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Bob Marley

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Performers and composers

   Bob Marley
   Background information
   Birth name Robert Nesta Marley
   Also known as Tuff Gong
   Born February 6, 1945
   Jamaica Nine Miles, Saint Ann, Jamaica
   Died May 11, 1981
   United States Miami, Florida, USA
   Genre(s) Reggae
   Ska
   Rocksteady
   Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, guitarist
   Instrument(s) Guitar
   Vocals
   Years active 1962- 1981
   Label(s) Studio One
   Beverley's
   Upsetter/ Trojan
   Island/ Tuff Gong
   Associated
   acts The Wailers Band, The Wailers
   Website www.bobmarley.com

   Robert Nesta Marley, OM ( February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981), better
   known as Bob Marley, was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
   He is the most widely known performer of reggae music, and is famous
   for having popularized the genre outside Jamaica. A faithful Rastafari,
   Marley is regarded by many as a prophet of the religion, as well as one
   of the greatest songwriters of all time.

   His best known songs are a mixture of reggae, rock, and rhythm and
   blues, and include " I Shot the Sheriff", made famous in 1974 by Eric
   Clapton, which raised Marley's international profile, "No Woman No
   Cry", "Exodus", "Could You Be Loved", "Jamming","Redemption Song" and
   one of his most famous songs, "One Love". His posthumous album Legend
   (1984) became the best-selling reggae album ever, with sales of more
   than 12 million copies.

Early life and career

   Bob Marley was born on Tuesday in the small village of Nine Miles in
   Saint Ann, Jamaica. His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a white
   Jamaican born in 1895 to British parents from Sussex. Norval was a
   Marine officer and captain, as well as a plantation overseer, when he
   married Cedella Booker, an eighteen-year-old black Jamaican. Norval
   provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them,
   as he was often away on trips. Bob was ten years old when Norval died
   of a heart attack in 1955 at age 60.

   Being of mixed race, Bob Marley faced questions about his own racial
   identity throughout his life. He reflected:


   Bob Marley

     I don't have prejudice against myself. My father was a white and my
   mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on
   nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's
   side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come
                            from black and white.


   Bob Marley

   Marley and his mother moved to Kingston's Trenchtown slum after
   Norval's death. Marley was forced to learn self-defense, as he became
   the target of bullying because of his racial makeup and stature (he was
   5'4" (163 cm) tall). He gained a reputation for his physical strength
   and constitution, which earned him the nickname "Tuff Gong".

   Young Marley became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later
   Bunny Wailer), with whom Marley started to play music. Marley left
   school at the age of 14 and started as an apprentice at a local
   welder's shop. In his free time, he and Livingston made music with Joe
   Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafarian whom many critics regard
   as Marley's mentor. It was at one of the jam sessions with Higgs and
   Livingston that Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh),
   who had similar musical ambitions.

   In 1962, Marley recorded his first two singles, " Judge Not" and " One
   Cup of Coffee", with local music producer Leslie Kong. These songs
   attracted little attention, and were later re-released on Marley's
   Songs of Freedom album.

The Wailers

   In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Livingston, Peter McIntosh, Junior
   Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith formed a ska and
   rocksteady group, calling themselves "The Teenagers". They later
   changed their name to "The Wailing Rudeboys", then to "The Wailing
   Wailers", and finally to " The Wailers". By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso,
   and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of Marley,
   Livingston, and McIntosh.

   Marley took on the role of leader, singer, and main songwriter. Much of
   The Wailers' early work, including their first single Simmer Down, was
   produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One. The single topped Jamaican
   Charts in 1964 and established The Wailers as one of the hottest groups
   in the country. They followed up with songs such as "Soul Rebel" and
   "400 Years".

   In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's
   residence in Wilmington, Delaware for a few months. Upon returning to
   Jamaica, Marley began practicing Rastafari and started to wear his
   trademark dreadlocks (see the religion section for more on Marley's
   religious views).

   After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band 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. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding
   the assignment of recording rights, but they would remain friends and
   work together again.

   Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter McIntosh, and Bunny
   Livingston recut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and
   London in an attempt to commercialize The Wailers' sound. Livingston
   later asserted that these songs "should never be released on an
   album... they were just demos for record companies to listen to".

   The Wailers' first album, Catch A Fire, was released worldwide in 1973,
   and sold well. It was followed a year later by Burnin', which included
   " Get Up, Stand Up" and " I Shot The Sheriff". Eric Clapton made a hit
   cover of the latter in 1974.

   The Wailers broke up in 1974, with each of the three main members going
   on to pursue solo careers. The reason for the breakup is shrouded in
   conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements amongst
   Livingston, McIntosh, and Marley concerning performances, while others
   claim that Livingston and McIntosh simply preferred solo work. McIntosh
   began recording under the name Peter Tosh, and Livingston continued on
   as Bunny Wailer.

