Bob Marley | Artist
Robert Nesta Marley OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter born 1945 in Nine Mile, Jamaica. He became an international musical and cultural icon and the world's most recognised reggae musician. Marley was born at the farm of his grandfather to Norval Marley and Cedella Malcolm. Norval was a white Jamaican who went by the name "Captain", despite only having been a private in the British Army. At the time of his marriage to 18 year old Cedella Malcolm, Norval was 64 years old. He provided little financial support for his wife and child, rarely saw them, and died when Marley was 10 years old. Marley began to play music with Neville Livingston, later known as Bunny Wailer, while at Stepney Primary and Junior High School in Nine Mile, where they were childhood friends. At age 12, Marley left Nine Mile with his mother and moved to the Trenchtown section of Kingston. Marley's mother and Thadeus Livingston, Bunny's father, had a daughter together named Claudette Pearl, who was a younger sister to both Bob and Bunny. With Marley and Livingston 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, called the Wailers. Marley and the others did not play any instruments at this time and were more interested in being a vocal harmony group. Producer Joe Higgs helped them develop their vocal harmonies and began teaching Marley guitar. In February 1962, Marley recorded four songs, "Judge Not", "One Cup of Coffee", "Do You Still Love Me?" and "Terror", at Federal Studios for producer Leslie Kong. Their next single "Simmer Down" for the Coxsone label became a Jamaican No. 1 in February 1964 selling 70,000 copies. The Wailers, now regularly recording for Studio One, found themselves working with established Jamaican musicians such as Ernest Ranglin, Jackie Mittoo and Roland Alphonso. In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's US home in Wilmington, Delaware, for a short time, during which he worked as a lab assistant and on the assembly line and as a fork lift operator under the alias Donald Marley. Though raised Catholic, Marley became interested in Rastafari beliefs in the 1960s, and after returning to Jamaica, formally converted to Rastafari and began to grow dreadlocks. Marley and his band then teamed up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, the Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider the Wailers' finest work. Reggae took over from ska as the popular sound, the Wailers moved with the times working with Leslie Kong. Gone are the ska trumpets and saxophones of the earlier songs, with instrumental breaks now being played by the electric guitar. The songs recorded then would be released as the album The Best of The Wailers, including "Soul Shakedown Party" and "Stop That Train". In 1972, now seeking fame and fortune, Marley signed with CBS Records in London and embarked on a UK tour with soul singer Johnny Nash. While in London the Wailers were introduced to Chris Blackwell, who had licensed some of their Coxsone releases for his Island Records. He advanced them £4,000 to record an album for Island. Since Jimmy Cliff, Island's top reggae star, had recently left the label, Blackwell wanted Marley, who he recognised could bring reggae to a wider rock audience. The Wailers returned to Jamaica to record at Harry J's in Kingston, which resulted in the album Catch a Fire, released worldwide in April 1973 on Island packaged like a rock record with a unique Zippo lighter lift-top. Initially selling 14,000 units, it received a positive critical reception. It was followed that year by the album Burnin', with the song "I Shot the Sheriff", later covered by Eric Clapton, becoming his first US hit since "Layla" two years earlier. Many Jamaicans were not keen on the new reggae sound on Catch a Fire, but the Trenchtown style of Burnin found fans across both reggae and rock audiences. In the ten years between Catch a Fire and Marley's last studio album, 1983's Confrontation, Marley and the band released nine superb studio albums, several essential live albums and over 190 Singles. Must-have releases include Soul Revolution/African Herbsman (1971), Catch a Fire (1973), Burnin' (1973), Natty Dread (1974), Rastaman Vibration (1976), Exodus (1977), Kaya (1978), Survival (1979), Uprising (1980), and Live! (1975). In the early 1970's, Chris Blackwell gifted his Kingston residence and company headquarters at 56 Hope Road (then known as Island House) to Marley. Housing Tuff Gong Studios, the property became not only Marley's office but also his home. In 1977, Marley was diagnosed with melanoma and he died in May 1981. 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.
Artist Website: bobmarley.com
Featured Albums: Bob Marley
Related Artists: The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, I-Threes
Collections: Music Visionaries
