World Music Index: Bob Marley
Born: February 6, 1945
Died: May 11, 1981
Background: Bob Marley is the premier artist who took Reggae, the folk music of
Jamaica, and brought it to the World. A practising Rastafari, his vision and driving belief was "One World, One Love," a them
which penetrated his music. Robert Nesta Marley was the son of a white a 50-year-old quartermaster with the British West Indian Regiment
and an 18 year old Jamaican girl. Though his parents were married, he rarely saw his father due to his service duties, and eventually
settled with his mother in Trenchtown, a place immortalized in his classic song "No Woman, No Cry." After quitting school, Bob formed The Wailing Wailers (later re-formed as "The Wailers")
eventually got signed with Island Records, a label which began as a Reggae-oriented company but later embraced white rock music from the likes of King Crimson and Jethro Tull.
In the early 1970's, The Wailers put out some legendary tunes such as "Get Up, Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff," which
is best-known in its cover version by Eric Clapton. For the rest of the decade Marley
toured, recorded and remained spiritual and political. He died of cancer at the age of 36, but his music and legend lives on
through his devout fans and his son Ziggy, who has taken on the family's musical flame.
Selected Discography:
Legend (1984) - Containing 14 essential Marley tracks, this is a perfect introduction to the man and his music. A must-have.
Exodus (1977) - The album which established Marley and the Wailers' international
following.
Burnin' (1973) - It has "I Shot the Sheriff." Need I say more?
Catch a Fire (1972) - The album which started it all has been re-released as a double CD
in March of 2001.
Notable Web Sites/Resources
Official Site - A huge site with everything, including an in-depth biography, information about his recordings and much more.
Here are three movie clips from Rebel Music, a documentary about Marley available on VHS and DVD from Palm:
Clip One
Clip Two
Clip Three