Bob Marley & The Wailers

   Despite the breakup, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The
   Wailers". His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston
   "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and
   Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on
   keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The " I Threes",
   consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita,
   performed backup vocals.

   In 1975, Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit
   outside Jamaica, " No Woman, No Cry" from the Natty Dread album. This
   was followed by his breakthrough album in the US, Rastaman Vibration
   (1976), which spent four weeks in the Billboard charts Top Ten.

   In December 1976, two days before " Smile Jamaica", a free concert
   organized by Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley in an attempt to
   ease tension between two warring political groups, Marley, his wife,
   and manager Don Taylor were wounded in an assault by unknown gunmen
   inside Marley's home. Taylor and Marley's wife sustained serious
   injuries, but later made full recoveries. Bob Marley received only
   minor injuries in the chest and arm. The shooting was thought to have
   been politically motivated, as many felt the concert was really a
   support rally for Manley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded, and an
   injured Marley performed as scheduled.

   Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976 for England, where he recorded
   his Exodus and Kaya albums. Exodus stayed on the British album charts
   for 56 consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: "Exodus",
   "Waiting In Vain", "Jamming", and also "One Love", a rendition of
   Curtis Mayfield's hit, " People Get Ready". It was here that he was
   arrested and received a conviction for possession of a small quantity
   of cannabis while travelling in London.

   In 1978, Marley performed at another political concert in Jamaica, the
   One Love Peace Concert, again in an effort to calm warring parties.
   Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Manley and his
   political rival, Edward Seaga, joined each other on stage and shook
   hands.

   The words he said, as he called the two politicians onstage, and while
   he held their hands above his head:


   Bob Marley

    His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, run lightning, leading
    the people of the slaves to shake hands. . . To show the people that
   you love them right, to show the people that you gonna unite, show the
   people that you're over bright, show the people that everything is all
    right. Watch, watch, watch, what you're doing, because . . I'm not so
    good at talking but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. I'm
    trying to say, could we have, could we have, up here onstage here the
     presence of Mr. Michael Manley and Mr. Edward Seaga. I just want to
     shake hands and show the people that we're gonna unite . . . we're
     gonna unite . . . we've got to unite . . . The moon is high over my
   head, and I give my love instead. The moon is high over my head, and I
                            give my love instead.


   Bob Marley

   He said this while improvising on the song "Jamming".

   Survival, a defiant and politically charged album, was released in
   1979. Tracks such as "Zimbabwe", " Africa Unite", "Wake Up and Live",
   and "Survival" reflected Marley's support for the struggles of
   Africans. In early 1980, he was invited to perform at the April 17
   celebration of Zimbabwe's Independence Day.

   Uprising (1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his
   most religious productions, including " Redemption Song" and "Forever
   Loving Jah". It was in "Redemption Song" that Marley sang the famous
   lyric,


      Bob Marley

                Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
                None but ourselves can free our minds...


                                                         Bob Marley

   Confrontation, released posthumously in 1983, contained unreleased
   material recorded during Marley's lifetime, including the hit " Buffalo
   Soldier" and new mixes of singles previously only available in Jamaica.

Religion

   Bob Marley was a member of the Rastafari movement, whose culture was a
   key element in the development of reggae. Bob Marley became the leading
   proponent of the Rastafari, taking their music out of the socially
   deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene.

   Now considered a "rasta" legend, Marley's adoption of the
   characteristic Rastafarian dreadlocks and famous use of marijuana as a
   sacred sacrament in the late sixties were an integral part of his
   persona. He is said to have entered every performance proclaiming the
   divinity of Jah Rastafari.

   Many of Marley's songs contained Biblical references, sometimes using
   wordplay to fuse activism and religion, as in "Revolution" and
   "Revelation":


        Bob Marley

                  Revelation, reveals the truth...


                                                   Bob Marley


     Bob Marley

               It takes a revolution to make a solution...


                                                           Bob Marley

   A few months before his death, Marley was baptised into the Ethiopian
   Orthodox Church and took the name Berhane Selassie (meaning the Light
   of the Holy Trinity in Amharic).

Battle with cancer

Diagnosis

   In July 1977, Marley was found to have malignant melanoma in a football
   wound on his right hallux (big toe). Marley refused amputation, citing
   worries that the operation would affect his dancing, as well as the
   Rastafarian belief that the body must be "whole"


   Bob Marley

      Rasta no abide amputation. I don't allow a man to be dismantled.


   Bob Marley

                     —From the biography Catch a Fire

   Marley may have seen medical doctors as samfai, confidence men who
   cheat the gullible by pretending to have the power of witchcraft . True
   to this belief Marley went against all surgical possibilities and
   sought out other means that would not break his religious beliefs.

Collapse and treatment

   The cancer spread to Marley's brain, lungs, liver, and stomach
   following his refusal of treatment. After playing two shows at Madison
   Square Garden as part of his fall 1980 Uprising Tour, he collapsed
   while jogging in NYC's Central Park. The remainder of the tour was
   subsequently cancelled.

