bob marley short biography

7 Fascinating Facts About Bob Marley

In addition to selling millions of albums — his retrospective Legend has spent more than 570 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 chart since its 1984 debut—Marley received The United Nations Peace Medal of the Third World in 1978. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The BBC proclaimed Marley’s “One Love” as Song of the Millennium. And in 2001, Marley was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.

Marley’s music continues to inspire and influence music, fashion, politics and culture around the world. But as the seven facts below illustrate, he lived an exceptionally full life in a very short amount of time.

He was derogatorily nicknamed “White Boy”

Nesta Robert Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. His father was a white British naval captain named Norval Sinclair Marley, who was nearly 60 at the time. His mother, Cedella, was a 19-year-old country village girl. Because of his mixed racial makeup, Bob was bullied and derogatorily nicknamed “White Boy” by his neighbors. However, he later said the experience helped him develop this philosophy: "I’m not on the white man’s side, or the Black man’s side. I’m on God’s side.”

He liked to spook people by predicting their futures

When he was a small child, Marley seemed to have a knack for spooking people by successfully predicting their futures by reading their palms. At seven, after a year spent living in the ghettos of Kingston, he returned to his rural village and declared that his new destiny was to become a singer. From then on, he refused all requests to read palms. By his early teens, Marley was living in Kingston’s Trench Town, a desperately poor slum.

He and his friends Bunny Livingston (given name, Neville O’Riley Livingston) and Peter Tosh (given name, Winston Hubert McIntosh) spent a lot of time listening to rhythm and blues on American radio stations. They named their band the Wailing Wailers (later shortened to the Wailers) because they were ghetto sufferers. As practicing Rastafarians, they grew their hair in dreadlocks and smoked ganja (marijuana) because they believed it to be a sacred herb that brought enlightenment.

He achieved international stardom

The Wailers recorded for small Jamaican labels throughout the 1960s, during which time ska became the hot sound. Marley’s lyrics took a more spiritual turn, and Jamaican music itself was changing from the bouncy ska beat to the more sensual rhythms of rock steady. When the group signed with Island Records in the early 1970s, they became popular with international audiences.

He produced a string of politically charged albums

When Livingston and Tosh left for solo careers, Marley hired a new band and took center stage as singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist. He produced a string of politically charged albums that reflected the keen social consciousness that came to define his lyrics. He wrote about the soaring unemployment, rationed food supplies and pervasive political violence he saw in Jamaica, which transformed him into an influential cultural icon.

In 1976, two days before he was set to play a free “Smile Jamaica” concert aimed at reducing tensions between warring political factions, an unknown gunman attacked him and his entourage. Though bullets grazed Bob and his wife Rita Marley, they electrified a crowd of 80,000 people when both took to the stage with the Wailers. The gesture of defiant survival heightened his legend and further galvanized his political outlook, resulting in the most militant albums of his career.

Marley had several children and adopted children as well

A little history of Marley and his wife Rita: He married her at 21 (she was a Sunday school teacher at the time) and stayed married to her until his death. He adopted her daughter and they had four children together during their marriage. Marley also had at least eight more children with eight different women. Rumors allude to several other unclaimed children but those named officially are Imani, Sharon, Cedella, David (aka Ziggy) , Stephen, Robbie, Rohan, Karen, Stephanie, Julian, Ky-Mani, Damian and Madeka.

He is the front of a global marijuana brand

As celebrity endorsements go, it certainly seems like a perfect fit: Under the label Marley Natural, the reggae icon fronts a global marijuana brand. Products include the “heirloom Jamaican cannabis strains”—purportedly the very same one Marley himself enjoyed—along with smoking accessories, creams, lotions and other items. Marley’s daughter Cedella calls the brand an “authentic way to honor his legacy by adding his voice to the conversation about cannabis and helping end the social harms caused by prohibition. My dad would be so happy to see people understanding the healing power of the herb.”

He's one of the top-earning dead celebrities

In late 2018, Forbes Magazine listed Marley as fifth on the list of the highest-earning dead celebrities. In addition to Marley Natural, his family has also licensed brands of coffee, audio equipment, apparel and lifestyle goods. Of course, Marley has also sold more than 75 million albums in the past two decades. Legend , a retrospective of his work, is the best-selling reggae album ever. More than 12 million copies have been sold internationally and several thousand new units sell every week.

Marley died of cancer on May 11, 1981, in Miami. His body was flown back to Jamaica to be buried and, in one day, 40,000 people filed past his coffin as his body lay in state in Jamaica’s National Arena.

Watch Next .css-smpm16:after{background-color:#323232;color:#fff;margin-left:1.8rem;margin-top:1.25rem;width:1.5rem;height:0.063rem;content:'';display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;}

Famous Musicians

Randy Travis

The Life and Hip-Hop Legacy of DJ Mister Cee

Jon Bon Jovi

How to Score Tickets to Pitbull's Tour

Mick Jagger

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s Private Relationship

Taylor Swift

How Dickey Betts Wrote “Ramblin’ Man“

How Did Bob Marley Die?

No Doubt Surprises Fans With Olivia Rodrigo

• Born February 6 , 1945 · Nine Miles, St. Ann, Jamaica
• Died May 11 , 1981 · Miami, Florida, USA (metastatic skin cancer)
• Birth name Robert Nesta Marley
• Height 5′ 6¾″ (1.70 m)
• Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Miles, Saint Ann, Jamaica, to Norval Marley and Cedella Booker . His father was a Jamaican of English descent. His mother was a black teenager. The couple were married in 1944 but Norval left for Kingston immediately after. Norval died in 1957, seeing his son only a few times. Bob Marley started his career with the Wailers, a group he formed with Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston in 1963. Marley married Rita Marley in February 1966, and it was she who introduced him to Rastafarianism. By 1969 Bob, Tosh and Livingston had fully embraced Rastafarianism, which greatly influence Marley's music in particular and on reggae music in general. The Wailers collaborated with Lee Scratch Perry, resulting in some of the Wailers' finest tracks like "Soul Rebel", "Duppy Conquerer", "400 Years" and "Small Axe." This collaboration ended bitterly when the Wailers found that Perry, thinking the records were his, sold them in England without their consent. However, this brought the Wailers' music to the attention of Chris Blackwell , the owner of Island Records. Blackwell immediately signed the Wailers and produced their first album, "Catch a Fire". This was followed by "Burnin'", featuring tracks as "Get Up Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff." Eric Clapton 's cover of that song reached #1 in the US. In 1974 Tosh and Livingston left the Wailers to start solo careers. Marley later formed the band "Bob Marley and the Wailers", with his wife Rita as one of three backup singers called the I-Trees. This period saw the release of some groundbreaking albums, such as "Natty Dread", "Rastaman Vibration". In 1976, during a period of spiraling political violence in Jamaica, an attempt was made on Marley's life. Marley left for England, where he lived in self-exile for two years. In England "Exodus" was produced, and it remained on the British charts for 56 straight weeks. This was followed by another successful album, "Kaya." These successes introduced reggae music to the western world for the first time, and established the beginning of Marley's international status. In 1977 Marley consulted with a doctor when a wound in his big toe would not heal. More tests revealed malignant melanoma. He refused to have his toe amputated as his doctors recommended, claiming it contradicted his Rastafarian beliefs. Others, however, claim that the main reason behind his refusal was the possible negative impact on his dancing skills. The cancer was kept secret from the general public while Bob continued working. Returning to Jamaica in 1978, he continued work and released "Survival" in 1979 which was followed by a successful European tour. In 1980 he was the only foreign artist to participated in the independence ceremony of Zimbabwe. It was a time of great success for Marley, and he started an American tour to reach blacks in the US. He played two shows at Madison Square Garden, but collapsed while jogging in NYC's Central Park on September 21, 1980. The cancer diagnosed earlier had spread to his brain, lungs and stomach. Bob Marley died in a Miami hospital on May 11, 1981. He was 36 years old. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous & MO840
• Spouse Rita Marley (February 10, 1966 - May 11, 1981) (his death, 5 children)
• Children Sharon Marley Prendergast Cedella Marley Ziggy Marley Stephen Marley Stephanie Rohan Robbie Karen Julian Marley Damian Marley Ky-Mani Marley
• Relatives Charles Mattocks (Niece or Nephew)
• Always had his hair in dreadlocks
• Started every performance by proclaiming the divinity of Jah Rastafari
• Gibson Epiphone
• He is buried in a crypt at Nine Miles, near his birthplace, with his Gibson Les Paul Guitar, a soccer ball, a cannabis bud, and a Bible.
• Refused amputation of his cancer-affected toe due to his religious beliefs.
• Survived an assassination attempt, receiving minor injuries in the chest and arm (December 1976).
• Was arrested in England for possession of a joint of a marijuana.
• Following the attempt on his life, he left Jamaica and lived in England between 1976 and 1978. In England he did not live with his wife Rita, but with Jamaican beauty queen Cindy Breakspeare . In fact, the song "Turn Your Lights Down Low" was written for her. They had a son together, Damian Marley .
• My music will go on forever. Maybe it's a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever.
• I have a BMW. But only because BMW stands for Bob Marley and The Wailers, and not because I need an expensive car.
• Bob Marley isn't my name. I don't even know my name yet.
• I no have education. I have inspiration. If I was educated I would be a damn fool.
• [on politics] Well, everything is political. I will never be a politician or even think political. Me just deal with life and nature. That is the greatest thing to me.

Contribute to this page

• Learn more about contributing

More from this person

• View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro

More to explore

Recently viewed

Bob Marley: His Music and Legacy

The man who became a legend loved around the world.

By Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley’s lifetime of creativity originated in Jamaica and became the foundation of inspiration that spread messages of hope, justice, and understanding around the world. In this exhibit, discover Marley's spirit of love and unity, and celebrate the enduring legacy of his music, work, philosophy, and life.

Bob Marley with is mother Cedella and sister Pearl. Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley was born Robert Nesta Marley on February 6, 1945. Bob was born to Cedella Marley when she was 18. Bob’s early life was spent in rural community of Nine Miles, nestled in the mountainous terrain of the parish of St. Ann.

Bob Marley's birthplace Nine Miles, St Ann Bob Marley: Legend

Residents of Nine Miles have preserved many customs derived from their African ancestry, especially the art of storytelling for sharing the past and time-tested traditions that are oftentimes overlooked in official historical sources. The proverbs, fables and various chores associated with rural life that were inherent to Bob’s childhood would provide a deeper cultural context and an aura of mysticism to his adult songwriting.

A young Bob Marley in 1973 (1973) Bob Marley: Legend

While barely into his teens, Bob left St. Ann and returned to Jamaica’s capital. He eventually settled in the western Kingston vicinity of Trench Town, so named because it was built over a sewage trench. A low-income community of squatter-settlements and government yards developments that housed a minimum of four families, he quickly learned to defend himself against Trench Town’s rude boys and bad men. Bob’s formidable street-fighting skills earned him the respectful nickname Tuff Gong.

Despite the poverty, despair and various unsavory activities that sustained some ghetto dwellers, Trench Town was also a culturally rich community where Bob's abundant musical talents were nurtured. A lifelong source of inspiration, Bob immortalized Trench Town in his songs “ No Woman No Cry ” (1974), “ Trench Town Rock ” (1975) and “ Trench Town ”, the latter released posthumously in 1983.

