Quick Facts
- NAME: Bob Marley
- OCCUPATION: Songwriter, Singer
- BIRTH DATE: February 06, 1945
- DEATH DATE: May 11, 1981
- PLACE OF BIRTH: St. Ann Parish, Jamaica
- PLACE OF DEATH: Miami, Florida
Best Known For
Singer, musician, and songwriter Bob Marley served as a world ambassador for reggae music. He sold more than 20 million records.
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Bob Marley
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Bob Marley - Lyceum Theater (2:07)
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Bob Marley - The Creed (2:08)
Bob Marley - Lyceum Theater
Bob Marley saw his fame skyrocket during a time of political turbulence. In England, he was booked at the Lyceum Theater and Marley fans filled the theater to hear and feel Marley's message.
Bob Marley - The Creed
Bandmates of The Wailers are interviewed and discuss how Marley's friendship with the band, and his beliefs regarding the Rasta Revolution.
Bob Marley. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 01:51, May 25, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524
Bob Marley [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524, May 25
" Bob Marley." 2012. Biography.com 25 May 2012, 01:51 http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524
' Bob Marley', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524 [accessed May 25, 2012]
" Bob Marley," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524 (accessed May 25, 2012).
Bob Marley [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 May 25]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524.
Bob Marley, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524 (last visited May 25, 2012).
Bob Marley, http://www.biography.com/people/bob-marley-9399524 (last visited May 25, 2012).
Synopsis
Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. In 1963, Marley and his friends formed the Wailing Wailers.The Wailers got their big break in 1972 when they landed a contract with Island Records. Marley has sold more than 20 million records, making him the first international superstar to emerge from the so-called Third World. He died in Miami, Florida, on May 11, 1981.
Contents
Quotes
"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds."
"None but ourselves can free our minds."
"One Love."
"My music will go on forever."
Early Life in Jamaica
Singer, musician, songwriter. Born on February 6, 1945, in Jamaica. Bob Marley helped introduce reggae music to the world and remains one of its most beloved artists to this day. The son of a black teenage mother and much older, later absent white father, he spent his early years in the rural village known as Nine Miles in the parish of St. Ann.
One of his childhood friends in St. Ann was Neville "Bunny" O'Riley Livingston. Attending the same school, the two shared a love of music. Bunny inspired Bob to learn to play the guitar. Later Livingston's father and Marley's mother became involved, and they all lived together for a time in Kingston, according to Christopher John Farley's Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley.
Arriving in Kingston in the late 1950s, Marley lived in Trench Town, one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. He struggled in poverty, but he found inspiration in the music around him. Trench Town had a number of successful local performers and was considered the Motown of Jamaica. Sounds from the United States also drifted in over the radio and through jukeboxes. Marley liked such artists as Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and the Drifters.
Marley and Livingston devoted much of their time to music. Under the guidance of Joe Higgs, Marley worked on improving his singing abilities. He met another student of Higgs, Peter McIntosh (later Peter Tosh) who would play an important role in Marley's career.
The Wailers
A local record producer, Leslie Kong, liked Marley's vocals and had him record a few singles, the first of which was "Judge Not" released in 1962. While he did not fare well as a solo artist, Marley found some success joining forces with his friends. In 1963, Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh formed the Wailing Wailers. Their first single, "Simmer Down," went to the top of the Jamaican charts in January 1964. By this time, the group also included Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso, and Cherry Smith.
The group became quite popular in Jamaica, but they had difficulty making it financially. Braithewaite, Kelso, and Smith left the group. The remaining members drifted a part for a time. Marley went to the United States where his mother was now living. However, before he left, he married Rita Anderson on February 10, 1966.
After eight months, Marley returned to Jamaica. He reunited with Livingston and McIntosh to form the Wailers. Around this time, Marley was exploring his spiritual side and developing a growing interest in the Rastafarian movement. Both religious and political, the Rastafarian movement started in Jamaica in 1930s and drew its beliefs from many sources, including Jamaican-born black nationalist Marcus Garvey, the Old Testament, and their African heritage and culture.
For a time in the late 1960s, Marley worked with pop singer
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