wailers. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, however, they would work together again and remain friends.

Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter McIntosh, and Bunny Livingston re-cut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and London, in an attempt to commercialise The Wailers sound. Bunny Livingston later described this output, "They should never be released on an album....they were just demos for record companies to listen to".

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", of which a cover version by Eric Clapton became a hit in 1974.

The Wailers broke up 1974, with each of the three main members going on to pursue solo careers. The reason for the break-up of The Wailers is questionable. Some believe that there were disagreements amongst Livingston, McIntosh, and Marley concerning performances, and others that Livingston and McIntosh wished to continue their music careers on their own. Peter McIntosh began recording under the name Peter Tosh, and Bunny Livingston as Bunny Wailer.

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Musicians - Bob Marley

Early life and career

The Wailers

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