By the early 1960s, the island’s music industry was beginning to take shape and its development gave birth to an indigenous popular Jamaican music form called ska. A local interpretation of American soul and R&B, with an irresistible accent on the offbeat, ska exerted a widespread influence on poor Jamaican youth while offering a welcomed escape from their otherwise harsh realities. Within the burgeoning Jamaican music industry, the elusive lure of stardom was now a tangible goal for many ghetto youths.

The Wailers L - R: Bob Marley, Neville Livingston and Peter tosh (1964) Bob Marley: Legend

In 1963, Bob and his childhood friend Neville Livingston a.k.a. Bunny Wailer began attending vocal classes held by Trench Town resident Joe Higgs, a successful singer who mentored many young singers in the principles of rhythm, harmony and melody. In his Trench Town yard, Higgs introduced Bob and Bunny to Peter (Macintosh) Tosh, and the Bob Marley & The Wailers legend was born. 

The trio quickly became good friends so the formation of a vocal group, The Wailing Wailers, was a natural progression; Higgs played a pivotal role in guiding their musical direction. 

Clement Dodd at Coxsone's Record Shop Bob Marley: Legend

Bob, Bunny and Peter were introduced to Clement Sir Coxsone Dodd, a sound system operator turned producer; Dodd was also the founder of the seminal Jamaican record label Studio One.

The Wailers album coverer Studio One (1964-02) Bob Marley: Legend

The Wailers’ first single for Studio One “Simmer Down,” with Bob cautioning the ghetto youths to control their tempers or “the battle would be hotter,” reportedly sold over 80,000 copies. The Wailers went on to record several hits for Coxsone including “ Rude Boy ,” “ I’m Still Waiting ,” and an early version of “ One Love ,” the song the BBC would designate as the "Song of the Century" some 35 years later.

The Wailers pose for photo outside Dynamics Recording Studios. (1970) Bob Marley: Legend

In 1970 the Wailers forged a crucial relationship with Jamaican producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, a pioneer in the development of dub, the reggae offshoot where the drum and bass foundation is moved to the forefront. 

The Wailers group photo session (1972) Bob Marley: Legend

Perry wisely paired The Wailers with the nucleus of his studio band The Upsetters, brothers Carlton and Aston “Family Man” Barrett, respectively playing drums and bass. Collectively they forged a revolutionary sonic identity, as heard on tracks like “ Duppy Conqueror ,” “ 400 Years ” and “ Soul Rebel ,” which established an enduring paradigm for roots reggae. 

In 1971, Bob went to Sweden to collaborate on a film score with American singer Johnny Nash. Bob secured a contract with Nash’s label CBS Records and by early 1972, the Wailers were in London promoting their single Reggae On Broadway . CBS, however, had little faith in their success and abruptly abandoned the group there.

Bob paid a chance visit to the London offices of Island Records and the result was a meeting with label founder Chris Blackwell. He sought the finances to record a single but Blackwell suggested the group record an album and advanced them £4,000, an unheard of sum to be given to a Jamaican act.

Black Music Magazine features the Wailers (1974-07) Bob Marley: Legend

Island’s top reggae star Jimmy Cliff had recently left the label and Blackwell saw Bob as the ideal artist to fill that void and attract an audience primed for rock music. “I was dealing with rock music, which was really rebel music and I felt that would really be the way to break Jamaican music. But you needed someone who could be that image. When Bob walked in he really was that image,” Blackwell once reflected. 

The Wailers photo for the "Catch A Fire" album (1973) by Cookie Kincade Bob Marley: Legend

Despite their “rude boy” reputation, the Wailers returned to Kingston and honored their agreement with Blackwell. They delivered their Catch A Fire album in April 1973 to extensive international media fanfare. Tours of England and the U.S. were quickly arranged and the life of Bob Marley was forever changed. 

The Wailers photo for back cover of "Catch A Fire" album. (1973) by Cookie Kinkade Bob Marley: Legend

Their U.S. gigs included an opening slot for a then relatively unknown Bruce Springsteen in New York City. The Wailers toured with Sly and the Family Stone, who were at their peak in the early 70s, but were removed after just four dates because their riveting performances, reportedly, upstaged the headliner.

Following the successful Catch A Fire Tour, the Wailers promptly recorded their second album for Island Records, Burnin , which was released in October 1973. Featuring some of Bob’s most celebrated songs “Burnin” introduced their timeless anthem of insurgency “Get Up Stand Up” and “I Shot The Sheriff,” which Eric Clapton covered and took to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Clapton’s cover significantly elevated Bob Marley’s international profile, the same year that Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the group.

Bob Marley & the Wailers Natty Dread album cover (1975) by Tony Wright Bob Marley: Legend

Bob's third album for Island Records Natty Dread , released in October 1975, was the first credited to Bob Marley & The Wailers; the harmonies of Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer were replaced with the soulfulness of the I-Threes, Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt.

Bob Marley & the Wailers Natty Dread full page Advt. (1975) Bob Marley: Legend

Characterized by spiritually and socially conscious lyrics, the Natty Dread album included a rousing blues-influenced celebration of reggae, “ Lively Up Yourself ,” which Bob used to open many of his concerts.

The joy he experienced among friends amidst the struggles of his Trench Town youth is poignantly conveyed on “ No Woman No Cry ,” while the essential title track played a significant role in introducing Rastafarian culture and philosophies to the world. 

Bob Marley live at the Lyceum Ballroom, London, UK (1975-07-17) by Adrian Boot Bob Marley: Legend

The following year Bob embarked on a highly successful European tour in support of  Natty Dread , which included two nights at London’s Lyceum Theater.  The Lyceum performances were captured on Bob’s next release for Island, Bob Marley and the Wailers Live! , which featured a melancholy version of “No Woman No Cry” that reached the UK top 40.

Bob Marley live at the Lyceum Ballroom, London. (1975-07-17) by Adrian Boot Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley, Neville Garrick, Micheal Campbell and Tyrone Downie enter the back of Birmingham Odeon (1975-07-19) by Ian Dickson Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley & the Wailers Rastaman Vibration album cover (1976-03) by Neville Garrick Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley catapulted to international stardom in 1976 with the release of  Rastaman Vibration , his only album to reach the Billboard Top 200, peaking at no. 8. With the inclusion of “ Crazy Baldhead, ” which decries “brainwash education” and the stirring title cut,  Rastaman Vibration  presented a clearer understanding of Rastafari teachings to the mainstream audience that was now attentively listening to Bob. 

Bob hoists picture of Haile Selassie I during the Santa Monica CC (1976-05-25) by Kim Gottlieb Bob Marley: Legend

Also included was “ War ,” its lyrics adapted from an impassioned speech to the United Nations General Assembly in 1963, delivered by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I whom Rastafarians consider a living God. 35 years after its initial release “War” remains an unassailable anthem of equality, its empowering spirit embraced by dispossessed people everywhere.

As 1976 drew to a close, Bob was now regarded as a global reggae ambassador who had internationally popularized Rastafarian beliefs. At home, that distinction fostered an immense sense of pride among those who embraced Bob’s messages. 

Jamaica Labor party area in Kingston, Jamaica Bob Marley: Legend

But Bob’s expanding influence was also a point of contention for others in Jamaica, which was brutally divided by political alliances. With the intention of suppressing simmering tensions between Jamaica’s rival People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Bob agreed to a request by Jamaica’s Ministry of Culture to headline a (non partisan) free concert, Smile Jamaica, to be held on December 5, 1976 in Kingston.

Jamaica Daily News front page story Bob Marley Shot (1976-12-04) Bob Marley: Legend

Two days prior to the event, as Bob Marley & The Wailers rehearsed at his Kingston home, an unsuccessful assassination attempt was made on his life. Gunmen sprayed Bob’s residence with bullets but miraculously, no one was killed. Bob escaped with minor gunshot wounds, Rita underwent surgery to remove a bullet that grazed her head but she was released from the hospital the next day. 

Bob Marley live at the Smile Jamaica Concert at the National Heroes Park, Jamaica (1976-12-05) Bob Marley: Legend

If the ambush in the night at Bob's home was an attempt to prevent him from performing at the Smile Jamaica concert or a warning intended to silence the revolutionary spirit within his music, then it had failed miserably. 

Bob Marley live at the Smile Jamaica Concert at the National Heroes Park, Kingston, Jamaica (1976-12-05) Bob Marley: Legend

Bob defiantly performed “War” at the Smile Jamaica concert , which reportedly drew 80,000 people but shortly thereafter he went into seclusion and few people knew of his whereabouts.

Three months after the Smile Jamaica concert, Bob flew to London where he lived for the next year and a half; there he recorded the albums Exodus (1977) and Kaya (1978). Exodus ’ title track provided a call for change, “the movement of Jah people,” incorporating spiritual and political concerns into its groundbreaking amalgam of reggae, rock and soul-funk. A second single, the sultry dance tune “ Jamming ” became a British top 10 hit. The Exodus album remained on the UK charts for a staggering 56 consecutive weeks, bringing a level of commercial success to Bob Marley & The Wailers that had previously eluded the band.

In a more laid back vein, the Kaya album hit no. 4 on the British charts, propelled by the popularity of the romantic singles “ Satisfy My Soul ” and “ Is This Love? ” Kaya ’s title track extols the herb Marley used throughout his lifetime; the somber “Running Away,” and the haunting “ Time Will Tell ” are deep reflections on the December 1976 assassination attempt. The release of Kaya coincided with Bob Marley’s triumphant return to Jamaica for a performance at the One Love Peace Concert, held on April 22, 1978 at Kingston’s National Stadium. The event was another effort aimed at curtailing the rampant violence stemming from PNP-JLP rivalries; the event featured 16 popular reggae acts and was dubbed a “Third World Woodstock.”

In the concert’s most memorable scenario, Bob Marley invited JLP leader Edward Seaga and Prime Minister Michael Manley onstage. As the Wailers pumped out the rhythm to “Jamming,” Bob urged the politicians to shake hands; clasping his left hand over theirs, he raised their arms aloft and chanted “Jah Rastafari.”

In recognition of his courageous attempt to bridge Jamaica’s cavernous political divide, Bob traveled to the United Nations in New York where he received the organization’s Medal of Peace on June 15, 1978.

Bob Marley with Rastafarian brothers in a river in Shashamane, Ethiopia (1978-11) Bob Marley: Legend

At the end of 1978, Bob made his first trip to Africa. He visited Kenya and Ethiopia, the latter being the spiritual home of Rastafari. 

Bob Marley with Twelve Tribes of Isreal members in Shashamane, Ethiopia (1978-11) Bob Marley: Legend

During his Ethiopian sojourn, Bob stayed in Shashamane, a communal settlement situated on 500-acres of land donated by Emperor Haile Selassie I to Rastafarians that chose to repatriate to Ethiopia. 

Bob Marley in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 78' (1978-11) Bob Marley: Legend

Bob also traveled to the Ethiopian capitol Addis Ababa where he visited several sites significant to His Majesty’s life and ancient Ethiopian history.

Bob Marley getting on the train from Tokyo to Osaka (1979-04-11) Bob Marley: Legend

That same year Bob and the band's tours of Europe and America were highlighted on their second critically acclaimed live album “ Babylon By Bus .” In 1978 Bob and The Wailers also toured Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Bob marley & the Wailers SURVIVAL album cover (1979-10) by Neville Garrick Bob Marley: Legend

Bob released Survival , his 9th album for Island, in the summer of 1979. From opening track’s clarion call to “ Wake Up and Live ” to the concluding “ Ambush In The Night ,” his definitive statement on the 1976 assassination attempt, Survival  is a brilliant, politically progressive work championing pan-African solidarity. 

