Musician Spotlight: Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley, known throughout the world as Bob Marley, was born in Nine Miles, Jamaica, on 6th February 1845, and died in Miami, Florida, on 11th May 1981. This Jamaican megastar has influenced countless performers and songwriters and will continue to do so for decades to come. The reggae and ska music that he produced, all of which had a rock base that made them instantly more universal, changed the face of music in the 1970s, and made reggae into a full-fledged musical experience.
It was in the early 1960s when Marley was working as an apprentice welder that he first heard the jazz-inspired notes of ska, itself a combination of rhythm and blues from America and folk-calypso. It was this that inspired the young man to create his own version of this popular music, and in 1961 he cut his first single under the watchful eye of producer Leslie Kong. This song, ‘Judge Not’, was a ballad with a fun beat to it, making it different and interesting and certainly capturing the public’s attention.
At the same time, Marley formed a group with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer called The Wailers. Over time, Junior Braithwaite would join as a vocalist, and Cherry Green and Beverly Kelso would sign on as backing singers. In 1963, The Wailers cut ‘Simmer Down’, and again, this was something new. It became a huge hit, and the fact that it was all about the terrible state of the shantytowns of Kingston allowed Marley to gain confidence in his own beliefs. He knew he didn’t have to write pop songs about nothing; he could write songs that didn’t hold back and that, because they were popular, would spread his message far and wide. So that’s exactly what he did, although this activism would reward him with an assassination attempt in 1976.
Throughout the 1970s, Marley released a plethora of albums, all of which would garner instant appreciation and critical acclaim. They included Natty Dread (1974), Live! (1975), Rastaman Vibration (1976), Exodus (1977), Kaya (1978), Uprising (1980), and the posthumous Confrontation (1983). Some of the best known songs from these albums are still played today and are just as well known as they were when they released; there can be hardly a single person who doesn’t know ‘No Woman No Cry’, ‘Jamming’, or ‘Could You Be Loved’, for example.
Here is Marley performing “No Woman No Cry”:
With Marley’s unique voice that allowed his strong Jamaican accent to hold forth, and the lyrics that were both deeply personal and highly charged with politics and frustration of the situation he saw around him, these songs became anthems for the time, and Marley’s slogan of ‘one love’ echoes across the decades. Even if their meaning has faded somewhat over the years, the heady combination of rhythm and blues, reggae, rock, and even pop has not relinquished its hold over the fans, and it feels as fresh now as it would have 50 years ago.
Marley and his backing band often used instruments such as guitars, steel drums, and the cajon.
In April 1981, Marley was awarded the Order Of Merit by the Jamaican government. Just one month later, he died of cancer, but his legacy remains very much alive today. Learn more about him and his music at his official website.

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