Bob Marley or Robert Nesta Marley was born in Jamaica on 6th February 1945. At the age of 12 his family moved to Jamaica, where he grew up in the tough slums of Trench Town. His interests at that time were palm reading,football,and singing. After leaving school he started out working in a welding shop with another up and coming ambitious singer. They teased one another that they would some day both become singing sensations. Only time would prove that they would both be right. The other singer that I've mentioned was a certain Desmond Dacres or Desmond Decker as he is better known.

After meeting Peter Tosh (Winston Hubert Peter Mcintosh) and Bunny wailer (Neville O'Riley Livingston) they formed Bob Marley And The Wailers. These three members were the core of the group who went on to have an outstanding impact on Reggae music. The groups other members included Junior Braithwaite and female members Constantine Dream Walker, Cherry Smith and Beverly Kelso. After success with the hits "One Love" and "Put It On" Braithwaite left the group in the mid 1960's. Marley married a local girl Rita Anderson in Jamaica and then went to America where he worked in a factory on a Chrysler assembly line for eight months. This experience inspired him to write the hit "Night Shift". In 1966 he returned to Jamaica where the band was now only a trio with occasional help from his wife.

Although they tried for several years with various records, it wasn't until they appeared on the BBC's "The Old Grey Whistle Test" in 1973 that the word spread about the group. Eric Clapton then released "I Shot the Sheriff (a record that Marley had wrote) and this became an instant hit. Soon after the original two group members, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh left the group Marley then took over the role of lead vocals and enlisted replacements. Before this the singing had been shared between himself and the other two band members.

Further hits such as "No woman No Cry" and "Jamming" soon followed. After political riots in the streets in Jamaica in 1976 life was becoming dangerous there even for the peaceful, world-loving Bob Marley. On the 3rd December an attempt was made on his life when gunmen burst into his apartment and tried to kill him. Although they didn't succeed his manager was shot five times and Marley himself was shot in the chest.

In February the following year he released arguably one of his best works of all time with the album "Exodus". At this point in his career he was really at his peek. In April the same year after performing a now rare Jamaican concert he united the heads of the two opposing political parties (Michael Manley and Edward Seaga).

However, in 1979 Marley started to have health problems. At first with a toe injury which he had sustained in a football match. In 1980 "Could You Be Loved" became his biggest hit in the U.K for two years. Unfortunately his toe injury turned out to be more serious than at first thought and when he collapsed whilst jogging in New York from a brain tumour he was also diagnosed with cancer, which had spread from the infected toe. Bob Marley lost his fight against cancer in Miami on 11th May 1981.

One thing is certain, the Reggae groups today consider Marley as the "Godfather Of Reggae" (and rightly so). When groups such as UB40 are heard today the sound of the old hits from Bob Marley are very obvious. After his death several records were released, but one LP which came out sums up the man in one word "Legend".

 


 

last updated: 26. 10. 99