Bob Marley & The Wailers Survival Album back cover (1979) by Neville Garrick Bob Marley: Legend

Survival also included “ Africa Unite ” and “ Zimbabwe ," the latter an anthem for the soon-to-be liberated colony of Rhodesia.

Bob Marley and the Wailers visit the the president of Zimbabwe. (1980-04-15) Bob Marley: Legend

In April 1980, Bob and the band performed at Zimbabwe’s official Independence Ceremony at the invitation of the country’s newly elected President Robert Mugabe. This profound honor reconfirmed the importance of Bob Marley & The Wailers’ throughout the African Diaspora and reggae’s significance as a unifying and liberating force.

Bob Marley live in Zimbabwe (1980-04-17) Bob Marley: Legend

Unbeknownst to the band, the Zimbabwe Independence concert was solely for a select group of media and political dignitaries. As Bob Marley & The Wailers started their set, pandemonium ensued among the enormous crowd gathered outside the entrance to the Rufaro Sports Stadium: the gates broke apart as Zimbabweans surged forward to see the musicians who inspired their liberation struggle. 

Bob Marley performing at the Independence celebrations Zimbabwe (1980-04-17) Bob Marley: Legend

Clouds of teargas drifted into the stadium; the Wailers were overcome with fumes and left the stage. The I-Threes returned to their hotel but Bob Marley went back onstage and performed “Zimbabwe.” The following evening, Bob Marley & The Wailers returned to Rufaro Stadium and put on a free show for a crowd of nearly 80,000.

Bob Marley & the Wailers Uprising album cover. (1980) by Neville Garrick Bob Marley: Legend

The final album to be released in Bob’s lifetime, Uprising , helped to fulfill another career objective. Bob had openly courted an African American listenership throughout his career and he made a profound connection to that demographic with “ Could You Be Loved ,” which incorporated a danceable reggae-disco fusion. “Could You Be Loved” reached no. 6 and no. 56 respectively on Billboard’s Club Play Singles and Black Singles charts.

Bob Marley at soundcheck in France during the Uprising Tour (1980-06) Bob Marley: Legend

Uprising also included contemplative odes to Bob’s Rastafarian beliefs, “ Zion Train ” and “ Forever Loving Jah ,” and the deeply moving “ Redemption Song ” a stark, acoustic declaration of enduring truths and profoundly personal musings.

Bob Marley & the Wailers live in Munich, Germany (1980-06-13) by Neville Garrick Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley & The Wailers embarked on a major European tour in the spring of 1980, breaking attendance records in several countries. In Milan, Italy, they performed before 100,000 people, the largest audience of their career. 

Bob Marley exits the tour bus during the Uprising tour in Europe. (1980) by Lyn Goldsmith Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley Live soundcheck at Madison Square Garden, NYC (1980-09-19) Bob Marley: Legend

The U.S. leg of the Uprising tour commenced in Boston on September 16 at the JB Hynes Auditorium. On September 19, Bob and the band rolled into New York City for two consecutive sold out nights at Madison Square Garden as part of a bill featuring New York-based rapper Kurtis Blow, Lionel Richie and the Commodores. 

Bob Marley at soundcheck at Madison Square Gardens, New York (1980-09-19) by Adrian Boot Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley and crew on a Ferry ride during the Uprising Tour (1980) by Lynn Goldsmith Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley live during the Uprising Tour in Europe (1980-06) by Lyn Goldsmith Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley backstage at Madison Square Gardens, New York (1980-09-19) by Lyn Goldsmith Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley live during the European leg of the Uprising Tour. (1980) by Peter Murphy Bob Marley: Legend

The tour went onto the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, PA where Bob delivered the final set of his illustrious career on September 23, 1980.

Bob Marley during the Uprising tour in Europe (1980) Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley at the Essex House Hotel in New York during the Uprising tour. (1980-09-20) by Adrian Boot Bob Marley: Legend

Bob Marley live at Le Bourget, France Uprising tour (1980-07-03) Bob Marley: Legend

The Bob Marley influence upon various populations remains unparalleled, irrespective of race, color or creed. His revolutionary yet unifying music, challenging colonialism, racism, “fighting against ism and scism” as he sang in “One Drop,” has had profound effects even in countries where English isn’t widely spoken. 

Bob Marley live during the Exodus Tour - UK (1977-06) Bob Marley: Legend

In August 2008, two musicians from the war-scarred countries of Serbia and Croatia (formerly provinces within Yugoslavia) unveiled a statue of Bob Marley during a rock music festival in Serbia. It is intended to promote peace and tolerance and carries the inscription “Bob Marley fighter for freedom armed with a guitar.”

Bob Marley welcomed in New Zealand (1979-04-15) Bob Marley: Legend

In Koh Lipe, Thailand, Bob's February 6th birthday is celebrated for three days with a cultural festival. In New Zealand, his life and music are now essential components of Waitangi Day (February 6) observances honoring the unifying treaty signed between the country’s European settlers and its indigenous Maori population. 

Bob Marley surrounded by Zimbabwe freedom fighters at the Stadium in Harare a day before Independence. (1980-04-17) by Neville Garrick Bob Marley: Legend

On April 17, 1980 when the former British colony of Rhodesia was liberated and officially renamed Zimbabwe and the Union Jack replaced with the red, gold, green and black Zimbabwean flag, it is said that the first words officially spoken in the new nation were “ladies and gentlemen, Bob Marley and the Wailers.”

For the Zimbabwean freedom fighters that listened to Bob Marley, inspiration and strength were drawn from his empowering lyrics. Marley penned a tribute to their efforts, “Zimbabwe,” which was included on the most overtly political album of his career, 1979’s  Survival.  

Bob Marley in Zimbabwe for Independence Concert (1980-04-16) by Neville Garrick Bob Marley: Legend

He was invited to headline their official liberation celebrations. Zimbabwean police used tear gas to control the crowds that stampeded through the gates of Harare’s Rufaro Stadium to get a glimpse of Marley onstage.

As several members of Marley’s entourage fled for cover, he returned to the stage to perform “Zimbabwe,” his words resounding with a greater urgency amidst the ensuing chaos: “to divide and rule could only tear us apart, in everyman chest, there beats a heart/so soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionaries and I don’t want my people to be tricked by mercenaries.” 

Bob Marley in Zimbabwe (1980-04-16) by Neville Garrick Bob Marley: Legend

“There was smoke everywhere, our eyes filled with tears so we ran off,” recalls Marcia Griffiths, who sang backup for Marley, alongside Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt, as the I-Threes. “When Bob saw us the next day he smiled and said, 'now we know who are the real revolutionaries'."

Bob Marley served as a world ambassador for reggae music and sold more than 20 million records throughout his career—making him the first international superstar to emerge from the so-called Third World. He posthumously was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; in December 1999, his 1977 album Exodus was named album of the century by TIME magazine and his song One Love was designated song of the millennium by the BBC . Since its release in 1984, Bob’s Legend compilation has annually sold over 250,000 copies according to Nielsen Sound Scan, and it is only the 17th album to exceed sales of 10 million copies since SoundScan began its tabulations in 1991.

In 2000, Bob received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the next year, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone named him one of the greatest artists of all time (#11). In 2006, the bustling stretch of Church Avenue, between Remsen Avenue and east 98th street in Brooklyn, was co-named Bob Marley Boulevard —a significant development for the Caribbean community. In 2010, The Wailers’ album Catch A Fire was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2012, Los Angeles declared August 7th as "Bob Marley Day." In celebration of what would have been his 68th birthday, the 55th Annual Grammy Awards in 2013 featured an all-star tribute to Bob featuring performances by Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Sting, and his sons Ziggy and Damian Marley. Directly connecting the dots between today’s sounds and the reggae legend’s illustrious career, the performance proved that Bob has the ultimate staying power.

"If you know what life is worth, you would look for yours on Earth. And now you see the light..." - Bob Marley

56 Hope Road

Bob marley: legend, the beautiful game, adventures in brazil, life in england, adventures in africa, bob marley & stevie wonder, smile jamaica > one love peace concert, 1976-1978, reggae sunsplash ii, 1979, amandla festival of unity, 1979, natty dread tour, 1975.

• LEGACY Series

Dedicated to the life & legacy of Tuff Gong.

LIFE & LEGACY

The Bob Marley biography provides testament to the unparalleled influence of his artistry upon global culture. Since his passing on May 11, 1981, Bob Marley’s legend looms larger than ever, as evidenced by an ever-lengthening list of accomplishments attributable to his music, which identified oppressors and agitated for social change while simultaneously allowing listeners to forget their troubles and dance.

Bob Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; in December 1999, his 1977 album “Exodus” was named Album of the Century by Time Magazine and his song “One Love” was designated Song of the Millennium by the BBC. Since its release in 1984, Marley’s “Legend” compilation has annually sold over 250,000 copies according to Nielsen Sound Scan, and it is only the 17th album to exceed sales of 10 million copies since SoundScan began its tabulations in 1991.

Bob Marley’s music was never recognized with a Grammy nomination but in 2001 he was bestowed The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor given by the Recording Academy to “performers who during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording.” That same year, a feature length documentary about Bob Marley’s life, Rebel Music, directed by Jeremy Marre, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Long Form Music Video documentary. In 2001 Bob Marley was accorded the 2171st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by the Hollywood Historic Trust and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, in Hollywood, California. As a recipient of this distinction, Bob Marley joined musical legends including Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder and The Temptations.

In 2006 an eight block stretch of Brooklyn’s bustling Church Avenue, which runs through the heart of that city’s Caribbean community, was renamed Bob Marley Boulevard, the result of a campaign initiated by New York City councilwoman Yvette D. Clarke. This year the popular TV show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon commemorated the 30th anniversary of Bob Marley’s passing with an entire week (May 9-13) devoted to his music, as performed by Bob’s eldest son Ziggy, Jennifer Hudson, Lauryn Hill, Lenny Kravitz and the show’s house band The Roots. These triumphs are all the more remarkable considering Bob Marley’s humble beginnings and numerous challenges he overcame attempting to gain a foothold in Jamaica’s chaotic music industry while skillfully navigating the politically partisan violence that abounded in Kingston throughout the 1970s.

One of the 20th century’s most charismatic and challenging performers, Bob Marley’s renown now transcends the role of reggae luminary: he is regarded as a cultural icon who implored his people to know their history “coming from the root of King David, through the line of Solomon,” as he sang on “Blackman Redemption”; Bob urged his listeners to check out the “Real Situation” and to rebel against the vampiric “Babylon System”. “Bob had a rebel type of approach, but his rebelliousness had a clearly defined purpose to it,” acknowledges Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, who played a pivotal role in the Bob Marley biography by introducing Marley and the Wailers to an international audience. “It wasn’t just mindless rebelliousness, he was rebelling against the circumstances in which he and so many people found themselves.”

Bob Marley was born Robert Nesta Marley on February 6, 1945. Bob was born to Cedella Marley when she was 18. Bob’s early life was spent in rural community of Nine Miles, nestled in the mountainous terrain of the parish of St. Ann. Residents of Nine Miles have preserved many customs derived from their African ancestry especially the art of storytelling as a means of sharing the past and time-tested traditions that are oftentimes overlooked in official historical sources. The proverbs, fables and various chores associated with rural life that were inherent to Bob’s childhood would provide a deeper cultural context and an aura of mysticism to his adult songwriting.