   Bob Marley played his final concert at the Stanley Theatre in
   Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 23, 1980. The live version of "
   Redemption Song" on Songs of Freedom was recorded at this show. Marley
   afterwards sought medical help from Munich specialist Josef Issels, but
   his cancer had already progressed to the terminal stage.

Death

   While flying home from Germany to Jamaica for his final days, Marley
   became ill, and landed in Miami for immediate medical attention. He
   died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, Florida on the morning of
   May 11, 1981 at the age of 36. His final words to his son Ziggy were
   "Money can't buy life". Marley received a state funeral in Jamaica,
   which combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari. He was
   buried in a crypt near his birthplace with his Gibson Les Paul, a
   soccer ball, a marijuana bud, and a Bible. A month before his death, he
   was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit.

Children

   Bob Marley had 13 children: three with his wife Rita, two adopted from
   Rita's previous relationships, and the remaining eight with separate
   women. His children are, in order of birth:
    1. Imani Carole, born May 22, 1963 to Cheryl Murray
    2. Sharon, born November 23, 1964 to Rita in a separate marriage;
    3. Cedella, born August 23, 1967 to Rita;
    4. David "Ziggy", born October 17, 1968 to Rita;
    5. Stephen, born April 20, 1972 to Rita;
    6. Robert "Robbie", born May 16, 1972 to Pat Williams;
    7. Rohan, born May 19, 1972 to Janet Hunt;
    8. Karen, born 1973 to Janet Bowen;
    9. Stephanie, born 1974; according to Cedella Booker she was product
       from a affair of Rita with a man called Ital, but she was
       acknowledged as Bob's daughter;
   10. Julian, born June 4, 1975 to Lucy Pounder;
   11. Ky-Mani, born February 26, 1976 to Anita Belnavis;
   12. Damian, born July 21, 1978 to Cindy Breakspeare;
   13. Makeda, born May 30, 1981 to Yvette Crichton.

Posthumous reputation

   Bob Marley's music has continuously grown in popularity in the years
   since his death, providing a stream of revenue for his estate and
   affording him a mythical status in 20th century music history. He
   remains enormously popular and well-known all over the world,
   particularly so in Africa. Marley was inducted into the Rock and Roll
   Hall of Fame in 1994. Time magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers'
   Exodus as the greatest album of the 20th century.

   In 2001, the same year that Marley won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement
   Award, a feature-length documentary about his life by Jeremy Marre,
   Rebel Music, was nominated for the Best Long Form Music Video
   documentary at the Grammies. It won various other awards. With
   contributions from Rita, the Wailers, and Marley's lovers and children,
   it tells much of the story too in his own words.

   In February 2006, a Brooklyn community board voted to rename a portion
   of Church Avenue, which runs through several heavily populated
   Caribbean-American neighbourhoods, after Bob Marley, pending approval
   of the New York City Council.

   In January 2005, it was reported that Rita Marley was planning to have
   her late husband's remains exhumed and reburied in Shashamane,
   Ethiopia. This announcement was met with great resistance in Jamaica,
   with critics arguing that his life was a testament to the unique
   Jamaican culture. Marley's 60th birthday celebration on February 6,
   2005 was celebrated in Shashamane, having previously always been held
   in Jamaica. Later that year, Rita Marley denied having made such plans.

Discography

Tours

     * Apr-Jul 1973: Catch a Fire Tour (England, USA)
     * Oct-Nov 1973: Burnin' Tour (USA, England)
     * Jun-Jul 1975: Natty Dread Tour (USA, Canada, England)
     * Apr-Jul 1976: Rastaman Vibration Tour (USA, Canada, Germany,
       Sweden, Netherlands, France, England, Wales)
     * May-Jun 1977: Exodus Tour (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany,
       Sweden, Denmark, England)
     * May-Aug 1978: Kaya Tour (USA, Canada, England, France, Spain,
       Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium)
     * Apr-May 1979: Babylon by Bus Tour (Japan, New Zealand, Australia,
       Hawaii)
     * Oct-Dec 1979: Survival Tour (USA, Canada, Trinidad/Tobago, Bahamas)
     * Apr 1980: Zimbabwe
     * May-Sep 1980: Uprising Tour (Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway,
       Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Ireland,
       England, Scotland, Wales, USA)

Awards and honours

   Marley's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
   Enlarge
   Marley's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
     * 1976: Band of the Year ( Rolling Stone)
     * June 1978: Awarded the Peace Medal of the Third World from the
       United Nations
     * February 1981: Awarded Jamaica's third highest honour, the Jamaican
       Order of Merit
     * March 1994: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
     * 1999: Album of the Century for Exodus ( Time Magazine)
     * February 2001: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
     * February 2001: Awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
     * 2005: Posthumous Achievement Award
     * "One Love" named song of the millennium by The BBC

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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