Norval and Cedella married in 1945 but Captain Marley’s family strongly disapproved of their union; although the elder Marley provided financial support, the last time Bob Marley saw his father was when he was five years old; at that time, Norval took his son to Kingston to live with his nephew, a businessman, and to attend school. Eighteen months later Cedella learned that Bob wasn’t going to school and was living with an elderly couple. Alarmed, she went to Kingston, found Bob and brought him home to Nine Miles.

The next chapter in the Bob Marley biography commenced in the late 1950s when Bob, barely into his teens, left St. Ann and returned to Jamaica’s capital. He eventually settled in the western Kingston vicinity of Trench Town, so named because it was built over a sewage trench. A low-income community comprised of squatter-settlements and government yards developments that housed a minimum of four families, Bob Marley quickly learned to defend himself against Trench Town’s rude boys and bad men. Bob’s formidable street-fighting skills earned him the respectful nickname Tuff Gong.

Despite the poverty, despair and various unsavory activities that sustained some ghetto dwellers, Trench Town was also a culturally rich community where Bob Marley’s abundant musical talents were nurtured. A lifelong source of inspiration, Bob immortalized Trench Town in his songs “No Woman No Cry” (1974), “Trench Town Rock” (1975) and “Trench Town”, the latter released posthumously in 1983.

By the early 1960s the island’s music industry was beginning to take shape, and its development gave birth to an indigenous popular Jamaican music form called ska. A local interpretation of American soul and R&B, with an irresistible accent on the offbeat, ska exerted a widespread influence on poor Jamaican youth while offering a welcomed escape from their otherwise harsh realities. Within the burgeoning Jamaican music industry, the elusive lure of stardom was now a tangible goal for many ghetto youths.

Uncertain about the prospects of a music career for her son, Cedella encouraged Bob to pursue a trade. When Bob left school at 14 years old she found him a position as a welder’s apprentice, which he reluctantly accepted. After a short time on the job a tiny steel splinter became embedded in Bob’s eye. Following that incident, Bob promptly quit welding and solely focused on his musical pursuits.

At 16 years old Bob Marley met another aspiring singer Desmond Dekker, who would go on to top the UK charts in 1969 with his single “Israelites”. Dekker introduced Marley to another young singer, Jimmy Cliff, future star of the immortal Jamaican film “The Harder They Come”, who, at age 14, had already recorded a few hit songs. In 1962, Cliff introduced Marley to producer Leslie Kong; Marley cut his first singles for Kong: “Judge Not”, “Terror” and “One More Cup of Coffee”, a cover of the million selling country hit by Claude Gray. When these songs failed to connect with the public, Marley was paid a mere $20.00, an exploitative practice that was widespread during the infancy of Jamaica’s music business. Bob Marley reportedly told Kong he would make a lot of money from his recordings one day but he would never be able to enjoy it. Years later, when Kong released a best of The Wailers compilation against the group’s wishes, he suffered a fatal heart attack at age 37.

In 1963 Bob Marley and his childhood friend Neville Livingston a.k.a. Bunny Wailer began attending vocal classes held by Trench Town resident Joe Higgs, a successful singer who mentored many young singers in the principles of rhythm, harmony and melody. In his Trench Town yard, Higgs introduced Bob and Bunny to Peter (Macintosh) Tosh and The Bob Marley and the Wailers legend was born. The trio quickly became good friends so the formation of a vocal group, The Wailing Wailers, was a natural progression; Higgs played a pivotal role in guiding their musical direction. Additional Wailing Wailers members included Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso, and Cherry Smith but they departed after just a few recording sessions.

Bob, Bunny and Peter were introduced to Clement Sir Coxsone Dodd, a sound system operator turned producer; Dodd was also the founder of the seminal Jamaican record label Studio One. With their soulful harmonies, influenced primarily by American vocal group Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, and lyrics that echoed the struggles facing Jamaica’s poor, the Wailers attained a sizeable local following. The Wailers’ first single for Studio One “Simmer Down”, with Bob cautioning the ghetto youths to control their tempers or “the battle would be hotter”, reportedly sold over 80,000 copies. The Wailers went on to record several hits for Coxsone including “Rude Boy”, “I’m Still Waiting,” and an early version of “One Love”, the song the BBC would designate as the Song of the Century some thirty-five years later.

By the mid 60s, the jaunty ska beat had metamorphosed into the slower paced rocksteady sound, which soon gave way to Jamaica’s signature reggae rhythm around 1968. Dodd had not made a corresponding shift in his label’s releases nor did he embrace the proliferation of lyrics imbued with Rastafarian beliefs that were essential to reggae’s development. Declining sales of the Wailers’ Studio One singles compounded by a lack of proper financial compensation from Dodd prompted their departure from Studio One.

Cedella Booker, meanwhile, decided to relocate to the US state of Delaware in 1966. That same year Bob Marley married Rita Anderson and joined his mother in Delaware for a few months, where he worked as a DuPont lab assistant and on an assembly line at a Chrysler plant under the alias Donald Marley.

In his absence from Jamaica, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I visited the island from April 21-24, 1966. His Majesty is revered as Lord and Savior, according to Rastafarian beliefs and his visit to Jamaica had a profound impact upon Rita and Bob. Bob soon adopted the Rastafarian way of life and began wearing his hair in dreadlocks.

Upon Bob’s return to Jamaica, The Wailers established the Wail’N Soul’M label & record shop in front of his aunt’s Trench Town home. The label’s name identified its primary acts: The Wailers and The Soulettes, a female vocal trio featuring Rita Marley. A few successful Wailers’ singles were released including “Bend Down Low” and “Mellow Mood” but due to lack of resources, the Wailers dissolved Wail’N Soul’M in 1968.

As the 1970s commenced, soaring unemployment, rationed food supplies, pervasive political violence and the IMF’s stranglehold on the Jamaican economy due to various structural adjustment policies heavily influenced the keen social consciousness that came to define Bob’s lyrics.

In 1970, the Wailers forged a crucial relationship with Jamaican producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, a pioneer in the development of dub, the reggae offshoot where the drum and bass foundation is moved to the forefront. Perry wisely paired The Wailers with the nucleus of his studio band The Upsetters, brothers Carlton and Aston “Family Man” Barrett, respectively playing drums and bass. Collectively, they forged a revolutionary sonic identity, as heard on tracks like “Duppy Conqueror”, “400 Years” and “Soul Rebel”, which established an enduring paradigm for roots reggae. The Wailers’ collaborations with Perry were featured on the album “Soul Rebels” (1970) the first Wailers album released in the UK. The Wailers’ reportedly severed their relationship with Perry when they realized he was the sole recipient of royalties from the sales of “Soul Rebels”.

In 1971 Bob Marley went to Sweden to collaborate on a film score with American singer Johnny Nash. Bob secured a contract with Nash’s label CBS Records and by early 1972 The Wailers were in London promoting their single “Reggae On Broadway”; CBS, however, had little faith in Marley and The Wailers’ success and abruptly abandoned the group there. Marley paid a chance visit to the London offices of Island Records and the result was a meeting with label founder Chris Blackwell. Marley sought the finances to record a single but Blackwell suggested the group record an album and advanced them £4,000, an unheard of sum to be given to a Jamaican act.

Island’s top reggae star Jimmy Cliff had recently left the label and Blackwell saw Marley as the ideal artist to fill that void and attract an audience primed for rock music. “I was dealing with rock music, which was really rebel music and I felt that would really be the way to break Jamaican music. But you needed someone who could be that image. When Bob walked in he really was that image,” Blackwell once reflected. Despite their “rude boy” reputation, the Wailers returned to Kingston and honored their agreement with Blackwell. They delivered their “Catch A Fire” album in April 1973 to extensive international media fanfare. Tours of Britain and the US were quickly arranged and the life of Bob Marley was forever changed. Bunny Wailer refused to participate in the US leg of the “Catch A Fire” tour so the Wailers’ mentor Joe Higgs served as his replacement. Their US gigs included an opening slot for a then-relatively-unknown Bruce Springsteen in New York City. The Wailers toured with Sly and the Family Stone, who were at their peak in the early 70s, but were removed after just four dates because their riveting performances, reportedly, upstaged the headliner.

Following the successful “Catch A Fire” tour, the Wailers promptly recorded their second album for Island Records, “Burnin”, which was released in October 1973. Featuring some of Bob’s most celebrated songs “Burnin” introduced their timeless anthem of insurgency “Get Up Stand Up” and “I Shot The Sheriff”, which Eric Clapton covered and took to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974; Clapton’s cover significantly elevated Bob Marley’s international profile, the same year that Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the group.

Bob Marley’s third album for Island Records, “Natty Dread”, released in October 1974, was the first credited to Bob Marley and The Wailers; the harmonies of Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer were replaced with the soulfulness of the I-Threes—Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt. The Wailers band now included Family Man and Carly Barrett, Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie on keyboards and Alvin “Seeco” Patterson playing percussion. Session musicians for the album also included Bernard “Touter” Harvey and Jean Roussel on piano/organ, while Lee Jaffe sometimes played harmonica with the band live. Characterized by spiritually and socially conscious lyrics, the “Natty Dread” album included a rousing, blues-influenced celebration of reggae, “Lively Up Yourself”, which Bob used to open many of his concerts; the joy he experienced among friends amidst the struggles of his Trench Town youth is poignantly conveyed on “No Woman No Cry”, while the essential title track played a significant role in introducing Rastafarian culture and philosophies to the world. A commercial as well as a critical success, “Natty Dread” peaked at no. 44 on Billboard’s Black Albums chart, no. 92 on the Pop Albums chart, and no. 43 in the UK album charts. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 181 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

The following year Bob embarked on a highly successful European tour in support of “Natty Dread”, which included two nights at London’s Lyceum Theater. The Lyceum performances were captured on Bob’s next release for Island, “Bob Marley and the Wailers Live!”, which featured a melancholy version of “No Woman No Cry” that reached the UK top 40.

Bob Marley catapulted to international stardom in 1976 with the release of “Rastaman Vibration”, peaking at no. 8 on the Billboard Top 200. With the inclusion of “Crazy Baldhead”, which decries “brainwash education” and the stirring title cut, “Rastaman Vibration” presented a clearer understanding of Rastafari teachings to the mainstream audience that was now attentively listening to Bob. Also included was “War”, its lyrics adapted from an impassioned speech to the United Nations General Assembly in 1963, delivered by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, whom Rastafarians consider a living God. Thirty-five years after its initial release “War” remains an unassailable anthem of equality, its empowering spirit embraced by dispossessed people everywhere.

As 1976 drew to a close Bob Marley was now regarded as a global reggae ambassador who had internationally popularized Rastafarian beliefs. At home, that distinction fostered an immense sense of pride among those who embraced Bob’s messages. But Bob’s expanding influence was also a point of contention for others in Jamaica, which was brutally divided by political alliances. With the intention of suppressing simmering tensions between Jamaica’s rivaling People’s National Party (PNP) and the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Bob decided to put on a (non partisan) free concert for the people, Smile Jamaica, to be held on December 5, 1976 in Kingston. Two days prior to the event, as Bob Marley and The Wailers rehearsed at his Kingston home, an unsuccessful assassination attempt was made on his life. Gunmen sprayed Bob’s residence with bullets, but miraculously, no one was killed; Bob escaped with minor gunshot wounds, and Rita underwent surgery to remove a bullet that grazed her head, but she was released from the hospital the next day. Bob’s manager Don Taylor was shot five times and critically wounded; he was airlifted to Miami’s Cedars of Lebanon Hospital for the removal of a bullet lodged against his spinal cord.

If the ambush in the night at Bob Marley’s home was an attempt to prevent him from performing at the Smile Jamaica concert or a warning intended to silence the revolutionary spirit within his music, then it had failed. Bob defiantly performed “War” at the Smile Jamaica concert, which reportedly drew 80,000 people, but shortly thereafter he went into seclusion and few people knew of his whereabouts.

The reality was, Bob had flown to London (after a couple of weeks stay in the Bahamas), where he would live for the next 14 months. There, he recorded the albums “Exodus” (1977) and most of “Kaya” (1978); with some work on the latter being finished in Miami. Exodus’ title track provided a call for change, “the movement of JAH people”, incorporating spiritual and political concerns into its groundbreaking amalgam of reggae, rock and soul-funk. It was during this time in London, that lead guitarist Junior Marvin joined the band; Marvin had worked with Stevie Wonder and was about to join his band, but opted instead to join The Wailers because he believed in the message. A second single, the sultry dance tune “Jamming” became a British top 10 hit. The “Exodus” album remained on the UK charts for a staggering 56 consecutive weeks, bringing a level of commercial success to Bob Marley and the Wailers that had previously eluded the band.

In a more laid back vein, the “Kaya” album hit no. 4 on the British charts, propelled by the popularity of the romantic singles “Satisfy My Soul” and “Is This Love?”. Kaya’s title track extols the herb Marley used throughout his lifetime; the somber “Running Away,” and the haunting “Time Will Tell” are deep reflections on the December 1976 assassination attempt. The release of “Kaya” coincided with Bob Marley’s triumphant return to Jamaica for a performance at the One Love Peace Concert, held on April 22, 1978 at Kingston’s National Stadium. The event was another effort aimed at curtailing the rampant violence stemming from the senseless PNP-JLP rivalries; the event featured 16 prominent reggae acts and was dubbed a “Third World Woodstock”. In the concert’s most memorable moment, Bob Marley summoned JLP leader Edward Seaga and Prime Minister Michael Manley onstage. As the Wailers pumped out the rhythm to “Jamming”, Bob urged the politicians to shake hands; clasping his left hand over theirs, he raised their arms aloft and chanted “JAH Rastafari”. In recognition of his courageous attempt to bridge Jamaica’s cavernous political divide, Bob traveled to the United Nations in New York where he received the organization’s Medal of Peace on June 15, 1978.

At the end of 1978 Bob made his first trip to Africa, visiting Kenya and Ethiopia, the latter being the spiritual home of Rastafari. During his Ethiopian sojourn, Bob stayed in Shashamane, a communal settlement situated on 500-acres of land donated by His Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I to Rastafarians that choose to repatriate to Ethiopia. Marley also traveled to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where he visited several sites significant to His Majesty’s life and ancient Ethiopian history.

That same year Bob Marley and The Wailers’ tours of Europe and America were highlighted on their second critically acclaimed live album “Babylon By Bus”. In April 1979, Bob and The Wailers also toured Japan, Australia and New Zealand, where the indigenous Maori people greeted them with a traditional welcoming ceremony typically reserved for visiting dignitaries.

Bob released “Survival”, his ninth album for Island, in the fall of 1979. Featuring now-iconic songs such as “Wake Up and Live”, “So Much Trouble In The World”, “One Drop”, “Ambush In The Night” – his definitive statement on the 1976 assassination attempt – as well as the album’s title track, “Survival” is a brilliant, politically progressive work championing pan-African solidarity. “Survival” also included “Africa Unite” and “Zimbabwe”, the latter an anthem for the soon-to-be liberated colony of Rhodesia. In April 1980, Bob and the Wailers performed at Zimbabwe’s official Independence Ceremony at the invitation of the country’s newly-elected president, Robert Mugabe. This profound honor reconfirmed the importance of Bob Marley and The Wailers throughout the African Diaspora and reggae’s significance as a unifying and liberating force.

Unbeknownst to the band, the Zimbabwe Independence concert was solely for a select group of media and political dignitaries. As Bob Marley and The Wailers started their set, pandemonium ensued among the enormous crowd gathered outside the entrance to the Rufaro Sports Stadium—the gates broke apart as Zimbabweans surged forward to see the musicians who inspired their liberation struggle. Clouds of tear gas drifted into the stadium; the Wailers were overcome with fumes and left the stage. The I-Threes returned to their hotel but Bob Marley went back onstage and performed “Zimbabwe”. The following evening, Bob Marley and the Wailers returned to Rufaro Stadium and put on a free show for a crowd of nearly 80,000.

The final album to be released in Bob’s lifetime, “Uprising”, helped to fulfill another career objective. Bob had openly been courting an African American listenership throughout his career and he made a profound connection to that demographic with “Could You Be Loved”, which incorporated a danceable reggae-disco fusion. “Could You Be Loved” reached no. 6 and no. 56 respectively on Billboard’s Club Play Singles and Black Singles charts. “Uprising” also included contemplative odes to Bob’s Rastafarian beliefs, “Zion Train” and “Forever Loving Jah”, and the deeply moving “Redemption Song” a stark, acoustic declaration of enduring truths and profoundly personal musings; Angelique Kidjo, the Clash’s Joe Strummer, U2’s Bono, Sinead O’Connor and Rihanna are but five of the dozens of artists who have recorded versions of “Redemption Song”.

Bob Marley and The Wailers embarked on a major European tour in the spring & summer of 1980, breaking attendance records in several countries. In Milan, Italy, they performed before 110,000 people, the largest audience of their career. The US leg of the “Uprising” tour commenced in Boston on September 16 at the JB Hynes Auditorium. On September 19, Bob and the Wailers rolled into New York City for two consecutive sold out nights at Madison Square Garden as part of a bill featuring New York-based rapper Kurtis Blow, and The Commodores. The tour went onto the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pa. where Bob delivered the final set of his illustrious career on September 23, 1980.

The Pittsburgh show took place just two days after Marley learned the cancer that had taken root in his big toe in 1977, revealed following a football injury, had metastasized and spread throughout his body. Bob courageously fought the disease for eight months, even traveling to Germany to undergo treatment at the clinic of Dr. Josef Issels. At the beginning of May 1981, Bob left Germany to return to Jamaica but he did not complete that journey; he succumbed to his cancer in a Miami hospital on May 11, 1981.

The Bob Marley biography doesn’t end there. In April 1981 Bob Marley was awarded Jamaica’s third highest honor, the Order of Merit, for his outstanding contribution to his country’s culture. Ten days after Bob Marley’s death, he was given a state funeral as the Honorable Robert Nesta Marley O.M. by the Jamaican government, attended by Prime Minister Edward Seaga and the Opposition Party Leader Michael Manley. Hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the streets to observe the procession of cars that wound its way from Kingston to Bob’s final resting place, a mausoleum in his birthplace of Nine Miles. The Bob Marley and the Wailers legend lives on, however, and forty years after Bob Marley’s transition, his music remains as vital as ever in its celebration of life and embodiment of struggle.

The Bob Marley influence upon various populations remains unparalleled, irrespective of race, color or creed. Bob Marley’s revolutionary-yet-unifying music, challenging colonialism, racism, “fighting against ism and scism” as he sang in “One Drop”, has had profound effects even in countries where English isn’t widely spoken. In August 2008, two musicians from the war-scarred countries of Serbia and Croatia (formerly provinces within Yugoslavia) unveiled a statue of Bob Marley during a rock music festival in Serbia; the monument’s inscription read “Bob Marley, Fighter For Freedom, Armed With A Guitar”. “Marley was chosen because he promoted peace and tolerance in his music,” said Mirko Miljus, an organizer of the event.

In Koh Lipe, Thailand, Bob Marley’s February 6th birthday is celebrated for three days with a cultural festival. In New Zealand, his life and music are now essential components of Waitangi Day (February 6) observances honoring the unifying treaty signed between the country’s European settlers and its indigenous Maori population. When Bob visited New Zealand for a concert at Auckland’s Western Springs Stadium on April 16, 1979, the Maori greeted him with a traditional song and dance ceremony reserved for visiting dignitaries. Marley’s former manager, the late Don Taylor, referred to the Maori welcoming ritual as “one of my most treasured memories of the impact of Bob and reggae music on the world”.

On April 18, 1980 when the former British colony of Rhodesia was liberated and officially renamed Zimbabwe, and the Union Jack replaced with the red, gold, green and black Zimbabwean flag, it is said that the first words officially spoken in the new nation were “ladies and gentlemen, Bob Marley and the Wailers”. For the Zimbabwean freedom fighters that listened to Bob Marley, inspiration and strength were drawn from his empowering lyrics. Marley penned a tribute to their efforts, “Zimbabwe”, which was included on the most overtly political album of his career, 1979’s “Survival” and he was invited to headline their official liberation celebrations. Zimbabwean police used tear gas to control the crowds that stampeded through the gates of Harare’s Rufaro Stadium to get a glimpse of Marley onstage. As several members of Marley’s entourage fled for cover, he returned to the stage to perform “Zimbabwe”, his words resounding with a greater urgency amidst the ensuing chaos: “to divide and rule could only tear us apart, in every man chest, there beats a heart/so soon we’ll find out who is the real revolutionaries and I don’t want my people to be contrary.” “There was smoke everywhere, our eyes filled with tears so we ran off,” recalls Marcia Griffiths, who sang backup for Marley, alongside Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt, as the I-Threes. “When Bob saw us the next day he smiled and said now we know who are the real revolutionaries.”

A generation later a group of political refugees from Sierra Leone living in Guinean concentration camps and traumatized by years of bloody warfare in their country, found through the music of Bob Marley, inspiration to form their own band and write and record their own songs. The Refugee All Stars won international acclaim for their 2006 debut “Living Like A Refugee” and their 2010 album “Rise and Shine”, each utilizing a blend of reggae, Sierra Leone’s Islamic rooted bubu music and West African goombay.

Further evidence of Bob Marley’s ongoing influence arrived on October 13, 2010 when Victor Zamora, one of 33 Chilean miners rescued after being trapped in a San Jose mine for 69 days, asked to hear Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier” shortly after his release. Recorded in 1980 and posthumously released in 1983, “Buffalo Soldier” recounts the atrocities of the slave trade. Like so many of Bob Marley’s songs, it highlights the importance of relating past occurrences to present-day identities: “if you know your history then you would know where you’re coming from/then you wouldn’t have to ask me, who the hell do I think I am?”

And in the years since, a number of protests – including 2011’s Occupy Wall St. movement, the 2020 protests against police brutality across the U.S., and many others – have used Bob’s music and message as a voice for their revolutions. The uncompromising sentiments expressed on Bob’s “Get Up Stand Up” in particular are commonplace at these demonstrations, with masses of people around the world chanting: “So now we see the light, we’re gonna stand up for our rights!”

AWARDS & HONORS

MARLEY'S MAP

The Life and Times of Bob Marley

By Mikal Gilmore

Mikal Gilmore

B ob Marley was already dying when he stood onstage in Pittsburgh that night, in September 1980. He had developed a malignant melanoma — an incurable cancer, by this time — that he had let progress unchecked, for reasons that he probably could not fathom at this hour. He was a man with no time, with a mission that no one in popular music had ever attempted before. In the past few years, he had managed to popularize reggae — a music that had once sounded strange and foreign to many ears — and to convey the truths of his troubled homeland, Jamaica, for a mass audience. Now he wanted to find ways to put across truths about people outside Jamaica and America, England and Europe. He wanted to speak for a world outside familiar borders — a world his audience didn’t yet know enough about.

He wouldn’t see that dream fulfilled. He would be dead in a few months, his body sealed in a mausoleum back in that troubled homeland of his.

But something fascinating has happened since Bob Marley died twenty-four years ago: He has continued. It isn’t simply that his records still sell in substantial numbers (though they do), it’s that his mission might still have a chance. It isn’t a simple mission. Marley wasn’t singing about how peace could come easily to the world but rather about how hell on earth comes too easily to too many. He knew the conditions he was singing about. His songs weren’t about theory or conjecture, or an easy distant compassion. His songs were his memories; he had lived with the wretched, he had seen the downpressors and those whom they pressed down, he had been shot at. It was his ability to describe all this in palpable and authentic ways that sustains his body of music unlike any other we’ve ever known.

Bob Marley made hell tuneful, like nobody before or since. That’s what has kept him alive.

R obert Nesta Marley was born in a small rural Jamaican village called Nine Miles. His father was a white man, Capt. Norval Marley, a superintendent of lands for the British government, which had colonized Jamaica in the 1660s. Marley’s mother, Cedella, was a young black woman, descended from the Cromantee tribe, who as slaves had staged the bloodiest uprisings in the island’s plantation era. Capt. Marley seduced Cedella, age seventeen, promising her marriage, as he re-enacted an age-old scenario of white privilege over black service. When Cedella became pregnant, the captain kept his promise — but left her the next day rather than face disinheritance.

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history.

The couple’s only child arrived in the early part of 1945, as World War II neared its end. Nobody is certain of the exact date — it was listed on Bob’s passport as April 6th, but Cedella was sure it was two months earlier. It took her a long time to record the birth with the registrar; she was afraid, she later said, she’d get in trouble for having a child with a white man. While mixed-race couplings weren’t rare, they also weren’t welcome, and generally it was the child of these unions who bore the scorn. But Marley’s mixed inheritance gave him a valuable perspective. Though he became increasingly devoted in his life to the cause of speaking to the black diaspora — that population throughout the world that had been scattered or colonized as the result of the slave trade and imperialism — he never expressed hatred for white people but rather hatred for one people’s undeserved power to subjugate another people. Marley understood that the struggle for power might result in bloodshed, but he also maintained that if humankind failed to stand together, it would fail to stand at all.

I n the 1950s, Cedella moved to Kingston — the only place in Jamaica where any future of consequence could be realized. She and her son made their home in a government tenant yard, a crowded area where poor people lived, virtually all of them black. The yard they settled in, Trench Town, was made up of row upon row of cheap corrugated metal and tar-paper one-room shacks, generally with no plumbing. It was a place where your dreams might raise you or kill you, but you would have to live and act hard in either case. To Cedella’s dismay, her son began to come into his own there — to find a sense of community and purpose amid rough conditions and rough company, including the local street gangs. These gangs evolved soon enough into a faction called Rude Boys — teenagers and young adults who dressed sharp, acted insolent and knew how to fight. Kingston hated the Rude Boys, and police and politicians had vowed to eradicate them.

One (Exclusive) Drop: Slowtide Just Launched a New Bob Marley Line for Beach Season

Billie eilish would like to reintroduce herself.

It was in this setting of grim delimitation that Marley first found what would give his life purpose: Kingston’s burgeoning and eccentric rhythm & blues scene. In the late 1940s, Jamaican youth had started to catch the fever of America’s urban popular music — in particular, the earthy and polyrhythmic dance and blues sounds of New Orleans. By the 1960s, Kingston was producing its own form of R&B: a taut, tricky and intense music in which rhythms shifted their accents to the offbeat — almost an inversion of American rock & roll and funk. This new Jamaican music was, like American R&B, the long-term result of how black music survived and evolved as a means of maintaining community in unsympathetic lands. It was music that gave a displaced population a way to tell truths about their lives and a way of claiming victory over daily misery, or at least of finding a respite.

Jamaica’s popular music — from calypso to mento — had always served as a means to spread stories, about neighbors’ moral failures or the overlord society’s duplicity. The commentary could be clever and merciless, and the music that Marley first began to play had the tempo to carry such sharp purposes. It was called ska (after its scratch-board-like rhythms), and just as R&B and rock & roll had been viewed in America as disruptive and immoral, Jamaica’s politicians, ministers and newspapers looked upon ska as trash: a dangerous music from the ghetto that helped fuel the Rude Boys’ violence. But the Rude Boys would soon receive an unexpected jolt of validation.

The Life and Times of Bob Marley , Page 1 of 7

Maryland Outlaws Hidden Fees on Concert Tickets

• That's The Ticket
• By Ethan Millman

Dennis Thompson, MC5 Drummer and Last Surviving Original Member, Dead at 75

• By Jon Blistein

Butch Vig on His Friendly Rivalry With Steve Albini: 'He'd Stick These Little Jabs in Me'

• APPRECIATION
• By David Browne

See Taylor Swift Perform 'Fortnight,' 'But Daddy I Love Him' at The Eras Tour in Paris

• By Maya Georgi

Baby, Baby, Baby: Justin and Hailey Bieber Are Expecting Their First Child Together

• Bieber Baby
• By Larisha Paul

Most Popular

Emily blunt says she's 'absolutely' wanted to throw up after kissing certain actors during filming: 'i've definitely not enjoyed some of it.', peter jackson working on new 'lord of the rings' films for warner bros., targeting 2026 debut, serena williams' ethereal white swimsuit photoshoot shows the way she’s exercising after baby no. 2, no a’s in attendance: oakland trails a whopping 553 u.s. teams, you might also like, tom hiddleston, willem dafoe to star in biopic of famed everest mountaineer tenzing norgay for see-saw films, rocket science, outstanding mother awards honor debbi hartley-triesch, nyakio grieco, dendy engelman and more in new york, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, the real-life martha who inspired ‘baby reindeer’ speaks out against the ‘defamatory’ netflix show: ‘i’m not a stalker’, wnba taps delta airlines as charter flights this season.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

Short Biography of Bob Marley

Reading Comprehension – A Short Biography of Bob Marley

Develop your reading skills. Read the following short biography of Bob Marley and do the comprehension task.

Bob Marley: A Musical Legacy

The Beginning

Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945. He was a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist who achieved international fame and acclaim. Starting out in 1963 with the group The Wailers, he forged a distinctive songwriting and vocal style that later resonated with audiences worldwide. After The Wailers disbanded in 1974, Marley pursued a solo career that culminated in the release of the album Exodus in 1977. This album established his worldwide reputation and solidified his status as one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, with sales of more than 75 million records.

Bob Marley was a committed Rastafari, an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica in the 1930s. This religion infused his music with a sense of spirituality. The Rastafari movement played a crucial role in the development of reggae music. As a staunch proponent of Rastafari, Bob Marley took reggae music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene.

Illness and Death

In July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma under the nail of a toe. He declined his doctors’ advice to have his toe amputated due to his religious beliefs. Despite his illness, he continued touring until his health deteriorated as the cancer spread throughout his body. He passed away on May 11, 1981, at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) at the age of 36. The melanoma had spread to his lungs and brain, leading to his demise. His final words to his son Ziggy were:

“Money can’t buy life.”

Source: Wikipedia

Comprehension:

• Bob Marley continued working with The Wailers until his death. a. True b. False
• He was very religious. a. True b. False
• He refused to have his toe amputated because he thought it was useless. a. True b. False
• He died in Jamaica. a. True b. False

Related Pages:

• Fact Sheet about Jamaica
• Points of interest

Biography of Bob Marley, Iconic Reggae Star

Express Newspapers / Getty Images

• Top Artists
• Genres & Styles
• Alternative Music
• Classical Music
• Country Music
• Rap & Hip Hop
• Rhythm & Blues
• Heavy Metal
• Latin Music

Bob Marley (born Robert Nesta Marley; February 6, 1945–May 11, 1981) was the most influential Jamaican musician in history, the defining figure of reggae music and a spiritual icon and prophet to many. His music remains globally popular and his work has strong spiritual and political messages. Marley died of cancer in 1981 at age 36.

Fast Facts: Bob Marley

• Known For : The defining figure of reggae music, spiritual icon
• Also Known As : Robert Nesta Marley
• Born : February 6, 1945 in Nine Mile, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica
• Parents : Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Malcolm
• Died : May 11, 1981 in Miami, Florida
• Education : Stepney Primary and Junior High School
• Selection of Albums : "The Wailing Wailers," "Soul Rebels," "Catch a Fire," "Burnin'," "Natty Dread," "Rastaman Vibration," "Exodus," "Kaya," "Survival," "Uprising"
• Awards and Honors : Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Time 's Album of the Century ("Exodus"), BBC's Song of the Millenium ("One Love")
• Spouse: Rita Marley
• Children : 12, including Damian "Jr. Gong," Julian, Ziggy, Stephen, Ky-Mani, Cedelia, Sharon
• Notable Quote : “Babylon is everywhere. You have wrong and you have right. Wrong is what we call Babylon, wrong things. That is what Babylon is to me. I could have born in England, I could have born in America, it make no difference where me born, because there is Babylon everywhere.”

Bob Marley was born in 1945 in Nine Mile, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. His father Norval Sinclair Marley was a white Englishman who died when Bob was 10 years old. Bob's mother Cedella Malcolm moved with him to Kingston's Trenchtown neighborhood after his father's death.

As a young teen, Bob Marley befriended Bunny Wailer, and they learned to play music together. At 14, Marley dropped out of school to learn the welding trade and spent his spare time jamming with Bunny Wailer and ska musician Joe Higgs.

Early Recordings and the Formation of the Wailers

Bob Marley recorded his first two singles in 1962 while he was still a teenager, but neither garnered much interest at the time. In 1963, he began a ska band with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh that was originally called "The Teenagers."

Later the band became "The Wailing Rudeboys," then "The Wailing Wailers," and finally just "The Wailers." Their early Studio One hits, which were recorded in the popular rocksteady style, included "Simmer Down" (1964) and "Soul Rebel" (1965), both written by Marley.

Marriage and Religious Conversion

Marley married Rita Anderson in 1966 and spent a few months living in Delaware in the United States with his mother. When Marley returned to Jamaica, he began practicing the Rastafarian faith and started growing his signature dreadlocks.

"The Rastafari Movement," is an Abrahamic faith that believes that Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was the second coming of the Messiah. Rastafari believe that Western Culture, and Anglo-Saxon culture, in particular, is legendary Babylon, evil, and oppressive. As a devout Rasta, Marley partook in the ritual usage of ganja (marijuana).

Worldwide Success

The Wailers gained popularity in Jamaica during the 1960s with their ska-inflected music and in 1972 they signed with the international label Island. Their 1973 album "Catch a Fire" garnered them worldwide interest. Their 1974 album "Burnin'" contained "I Shot The Sheriff" and "Get Up, Stand Up," both of which gathered cult followings in both the U.S. and Europe.

The same year, however, the Wailers broke up to pursue solo careers. At this point, Marley had made a full transition from ska and rocksteady to a new style, which would forever be called reggae . The word reggae originates from "rege-rege," a slang word for tattered clothing ("rags") and likely refers to its hodgepodge of influences, including both traditional and contemporary  Jamaican music , like ska and  mento , as well as American  R&B . 

Bob Marley & the Wailers

Bob Marley continued to tour and record as "Bob Marley & the Wailers," though he was the only original Wailer in the group. In 1975, "No Woman, No Cry" became Bob Marley's first major breakthrough hit song, and his subsequent album "Rastaman Vibration" became a Billboard Top 10 Album. In a few short years, Bob Marley produced such classic songs as "Exodus," "One Love," "Coming in from the Cold," "Jamming," and "Redemption Song."

Political and Religious Activism

Bob Marley spent much of the late 1970s trying to promote peace and cultural understanding within Jamaica. Marley survived an attempted assassination (along with his wife and manager, who also survived) shortly before a peace concert in 1976, through which Marley was trying to bring a truce between Jamaica's political factions.

Marley also acted as a global cultural ambassador for the Jamaican people and the Rastafarian religion. He remains revered as a prophet by many, and certainly a religious and cultural icon by many more.

In 1977, Marley found a wound on his foot, which he believed to be a soccer injury. It was later discovered to be malignant melanoma. Doctors recommended amputation of his toe, but he refused treatment for religious reasons. The cancer eventually spread. When he finally decided to get medical help in 1980, Marley's cancer had become terminal.

Marley wanted to die in Jamaica, but he could not withstand the flight home and died in Miami on May 11, 1981. He received a state funeral. His final recording, at Pittsburgh's Stanley Theatre, was recorded and released for posterity as "Bob Marley and the Wailers Live Forever."

Bob Marley is revered the world over, both as the defining figure of Jamaican music and as a spiritual leader. His wife Rita carries on his work, and his sons Damian "Jr. Gong," Julian, Ziggy , Stephen, Ky-Mani, as well as his daughters Cedelia and Sharon, carry on his musical legacy (the other siblings do not play music professionally).

Among the awards and honors that have been given to Bob Marley are a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His songs and albums have also won numerous honors, such as Time magazine's Album of the Century (for "Exodus") and BBC's Song of the Millenium for "One Love."

• Steffens, Roger. So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley. W.W. Norton and Company, 2017.
• White, Timothy.  Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley . Macmillan, 2006.
• White, Timothy. “ Bob Marley .” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Feb. 2019.
• The Many Children of Bob Marley
• Why Did Reggae Musician Bob Marley Smoke Marijuana?
• 10 Essential Reggae Classics
• What Was Bob Marley's Religion?
• Bob Marley's Best Love Songs
• Top 10 Reggae Pop Songs
• Fun Facts About Bob Marley's Life and Music
• The History of Hip-Hop: 1925 to Now
• 100 of the Best Pop Songs of All Time
• The 100 Best Rap Songs of All Time
• Top 100 Alternative Albums of the 2000s
• The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
• How Reggae Legend Bob Marley Died
• Quotes From Bob Marley Songs on Love, Relationships, and Family
• Quotes From Bob Marley Songs on Religion and Spirituality
• Top 10 Covers of Bob Marley Songs

BlackPast is dedicated to providing a global audience with reliable and accurate information on the history of African America and of people of African ancestry around the world. We aim to promote greater understanding through this knowledge to generate constructive change in our society.

Bob marley (1945-1981).

Listen while you learn!

Hear a soundtrack specially chosen to enhance your learning about bob marley (1945-1981).

Let it play in the background as you study and immerse yourself in this topic!

Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945, on his grandfather Omeriah Malcolm’s farm in the rural interior of the island of Jamaica at Nine Mile, Rhoden Hall, St. Ann Parish. His mother was an eighteen-year-old black Jamaican named Cedella Malcolm. His father was Captain Norval Sinclair Marley, a white British Army member in his early sixties. Bob spent most of the early part of his life in poverty and all of it without a father present.

For the first twelve years of his life, besides a short stay in Kingston, he lived in the island’s rural interior. He usually resided at his grandfather’s farm but also herded goats for his aunt for about a year. In 1957, Marley moved to Kingston to reunite with his mother, who lived in the city’s west-side ghetto known as Trench Town. Here, Bob and his mother were exposed to open sewers, disease, malnourished children, and violence. Although the conditions were harsh, this was the place where Bob would cultivate his musical talents and draw inspiration for many of his political and philosophical messages.

Bob Marley dropped out of school at the age of fourteen. He began singing cover versions of songs and eventually fashioned instruments from makeshift materials. Marley derived his distinctive “reggae” style of music by combining elements of Jamaican music called Ska and U.S. Rhythm and Blues.

In 1962, at age sixteen, Marley produced his first recordings. One year later, he began recording with the original members of The Wailers, a collaboration that would last until the group disbanded in 1975. Although the original members were gone, Marley kept the name of The Wailers and continued to record music and tour until his sickness and eventual death in 1981. Marley died on May 11, 1981, at the age of thirty-six, from cancer in his stomach, lungs, and brain.

In a short life, Marley left a tremendous legacy. His music transcends social boundaries, and it could be argued that he is more popular today than he was during his life. Since 1991, ten years after his death, over 21 million Bob Marley records have been sold. His greatest hits compilation, Legend , released after his death, has sold more than 12 million copies alone.

Marley’s music was often laden with political messages, including commentary on political and economic oppression. Marley was also known for his belief in Rastafarianism, a religion combining aspects of Catholicism with elements of various African religions. In evidence of Marley’s great popularity and lasting impact, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit.

Do you find this information helpful? A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone.

BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Your donation is fully tax-deductible.

Cite this entry in APA format:

Source of the author's information:.

Bob Marley Music, Inc.: https://www.bobmarley.com/ ; David V. Moskowitz, Bob Marley: A Biography (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007); Timothy White, Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983); Vivien Goldman, The Book of Exodus (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2006).

Your support is crucial to our mission.

Donate today to help us advance Black history education and foster a more inclusive understanding of our shared cultural heritage.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Timeline: Bob Marley

February 6 1945: Robert Nesta Marley is born in Nine Miles, St Ann's, Jamaica , the son of a middle-aged white British naval officer and teenage Jamaican mother.

1962: Records his first song in Kingston, Judge Not, recorded by legendary reggae producer Leslie Kong.

1963: He forms the original Wailers - then known as the Teenagers - with Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingstone, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith.

1963 - 1966: The band, who change their name to Bob Marley and the Wailers, record over 70 songs for producer Coxsone Dodd, including many tracks Marley would re-record to international acclaim in the 1970s.

1966: Marley marries soul singer Rita Anderson, a member of The Soulettes and later the I-Threes, with whom he will have five children. Shortly after marrying, he moves to the US to work in a factory.

1969-71: The band record with noted Jamaican producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. This period includes many classic tracks such as Small Axe, My Cup and Sun is Shining.

1971: Marley forms his own record label, Tuff Gong.

1973: Bob Marley and the Wailers sign to Chris Blackwell's Island Records. They release the album Catch a Fire, the first to make a major impression in music markets outside the Caribbean. Livingston and Tosh, however, leave the band to embark on solo careers.

1974: Eric Clapton covers The Wailers' I Shot the Sheriff and takes it into the UK top 10, further adding to their reputation.

1975: The band release the seminal album Natty Dread, which contains their landmark song No Woman, No Cry. Marley becomes a star all over the globe.

December 3, 1976: Marley and wife Rita are injured in an assassination attempt in Jamaica. Days later, he takes to the stage with his arm in a sling.

July 1977: Marley breaks one of the toes on his right foot in a football accident in Paris. Doctors find cancerous cells and remove them.

1978: He holds the One Love Peace Concert in Kingston, bringing the leaders of Jamaica's rival political factions to the stage to shake hands.

1980: Marley and The Wailers kick off the year with a concert in the newly-independent African nation of Zimbabwe. Later in the year, while jogging in New York's Central Park, Marley collapses. Doctors discover cancer has spread to his lungs, liver and brain.

May 11, 1981: Marley dies in hospital in the US, aged 36.

May 1986: The Marley Museum is opened in Kingston, on the site of his former home.

1990: Marley's birthday is declared a national holiday in Jamaica.

1994: Bob Marley is posthumously admitted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• Bob Marley: 60th anniversary

Most viewed

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.

• Caribbean Studies

Bob Marley: A Biography , and: Bob Marley (review)

• Stephen A. King
• Institute of Caribbean Studies
• Volume 37, Number 1, January-June 2009
• pp. 285-287
• 10.1353/crb.0.0098
• View Citation

Additional Information

Project MUSE Mission

Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves.

2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland, USA 21218

+1 (410) 516-6989 [email protected]

©2024 Project MUSE. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries.

Now and Always, The Trusted Content Your Research Requires

Built on the Johns Hopkins University Campus

• Español NEW

Bob Marley facts for kids

Robert Nesta Marley OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae , his musical career was marked by fusing elements of reggae, ska , and rocksteady, as well as his distinctive vocal and songwriting style. Marley's contributions to music increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide, and made him a global figure in popular culture to this day. Over the course of his career, Marley became known as a Rastafari icon, and he infused his music with a sense of spirituality. He is also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity, and was controversial in his outspoken support for democratic social reforms. In 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt in his home, which was thought to be politically motivated.

Born in Nine Mile, Jamaica, Marley began his professional musical career in 1963, after forming the Teenagers with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, which after several name changes would become the Wailers . The group released its debut studio album The Wailing Wailers in 1965, which contained the single "One Love", a reworking of "People Get Ready"; the song was popular worldwide, and established the group as a rising figure in reggae. The Wailers released a further eleven studio albums, and after signing to Island Records the band's name became Bob Marley and the Wailers. While initially employing louder instrumentation and singing, the group began engaging in rhythmic-based song construction in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which coincided with Marley's conversion to Rastafari. Around this time, Marley relocated to London, and the group embodied their musical shift with the release of the album The Best of The Wailers (1971).

The group started to gain international attention after signing to Island, and touring in support of the albums Catch a Fire and Burnin' (both 1973). Following the disbandment of the Wailers a year later, Marley carried on under the band's name. The album Natty Dread (1974) received positive reception. In 1975, following the global popularity of Eric Clapton 's version of Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff", Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, with a live version of "No Woman, No Cry", from the Live! album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Soul Charts. A few months after the album's release Marley survived an assassination attempt at his home in Jamaica, which prompted him to permanently relocate to London. During his time in London he recorded the album Exodus (1977); it incorporated elements of blues , soul , and British rock and enjoyed widespread commercial and critical success. In 1977, Marley was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma; he died as a result of the illness in 1981, shortly after baptism into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. His fans around the world expressed their grief, and he received a state funeral in Jamaica.

The greatest hits album Legend was released in 1984, and became the best-selling reggae album of all time . Marley also ranks as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of more than 75 million records worldwide. He was posthumously honoured by Jamaica soon after his death with a designated Order of Merit by his nation. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. His other achievements include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , and induction into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Early life and career

Association football, illness and death, awards and honours, studio albums, live albums.

Robert Nesta Marley was born on 6 February 1945 at the farm of his maternal grandfather in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish , Jamaica, to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Malcolm. Norval Marley was from Crowborough, East Sussex in England, then resident of Clarendon Parish , Norval claimed to have been a captain in the Royal Marines; at the time of his marriage to Cedella Malcolm, an Afro-Jamaican then 18 years old, he was employed as a plantation overseer. Bob Marley's full name is Robert Nesta Marley, though some sources give his birth name as Nesta Robert Marley, with a story that when Marley was still a boy, a Jamaican passport official reversed his first and middle names because Nesta sounded like a girl's name. Norval provided financial support for his wife and child but seldom saw them as he was often away. Bob Marley attended Stepney Primary and Junior High School which serves the catchment area of Saint Ann. In 1955, when Bob Marley was 10 years old, his father died of a heart attack at the age of 70. Marley's mother went on later to marry Edward Booker, a civil servant from the United States, giving Marley two half-brothers: Richard and Anthony.

Bob Marley and Neville Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer) had been childhood friends in Nine Mile. They had started to play music together while at Stepney Primary and Junior High School. Marley left Nine Mile with his mother when he was 12 and moved to Trenchtown, Kingston. She and Thadeus Livingston (Bunny Wailer's father) had a daughter together whom they named Claudette Pearl, who was a younger sister to both Bob and Bunny. Now that Marley and Livingston were living together in the same house in Trenchtown, their musical explorations deepened to include the new ska music, and the latest R&B from United States radio stations whose broadcasts reached Jamaica. Marley formed a vocal group with Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh . The line-up was known variously as the Teenagers, the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and finally just the Wailers. Joe Higgs, who was part of the successful vocal act Higgs and Wilson, lived nearby and encouraged Marley. Marley and the others did not play any instruments at this time, and were more interested in being a vocal harmony group. Higgs helped them develop their vocal harmonies, and started to teach Marley how to play guitar.

Personal life

Bob Marley married Alpharita Constantia "Rita" Anderson in Kingston, Jamaica, on 10 February 1966. Marley had many children: four with his wife Rita, two adopted from Rita's relationships, and several others with different women. The official Bob Marley website acknowledges 11 children.

Those listed on the official site are:

• Sharon, born 23 November 1964, daughter of Rita from a previous relationship, but then adopted by Marley after his marriage with Rita
• Cedella, born 23 August 1967, to Rita
• David "Ziggy" , born 17 October 1968, to Rita
• Stephen, born 20 April 1972, to Rita
• Robert "Robbie", born 16 May 1972, to Pat Williams
• Rohan, born 19 May 1972, to Janet Hunt
• Karen, born 1973, to Janet Bowen
• Stephanie, born 17 August 1974; according to Cedella Booker, she was the daughter of Rita and a man called Ital; nonetheless, she was acknowledged as Marley's daughter
• Julian , born 4 June 1975, to Lucy Pounder
• Ky-Mani, born 26 February 1976, to Anita Belnavis
• Damian , born 21 July 1978, to Cindy Breakspeare

Other sites have noted additional individuals who claim to be family members, as noted below:

• Makeda was born on 30 May 1981, to Yvette Crichton, after Marley's death. Meredith Dixon's book lists her as Marley's child, but she is not listed as such on the Bob Marley official website.
• Various websites, for example, also list Imani Carole, born 22 May 1963, to Cheryl Murray; but she does not appear on the official Bob Marley website.

Marley also has three notable grandchildren, musician Skip Marley , American football player Nico Marley, and model Selah Marley.

Aside from music, association football played a major role throughout his life. As well as playing the game, in parking lots, fields, and even inside recording studios, growing up he followed the Brazilian club Santos and its star player Pelé and was also a supporter of English football club, Tottenham Hotspur and Argentine midfielder Ossie Ardiles , who played for the club from 1978 for a decade. Marley surrounded himself with people from the sport, and in the 1970s made the Jamaican international footballer Allan "Skill" Cole his tour manager. He told a journalist, "If you want to get to know me, you will have to play football against me and the Wailers."

In July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma under a toenail. Contrary to urban legend , this lesion was not primarily caused by an injury during a football match that year, but was instead a symptom of already-existing cancer. He had to see two doctors before a biopsy was done, which confirmed acral lentiginous melanoma. Unlike other melanomas, usually on skin exposed to the sun, acral lentiginous melanoma occurs in places that are easy to miss, such as the soles of the feet, or under toenails. Although it is the most common melanoma in people with dark skin, it is not widely recognised and was not mentioned in the most popular medical textbook of the time.

Marley rejected his doctors' advice to have his toe amputated (which would have hindered his performing career), citing his religious beliefs, and instead, the nail and nail bed were removed and a skin graft was taken from his thigh to cover the area. Despite his illness, he continued touring and was in the process of scheduling a 1980 world tour.

The album Uprising was released in May 1980. The band completed a major tour of Europe, where it played its biggest concert to 100,000 people in Milan, Italy. After the tour, Marley went to the United States, where he performed two shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of the Uprising Tour. He collapsed while jogging in Central Park and was taken to the hospital, where it was found that his cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and liver.

Marley's last concert took place two days later at the Stanley Theater (now The Benedum Center For The Performing Arts ) in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania, on 23 September 1980. The only known photographs from the show were included in Kevin Macdonald's 2012 documentary film Marley .

Shortly afterward, Marley's health deteriorated as his cancer had spread throughout his body . The rest of the tour was canceled, and Marley sought treatment at the clinic of Josef Issels in Bavaria , Germany, where he underwent an alternative cancer treatment called Issels treatment, partly based on avoidance of certain foods, drinks, and other substances. After eight months of failing to effectively treat his advancing cancer, Marley boarded a plane for his home in Jamaica. During the flight, Marley's vital functions worsened. After landing in Miami, Florida, he was taken to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital (later University of Miami Hospital) for immediate medical attention, where he died on 11 May 1981, aged 36, due to the spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain. His final words to his son Ziggy were: “On your way up, take me up. On your way down, don't let me down." [1]

Marley was given a state funeral in Jamaica on 21 May 1981 that combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari tradition. He was buried in a chapel near his birthplace in Nine Mile; his casket contained his red Gibson Les Paul guitar, and a Bible opened at Psalm 23.

On 21 May 1981, Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga delivered the final funeral eulogy to Marley, saying:

His voice was an omnipresent cry in our electronic world. His sharp features, majestic looks, and prancing style a vivid etching on the landscape of our minds. Bob Marley was never seen. He was an experience which left an indelible imprint with each encounter. Such a man cannot be erased from the mind. He is part of the collective consciousness of the nation.

• 1976: Rolling Stone Band of the Year
• June 1978: Awarded the Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations.
• February 1981: Awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit, then the nation's third highest honour.
• March 1994: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .
• 1999: Album of the Century for Exodus by Time magazine.
• February 2001: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .
• February 2001: Awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2004: Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
• 2004: Among the first inductees into the UK Music Hall of Fame
• "One Love" named song of the millennium by BBC .
• Voted as one of the greatest lyricists of all time by a BBC poll.
• 2006: A blue plaque was unveiled at his first UK residence in Ridgmount Gardens, London, dedicated to him by the Nubian Jak Community Trust and supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
• 2010: Catch a Fire inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Reggae Album).
• 2022: Inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Discography

• The Wailing Wailers (1965)
• Soul Rebels (1970)
• Soul Revolution Part II (1971)
• The Best of the Wailers (1971)
• Catch a Fire (1973)
• Burnin' (1973)
• Natty Dread (1974)
• Rastaman Vibration (1976)
• Exodus (1977)
• Kaya (1978)
• Survival (1979)
• Uprising (1980)
• Confrontation (1983)
• Live! (1975)
• Babylon by Bus (1978)
• Outline of Bob Marley
• List of peace activists
• Fabian Marley
• Desis bobmarleyi – an underwater spider species named in honor of Marley
• This page was last modified on 6 November 2023, at 08:07. Suggest an edit .

• Arts & Photography

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

• Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
• Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
• Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
• Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important:  Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Follow the author

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Bob Marley: A Short Biography (Narratives for Teens and Adults) Hardcover – March 20, 2024

Purchase options and add-ons.

Bob Marley , an iconic figure of the 20th century, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter, musician, and cultural ambassador who brought reggae music to the forefront of the global stage. His music, infused with spirituality and calls for social justice, resonated with audiences worldwide, making him a symbol of peace and unity. Marley's contributions to music were not only limited to his innovative blend of reggae, rocksteady, and ska, but also to his lyrical prowess that spoke of love, freedom, and resistance against oppression.

This biography delves into the life of Bob Marley, tracing his humble beginnings in Nine Mile, Jamaica, to his meteoric rise as a music legend. It encapsulates Marley's profound influence on music and culture, his role as a proponent of Rastafarianism, and his legacy as a unifier through music. Despite its concise nature, the book is rich with details about Marley's groundbreaking albums, his philosophy, and his enduring influence on music and social movements.

Key Features :

• Concise Coverage : Offers a thorough overview of Marley's life, music, and influence in a succinct format.
• Rich Detail : Filled with crucial information, capturing pivotal moments and contributions.
• Accessible Format : Perfect for those desiring a brief yet deep understanding of Marley's impact.
• Vibrant Narration : Combines factual accuracy with compelling storytelling for a captivating read.
• Legacy Insights : Examines Marley's lasting effect on music, culture, and social activism beyond his years.
• Part of series Narratives for Teens and Adults
• Print length 87 pages
• Language English
• Publication date March 20, 2024
• Reading age 13 - 18 years
• Dimensions 5.5 x 0.39 x 8.5 inches
• ISBN-13 979-8320329260
• See all details

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

From the Publisher

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CYLVNS9B
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (March 20, 2024)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 87 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8320329260
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 - 18 years
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.9 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.39 x 8.5 inches
• #1,643 in Music History & Criticism (Books)
• #6,216 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
• #21,225 in Memoirs (Books)

About the author

History 4 teens.

Our books are crafted to be both brief and thrilling, weaving together captivating stories with valuable lessons.

Join our newsletter for free eBooks every week.

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

More From Forbes

Bob marley is a ‘legend’–one that’s still climbing the charts.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Bob Marley performs on stage, Hammersmith Odeon, London, United Kingdom, June 1976. (Photo by Erica ... [+] Echenberg/Redferns) *** Local Caption ***

Bob Marley’s biopic Bob Marley: One Love has left many theaters in America after a successful run, but it seems that the positive effects of the film are still being felt. The musician’s catalog is rising in terms of total consumption, thanks in part to all the attention his name and work have received recently from the production.

This week, as Americans continue to buy and stream Marley’s music, his greatest hits collection Legend –credited to the superstar and his backing band The Wailers–is growing in popularity. The set’s numbers are up, and as a result, it’s rising on the weekly Billboard rankings.

In the past tracking week, Legend moved another 19,378 equivalent units in the U.S. That sum is up more than 12% from the period before, according to Luminate. A double-digit gain in consumption is notable for any album at any time. The fact that Legend has been out for 40 years makes the surge that much more impressive.

As interest in Legend grows, the compilation climbs on the Billboard 200. This week, it returns to the loftiest quarter of the ranking of the most-consumed albums in the country, improving from No. 52 to No. 43.

Sales played a huge role in Legend lifting up the Billboard 200, and the title also pushed forward on another, related list. Marley and the Wailers’ blockbuster jumps into the top 20 on the Top Album Sales chart this frame, shooting from No. 23 to No. 18.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024.

Legend sold 3,939 copies last week in America. That number is up 17.5% from the period before–an even larger growth for the project than when looking at total consumption.

In addition to stepping up on the Billboard 200 and Top Album Sales charts, Legend is also on the rise on two other Billboard lists. The compilation moves up on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ranking (from No. 18 to No. 15) and Vinyl Albums roster (from No. 17 to No. 16).

Legend is steady on one Billboard tally, but that’s only because it has nowhere to go but down. Marley and his group keep their set at No. 1 on the Reggae Albums chart, where it has ruled for all but one frame it’s lived on this roster.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions