Bob Marley

array(1) { [0]=> array(4) { ["title"]=> string(10) "Bob Marley" ["timestamp"]=> string(20) "2010-09-10T00:37:51Z" ["text"]=> string(37400) "{{pp-semi|small=yes}} {{About|the singer|the comedian|Bob Marley (comedian)}} {{EngvarB|date=August 2010}} {{pp-move-indef}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2010}} {{Infobox musical artist | honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| Name = Bob Marley | Img = Bob-Marley.jpg | Img_alt = Black and white picture of a man with long dreadlocks playing the guitar on stage. | Img_capt = Bob Marley performing in concert, circa 1980. | Landscape = no | Background = solo_singer | Birth_name = Nesta Robert Marley | Born = {{birth date|df=yes|1945|2|6}}
[[Nine Mile, Jamaica|Nine Mile]], [[Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica|Saint Ann]], [[Jamaica]] | Died = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1981|5|11|1945|2|6}}
Miami, Florida, United States | Instrument = Vocals, guitar, percussion | Genre = [[Reggae]], [[ska]], [[rocksteady]] | Occupation = Singer-songwriter, musician | Years_active = 1962–81 | Label = [[Studio One (record label)|Studio One]], [[Beverley's]], [[Upsetter]]/[[Trojan Records|Trojan]], [[Island Records|Island]]/[[Tuff Gong]] | Associated_acts = [[The Wailers (reggae band)|The Wailers]], [[Wailers Band]], [[The Upsetters]], [[I Threes]], [[Bob Marley & The Wailers]] | URL = [http://www.bobmarley.com/ www.bobmarley.com] | Notable Instruments = [[Gibson Les Paul Special]] }} '''Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley''' (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a [[Jamaica]]n singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the [[ska]], [[rocksteady]] and [[reggae]] bands [[The Wailers (reggae band)|The Wailers]] (1964–1974) and [[Bob Marley & The Wailers]] (1974–1981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited with helping spread both [[Music of Jamaica|Jamaican music]] and the [[Rastafari movement]] to a worldwide audience.{{cite web|url=http://www.empsfm.org/education/index.asp?categoryID=26&ccID=127&xPopConfBioID=784&year=2007|title=2007 Pop Conference Bios/Abstracts|publisher=[[Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame]]|date=2007}} Marley's best known hits include "[[I Shot the Sheriff]]", "[[No Woman, No Cry]]", "[[Could You Be Loved]]", "[[Stir It Up]]", "[[Jamming (song)|Jamming]]", "[[Redemption Song]]", "[[One Love (Bob Marley song)|One Love]]" and, together with The Wailers, "[[Three Little Birds]]",{{cite encyclopedia|title=Bob Marley|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|date=2006}} as well as the posthumous releases "[[Buffalo Soldier (song)|Buffalo Soldier]]" and "[[Iron Lion Zion]]". The compilation album ''[[Legend (Bob Marley & The Wailers album)|Legend]]'' (1984), released three years after his death, is reggae's best-selling album, being 10 times [[Music recording sales certification|Platinum]] ([[Music recording sales certification|Diamond]]) in the U.S.,{{cite web|url=http://web.bobmarley.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070226&contentid=3540|title=Concert Series: 'No Woman, No Cry'|date=26 February 2007|accessdate=3 October 2009|first=Doug|last=Miller|publisher=web.BobMarley.com}} and selling 20 million copies worldwide.{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2004/10/25/cx_2004deadcelebtears_9.html|title=Top Earners for 2004|work=Forbes |accessdate=30 November 2008|page=9|first=Peter|last=Newcomb}}{{cite web|url=http://entertainment.iafrica.com/features/1051960.htm|title=Rolling in the money|publisher=iAfrica|accessdate=30 November 2008}} == Early life and career == Bob Marley was born in the village of [[Nine Mile, Jamaica|Nine Mile]] in [[Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica|Saint Ann Parish]], Jamaica as Nesta Robert Marley.{{harvnb|Moskowitz|2007|p=1}} A Jamaican passport official would later swap his first and middle names.{{harvnb|Moskowitz|2007|p=9}} His father, [[Norval Marley|Norval Sinclair Marley]], was a white Jamaican of English descent whose family came from [[Essex]], England. Norval was a captain in the [[Royal Marines]], as well as a plantation overseer, when he married [[Cedella Booker]], an [[Afro-Jamaican]] then 18 years old.{{harvnb|Moskowitz|2007|p=2}} Norval provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on trips. In 1955, when Marley was 10 years old, his father died of a heart attack at age 60.{{harvnb|Moskowitz|2007|p=4}} Marley faced questions about his own racial identity throughout his life. He once reflected:

I don't have prejudice against meself. 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.{{cite web|last=Webley|first=Bishop Derek|title=One world, one love, one Bob Marley|url=http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/more-columnists/2008/05/10/bishop-webley-one-world-one-love-one-bob-marley-65233-20891539/|work=[[Birmingham Post]]|publisher=[[Trinity Mirror]]|date=10 May 2008|accessdate=15 June 2008}}

Although Marley recognised his mixed ancestry, throughout his life and because of his beliefs, he self-identified as a black African, following the ideas of [[Pan-African]] leaders such as [[Marcus Garvey]] and [[Haile Selassie]]. A central theme in Bob Marley's message was the [[repatriation]] of black people to [[Zion]], which in his view was [[Ethiopia]], or more generally, Africa.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/rastafari/people/bobmarley.shtml|title=Religion and Ethics: Rastafari - Bob Marley|publisher=BBC}} In songs such as "Black Survivor", "Babylon System", and "Blackman Redemption", Marley sings about the struggles of blacks and Africans against oppression from the West or "Babylon".{{harvnb|Middleton|2000|p=181-198}} Marley became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later known as [[Bunny Wailer]]), with whom he started to play music. He left school at the age of 14 to make music with [[Joe Higgs]], a local singer and devout [[Rastafari movement|Rastafari]]. At a [[jam session]] with Higgs and Livingston, Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as [[Peter Tosh]]), who had similar musical ambitions.{{cite web|last=Ankeny|first=Jason|title=Bob Marley - Biography|url=http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifpxqq5ldte~T1|publisher=Allmusic|accessdate=15 June 2008}} In 1962, Marley recorded his first two singles, "[[Judge Not]]" and "One Cup of Coffee", with local music producer [[Leslie Kong]]. These songs, released on the [[Beverley's]] label under the pseudonym of Bobby Martell,{{cite web|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20060621034903/http://www.bobmarley.com/life/musicbusiness/beverley.html|title=The Beverley Label and Leslie Kong: Music Business|publisher=bobmarley.com}} attracted little attention. The songs were later re-released on the box set ''[[Songs of Freedom]]'', a posthumous collection of Marley's work. == Musical career == === The Wailers === {{Main|The Wailers (reggae band)}} [[File:Bob-Marley-in-Concert Zurich 05-30-80.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Marley in concert in 1980, Zurich Switzerland]] In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, [[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", at which point they were discovered by record producer [[Coxsone Dodd]], and finally to "[[The Wailers (reggae)|The Wailers]]". By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh.{{cite web|url=http://www.vitalspot.com/TheWailers/Biography.html|title=The Wailers'Biography|publisher=Vital Spot|accessdate=1 October 2009}} In 1966, Marley married [[Rita Marley|Rita Anderson]], and moved near his mother's residence in [[Wilmington, Delaware]] in the United States for a short time, during which he worked as a [[DuPont]] lab assistant and on the assembly line at a [[Chrysler]] plant, under the alias Donald Marley.{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6879720/bob_marley_19451981|title=Bob Marley: 1945-1981|work=Rolling Stone |date=25 June 1981|first=Timothy|last=White|publisher=[[Jann Wenner]]}} Though raised in the [[Catholicism|Catholic]] tradition, Marley became captivated by [[Rastafarian]] beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother's influence.Moskowtz, David Vlado (2007). ''The Words and Music of Bob Marley''. Westport, Connecticut. p. 16. ISBN 0275989356, ISBN 9780275989354. Formally converted to Rastafarianism after returning to Jamaica, Marley began to wear his trademark [[dreadlocks]] (''see the ''[[Bob Marley#Religion|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 Tosh and Bunny Wailer re-cut some old tracks with [[JAD Records]] in Kingston and London in an attempt to commercialise The Wailers' sound. Bunny later asserted that these songs "should never be released on an album … they were just demos for record companies to listen to". Also in 1968, Bob and Rita visited [[the Bronx]] to see [[Johnny Nash]]'s songwriter [[Jimmy Norman]].{{cite news|title=Pre-reggae tape of Bob Marley is found and put on auction|first=Jesse|last=McKinley|date=19 December 2002|accessdate=4 January 2009|work=The New York Times |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E2DD133DF93AA25751C1A9649C8B63|publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]}} A three-day jam session with Norman and others, including Norman's co-writer [[Al Pyfrom]], resulted in a 24-minute tape of Marley performing several of his own and Norman-Pyfrom's compositions. This tape is, according to Reggae archivist [[Roger Steffens]], rare in that it was influenced by pop rather than reggae, as part of an effort to break Marley into the American charts. According to an article in ''[[The New York Times]]'', Marley experimented on the tape with different sounds, adopting a doo-wop style on "Stay With Me" and "the slow love song style of 1960's artists" on "Splish for My Splash". An artist yet to establish himself outside his native Jamaica, Marley lived in Ridgmount Gardens, [[Camden, London]] during 1972.{{cite web|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/oct/27/musicnews.arts|title=Blue plaque marks flats that put Marley on road to fame|date=27 October 2006|accessdate=7 September 2010|publisher=[[The Guardian]]}} The Wailers' first album, ''[[Catch a Fire]]'', was released worldwide in 1973, and sold well. It was followed later that year by ''[[Burnin' (The Wailers album)|Burnin']]'', which included the songs "[[Get Up, Stand Up]]" and "[[I Shot the Sheriff]]". [[Eric Clapton]] recorded a hit cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1974, raising Marley's international profile.{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6596288/i_shot_the_sheriff/print|title=I Shot the Sheriff|publisher=Jann Wenner|work=Rolling Stone|accessdate=3 October 2009|date=9 December 2004}} The Wailers broke up in 1974 with each of the three main members pursuing solo careers. The reason for the breakup is shrouded in conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements amongst Bunny, Peter, and Bob concerning performances, while others claim that Bunny and Peter simply preferred solo work. === Bob Marley & The Wailers === [[File:Bob-marley-wailers-crystal-palace.jpg|thumb|300px|Bob Marley & The Wailers live at [[Crystal Palace Park]] during the [[Uprising Tour]]|alt=A crowd of people standing in water and listening to a band perform on stage.]] {{Main|Bob Marley & The Wailers}} Despite the break-up, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His new [[Wailers Band|backing band]] included brothers [[Carlton Barrett|Carlton]] and [[Aston Barrett|Aston "Family Man" Barrett]] on drums and bass respectively, [[Junior Marvin]] and [[Al Anderson (The Wailers)|Al Anderson]] on lead guitar, [[Tyrone Downie]] and [[Earl Lindo|Earl "Wya" Lindo]] on keyboards, and [[Alvin Patterson|Alvin "Seeco" Patterson]] on percussion. The "[[I Threes]]", consisting of [[Judy Mowatt]], [[Marcia Griffiths]], and Marley's wife, Rita, provided backing 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 United States, ''[[Rastaman Vibration]]'' (1976), which spent four weeks on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].{{cite web|url=http://www.niceup.com/bmbio.html|title=Bob Marley Bio|publisher=niceup.com|accessdate=3 October 2009}} In December 1976, two days before "[[Smile Jamaica Concert|Smile Jamaica]]", a free concert organised by the 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 minor wounds 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, two days after the attempt. When asked why, Marley responded, "The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?" The members of the group Zap Pow, which had no radical religious or political beliefs, played as Bob Marley's backup band before a festival crowd of 80,000 while members of The Wailers were still missing or in hiding.{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6879667/the_shooting_of_a_wailer|title=The shooting of a Wailer|work=Rolling Stone|accessdate=2 October 2009|date=13 January 1997|publisher=Jann Wenner}}Walker, Jeff (1980) on the cover of Zap Pow's LP ''Reggae Rules''. Los Angeles: Rhino Records. Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976, and after a month-long "recovery and writing" sojourn at the site of [[Chris Blackwell]]'s [[Compass Point Studios]] in [[Nassau, Bahamas]], arrived in England, where he spent two years in self-imposed exile. Whilst there he recorded his ''[[Exodus (Bob Marley & The Wailers album)|Exodus]]'' and ''[[Kaya (album)|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 "[[One Love (Bob Marley song)|One Love]]" (a rendition of [[Curtis Mayfield]]'s hit, "[[People Get Ready (song)|People Get Ready]]"). During his time in London, he was arrested and received a conviction for [[Drug possession|possession]] of a small quantity of [[cannabis (drug)|cannabis]].{{cite web|url=http://www.thirdfield.com/new/timeline.html|title=A Timeline of Bob Marley's Career|publisher=Thirdfield.com|accessdate=3 October 2009}} In 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica and performed at another political concert, the [[One Love Peace Concert]], again in an effort to calm warring parties. Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Michael Manley (leader of then-ruling [[People's National Party]]) and his political rival [[Edward Seaga]] (leader of the opposing [[Jamaica Labour Party]]), joined each other on stage and shook hands.{{cite web|url=http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1307397|title=One Love Peace Concert|publisher=Everything2.com|date=24 May 2002|accessdate=3 October 2009}} Under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers eleven albums were released, four live albums and seven studio albums. The releases included ''[[Babylon by Bus]]'', a double live album with 13 tracks, was released in 1978 to critical acclaim. This album, and specifically the final track "Jamming" with the audience in a frenzy, captured the intensity of Marley's live performances.{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/301860|title=Babylon by Bus review|work=Rolling Stone |accessdate=3 October 2009|publisher=Jann Wenner|date=28 December 1978|first=Timothy|last=White}} ''[[Survival (Bob Marley & The Wailers album)|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. His appearance at the [[Amandla Festival]] in Boston in July 1979 showed his strong opposition to South African [[apartheid]], which he already had shown in his song "[[War (Bob Marley song)|War]]" in 1976. In early 1980, he was invited to perform at the 17 April celebration of [[Zimbabwe]]'s Independence Day. ''[[Uprising (album)|Uprising]]'' (1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his most religious productions; it included "Redemption Song" and "Forever Loving Jah".{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/103460/review/6068123?utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview|title=Uprising review|work=Rolling Stone |first=Chris|last=Morris|date=16 October 1980|accessdate=3 October 2009|publisher=Jann Wenner}} ''[[Confrontation (album)|Confrontation]]'', released posthumously in 1983, contained unreleased material recorded during Marley's lifetime, including the hit "[[Buffalo Soldier (song)|Buffalo Soldier]]" and new mixes of singles previously only available in Jamaica.{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bobmarley/albums/album/232098/review/6067472/confrontation|title=Confrontation review|work=Rolling Stone |accessdate=3 October 2009|date=1 September 1983|publisher=Jann Wenner|first=Fred|last=Schruers}} == Later years == === Illness === In July 1977, Marley was found to have [[acral lentiginous melanoma]], a form of [[malignant melanoma]].{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/when-bob-marley-joined-the-bloomsbury-set-421831.html|title=When Bob Marley joined the Bloomsbury set|work=The Independet|location=UK|accessdate=4 October 2009|publisher=[[Independent News & Media]]|date=27 October 2006|first=Sara|last=Newman}} Despite his illness, he wished to continue touring and was in the process of scheduling a world tour in 1980. The intention was for [[Inner Circle]] to be his opening act on the tour but after their lead singer [[Jacob Miller]] died in Jamaica in March 1980 after returning from a scouting mission in South America this was no longer mentioned.{{cite web|url=http://www.soundsandcolours.com/articles/brazil/the-day-bob-marley-played-football-in-brazil/|title=The Day Bob Marley Played Football in Brazil|accessdate=6 August 2010|publisher=Sounds and Colours|date=6 August 2010|first=Russ|last=Slater}} The album ''Uprising'' was released in May 1980 and the band completed a major tour of Europe, where they played their biggest concert, to a hundred thousand people in Milan. After the tour Marley went to America, where he performed two shows at [[Madison Square Garden]] as part of the [[Uprising Tour]]. Shortly afterwards, his health deteriorated and he became very ill; the cancer had spread throughout his body. The rest of the tour was canceled and Marley sought treatment at the Bavarian clinic of [[Josef Issels]], where he received a [[Issels treatment|controversial type of cancer therapy]] partly based on avoidance of certain foods, drinks, and other substances. After fighting the cancer without success for eight months, he boarded a plane for his home in Jamaica.{{cite web|url=http://web.bobmarley.com/story/?storypage=7|title=His story: The life and legacy of Bob Marley|publisher=web.bobmarley.com|accessdate=4 October 2009}} === Death and Legacy === While flying home from Germany to Jamaica, accepting that he was going to die, Marley's vital functions worsened. After landing in Miami, he was taken to hospital for immediate medical attention. He died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now [[University of Miami Hospital]]) on the morning of 11 May 1981, at the age of 36. The spread of [[melanoma]] to his lungs and brain caused his death. His final words to his son [[Ziggy Marley|Ziggy]] were "Money can't buy life".{{cite web|last=Steffens|first=Roger|title=Bob Marley Chronology 1945-1981|url=http://www.reggae.com/artists/bob_marley/chronology.htm|accessdate=26 October 2006}} Marley received a [[state funeral]] in Jamaica on 21 May 1981, which combined elements of [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodoxy]] and Rastafari tradition.{{harvnb|Moskowitz|2007|p=116}} He was buried in a chapel near his birthplace with his red [[Gibson Les Paul]] (some accounts say it was a [[Fender Stratocaster]] ).{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1732|title=Bob Marley|date=1 January 2001|publisher=Find a Grave|accessdate=16 April 2009}} A month before his death, he had also been awarded the [[Jamaican Order of Merit]].{{cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/deathiversary/bob-marley/bob-marley.jsp|title=Bob Marley Biography|publisher=Biography.com|accessdate=16 April 2009}} Several months after his death, Jamaica issued a series of postage stamps honouring Bob Marley.[http://stamp-search.com/images/jam91512-8bob7marley.jpg Images of stamps at Stamp Search.com] In 1994, Marley was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]],{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/bob-marley|title=Bob Marley|publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]|accessdate=16 April 2009}} and in 1999 ''Time'' magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers' ''[[Exodus (Bob Marley & The Wailers album)|Exodus]]'' as the greatest album of the 20th century.{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,993039,00.html|title=The Best Of The Century|date=31 December 1999|work=Time|publisher=[[Time Inc.]]|accessdate=16 April 2009}} In 2001, he was posthumously awarded the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]], and a feature-length documentary about his life, ''Rebel Music'', won various awards at the [[Grammy Award|Grammys]]. With contributions from Rita, The Wailers, and Marley's lovers and children, it also tells much of the story in his own words.{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-79143687.html|title=Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for Bob Marley|publisher=Caribbian Today|date=31 January 2001|accessdate=4 October 2009}} A statue was inaugurated, next to the national stadium on Arthur Wint Drive in Kingston to commemorate him. In 2006, the State of New York renamed a portion of Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to East 98th Street in the [[East Flatbush, Brooklyn|East Flatbush]] section of Brooklyn "Bob Marley Boulevard".{{cite web|url=http://ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/top_stories/?SecID=1000&ArID=60701|title=Brooklyn Street Renamed Bob Marley Boulevard|date=2 July 2006|accessdate=6 October 2009|publisher=[[NY1]]}} == Religion == {{Rastafari}} Bob Marley was a member of the [[Rastafari]] movement, whose culture was a key element in the development of reggae. Bob Marley became a leading proponent of the Rastafari, taking their music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene. As observant Rastafari practice [[Ital]], a diet that shuns meat, Marley was a [[vegetarian]].{{cite web|url=http://www.ivu.org/people/music/marley.html|title=Bob Marley|publisher=The International Vegetarian Union|accessdate=16 December 2009}} According to his biographers, he affiliated with the [[Mansions_of_Rastafari#Twelve_Tribes_of_Israel|Twelve Tribes Mansion]]. He was in the denomination known as "Tribe of Joseph", because he was born in February (each of the twelve sects being composed of members born in a different month). He signified this in his album liner notes, quoting the portion from ''[[Book of Genesis|Genesis]]'' that includes Jacob's blessing to his son Joseph. Marley was baptised by the Archbishop of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian Orthodox Church]] in Kingston, Jamaica, on 4 November 1980.{{cite web|url=http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/rasta/ethiopian_church.shtml|title=The Ethiopian Orthodox Church & Bob Marley's Baptism And The Church|publisher=Jamaicans.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rastafarispeaks.com/cgi-bin/forum/archive1/config.pl?noframes;read=47421|title=Bob Marley's Baptism in Ethiopian Orthodox Church|publisher=Rastafarispeaks.com}} == Wife and children == Bob Marley had a number of children: three with his wife Rita, two adopted from Rita's previous relationships, and several others with different women. The Bob Marley official website acknowledges eleven children. Those listed on the official site are: # [[Sharon Marley|Sharon]], born 23 November 1964, to Rita in previous relationship # [[Cedella Marley|Cedella]] born 23 August 1967, to Rita # [[Ziggy Marley|David "Ziggy"]], born 17 October 1968, to Rita # [[Stephen Marley (musician)|Stephen]], born 20 April 1972, to Rita # Robert "Robbie", born 16 May 1972, to Pat Williams # [[Rohan Marley|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 with whom Rita had an affair; nonetheless she was acknowledged as Bob's daughter # [[Julian Marley|Julian]], born 4 June 1975, to Lucy Pounder # [[Ky-Mani Marley|Ky-Mani]], born 26 February 1976, to Anita Belnavis # [[Damian Marley|Damian]], born 21 July 1978, to [[Cindy Breakspeare]] Makeda was born on 30 May 1981, to Yvette Crichton, after Marley's death.{{cite web|url=http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/dixon.html|title=Lovers and Children of the Natural Mystic: The Story of Bob Marley, Women and their Children|publisher=The Dread Library|accessdate=21 June 2007|first=Meredith|last=Dixon}} lists her as Marley's child, but she is not listed as such on the Bob Marley official website. Various websites, (for example{{cite web|title=Bob Marley's Children|work=Chelsea's Entertainment Reviews|url=http://chelseasreviews.wordpress.com/2006/12/07/bob-marleys-children/|accessdate 28 December 2009}}) also list Imani Carole, born 22 May 1963 to Cheryl Murray; but she does not appear on the official Bob Marley website. == Discography == {{Main|Bob Marley and The Wailers 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 1979–Jan 1980: '''[[Survival Tour]]''' (USA, Canada, Trinidad/Tobago, Bahamas, Gabon) * May–Sep 1980: '''[[Uprising Tour]]''' (Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, USA) == Awards and honours == [[File:Bob-Star.jpg|thumb|Marley's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]|alt=A five pointed pink star inlaid in the sidewalk with Bob Marley written on it.]] * 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 (Bob Marley & The Wailers album)|Exodus]]'' (''Time'') * February 2001: A star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] * February 2001: Awarded [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] * 2004: ''Rolling Stone'' ranked him #11 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time{{cite web|title=The Immortals: The First Fifty|work=Rolling Stone Issue 946|publisher=Jann Wenner|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty}} * "One Love" named song of the millennium by [[BBC]] * Voted as one of the greatest lyricists of all time by a BBC poll.{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1347071.stm|title=Who is the greatest lyricist of all time|publisher=BBC|date=23 May 2001}} * 2006: A [[blue plaque]] was unveiled at his first UK residence in Ridgmount Gsrdens, London, dedicated to him by [[Nubian Jak]] community trust and supported by Her Majesty's Foreign Office.{{cite web|title=London honours legendary reggae artist Bob Marley with heritage plaque|work=AfricaUnite.org|url=http://africa-unite.org/site/content/view/63/54}} * 2010 "Catch a Fire" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Reggae Album).{{cite web|title=Grammy Hall of Fame Awards Complete Listing|work=Grammy.com|url=http://www2.grammy.com/Recording_Academy/Awards/Hall_Of_Fame/#c}} == Film adaptation(s) == In February 2008, director [[Martin Scorsese]] announced his intention to produce a documentary movie on Marley. The film was set to be released on 6 February 2010, on what would have been Marley's 65th birthday.{{cite news|author=Winter Miller|url=http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=246581796&p=z4658z5xz|title=Scorsese to make Marley documentary|publisher=[[Ireland On-Line]]|date=17 February 2008|accessdate=6 March 2008}} Recently, however, Scorsese dropped out due to scheduling problems. He is being replaced by [[Jonathan Demme]].{{cite news|title=Martin Scorsese Drops Out of Bob Marley Documentary|url=http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=8737&count=25|publisher=WorstPreviews.com|date=22 May 2008|accessdate=26 May 2008}} In March 2008, [[The Weinstein Company]] announced its plans to produce a [[biopic]] of Bob Marley, based on the book ''No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley'' by [[Rita Marley]]. [[Rudy Langlais]] will produce the script by [[Lizzie Borden (filmmaker)|Lizzie Borden]] and Rita Marley will be executive producer.{{cite news|first=Winter|last=Miller|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981772.html?categoryid=13&cs=1|title=Weinstein Co. options ''Marley''|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=3 March 2008|accessdate=3 March 2008|publisher=[[Reed Business Information]]}} == Sound samples == * {{audio|Bob Marley & The Wailers - Simmer Down (1964).ogg|"Simmer Down"}} (1964) == See also == {{Multicol}} * [[Junior Marvin]] * [[Al Anderson (The Wailers)|Al Anderson]] * [[Aston Barrett|Aston "Family Man" Barrett]] * [[Bob Marley Museum]] {{Multicol-break}} * [[Honorific nicknames in popular music]] * [[List of reggae musicians]] * [[Rastafari movement]] * [[List of vegetarians]] {{Multicol-end}} == Notes and references == {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} == Further reading == * [[Christopher John Farley|Farley, Christopher]] (2007). ''Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley'', Amistad Press ISBN 0060539925 * [[Vivien Goldman|Goldman, Vivien]] (2006). ''The Book of Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Album of the Century'', Aurum Press ISBN 1845132106 * Henke, James (2006). ''Marley Legend: An Illustrated Life of Bob Marley'', Simon & Schuster Ltd ISBN 0743285514 * [[Rita Marley|Marley, Rita]]; Jones, Hettie (2004) ''No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley'' Hyperion Books ISBN 0786887559 * [[John Masouri|Masouri, John]] (2007) ''Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley's "Wailers"'' Wise Publications ISBN 1846096898 *{{Cite book|last=Moskowitz|first=David|title=The Words and Music of Bob Marley|url=http://books.google.com/?id=JJ4ub5h5E6sC&printsec=frontcover|year=2007|place=[[Westport, Connecticut]], United States|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=0275989356|ref=harv|postscript=}} * White, Timothy (2006). ''Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley'' Owl Books ISBN 0805080864 *{{Cite book|last=Middleton|first=J. Richard|title= Religion, culture, and tradition in the Caribbean: Identity and Subversion in Babylon: Strategies for "Resisting Against the System" in music of Bob Marley and the Wailers|year=2000|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=031223242X|ref=harv|postscript=}} == External links == {{Wikiquote}} {{commons|Bob Marley}} {{Wikinews|Vivien Goldman: An interview with Bob Marley's biographer}} * {{official|http://www.bobmarley.com/}} * [http://www.bobmarley-foundation.com/main.html The Bob Marley Foundation] * [http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/bob-marley Bob Marley] at ''Rolling Stone'' * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/1347071.stm Marley Elected one of the Greatest Songwriters] BBC News, 23 May 2001 * [http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/showcase-bob-marley-by-david-burnett/?hp Showcase: Bob Marley] by James Estrin, ''The New York Times'', 18 May 2009 * [http://www.bobmarleymagazine.com/archives/372 Interview with Heather Marley in BobMarley Magazine] * [http://kazo.wailers.free.fr Extensive discography] {{Bob Marley}} {{Pan-Africanism}} {{Good article}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2010}} {{Persondata |NAME= Marley, Bob |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Marley, Robert Nesta |SHORT DESCRIPTION= Singer, songwriter, guitarist |DATE OF BIRTH= 6 February, 1945 |PLACE OF BIRTH= Nine Miles, [[Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica|Saint Ann Parish]], Jamaica |DATE OF DEATH= 11 May 1981 |PLACE OF DEATH= [[Miami, Florida|Miami]], Florida, U.S. }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Marley, Bob}} [[Category:Anti-apartheid activists]] [[Category:Cannabis culture]] [[Category:Deaths from skin cancer]] [[Category:English-language singers]] [[Category:Ethiopian Orthodox Christians]] [[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]] [[Category:Jamaican male singers]] [[Category:Jamaican reggae singers]] [[Category:Jamaican Rastafarians]] [[Category:Jamaican songwriters]] [[Category:Jamaican vegetarians]] [[Category:Jamaican people of English descent]] [[Category:Pan-Africanism]] [[Category:Resonator guitarists]] [[Category:Performers of Rastafarian music]] [[Category:People from Wilmington, Delaware]] [[Category:Jamaican expatriates in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Jamaican expatriates in the United States]] [[Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees]] [[Category:Shooting survivors]] [[Category:Cancer deaths in Florida]] [[Category:People from Saint Ann Parish]] [[Category:1945 births]] [[Category:1981 deaths]] [[Category:Converts to the Rastafari movement]] {{link FA|be-x-old}} {{link FA|he}} [[af:Bob Marley]] [[als:Bob Marley]] [[am:ቦብ ማርሊ]] [[ar:بوب مارلي]] [[an:Bob Marley]] [[roa-rup:Bob Marley]] [[ast:Bob Marley]] [[bn:বব মার�লি]] [[be:Боб Марлі]] [[be-x-old:Боб Марлі]] [[bs:Bob Marley]] [[br:Bob Marley]] [[bg:Боб Марли]] [[ca:Bob Marley]] [[cs:Bob Marley]] [[cy:Bob Marley]] [[da:Bob Marley]] [[de:Bob Marley]] [[et:Bob Marley]] [[el:Μπομπ Μά�λεϊ]] [[es:Bob Marley]] [[eo:Bob Marley]] [[eu:Bob Marley]] [[fa:باب مارلی]] [[fr:Bob Marley]] [[ga:Bob Marley]] [[gl:Bob Marley]] [[ko:밥 �리]] [[hi:बॉब मार�ले]] [[hr:Bob Marley]] [[io:Bob Marley]] [[ig:Bob Marley]] [[id:Bob Marley]] [[it:Bob Marley]] [[he:בוב מ�רלי]] [[kn:ಬಾಬ� ಮಾರ�ಲಿ]] [[ka:ბ�ბ მ�რლი]] [[sw:Bob Marley]] [[ht:Bob Marley]] [[la:Robertus Marley]] [[lv:Bobs M�rlijs]] [[lt:Bob Marley]] [[hu:Bob Marley]] [[mk:Боб Марли]] [[nl:Bob Marley]] [[nds-nl:Bob Marley]] [[ja:ボブ・マーリー]] [[no:Bob Marley]] [[oc:Bob Marley]] [[pap:Bob Marley]] [[nds:Bob Marley]] [[pl:Bob Marley]] [[pt:Bob Marley]] [[ro:Bob Marley]] [[qu:Bob Marley]] [[ru:Марли, Боб]] [[sc:Bob Marley]] [[sco:Bob Marley]] [[sq:Bob Marley]] [[scn:Bob Marley]] [[simple:Bob Marley]] [[sk:Bob Marley]] [[sl:Bob Marley]] [[szl:Bob Marley]] [[sr:Боб Марли]] [[sh:Bob Marley]] [[fi:Bob Marley]] [[sv:Bob Marley]] [[tl:Bob Marley]] [[ta:பாப� மார�லி]] [[th:บ็อบ มาร์เลย์]] [[tr:Bob Marley]] [[uk:Боб Марлі]] [[vi:Bob Marley]] [[yo:Bob Marley]] [[zh:巴布·馬利]]" ["html"]=> string(25557) "{{Infobox musical artist| honorific-prefix = The Honourable
| Name = Bob Marley| Img = Bob-Marley.jpg| Img_alt = Black and white picture of a man with long dreadlocks playing the guitar on stage.| Img_capt = Bob Marley performing in concert, circa 1980.| Landscape = no| Background = solo_singer| Birth_name = Nesta Robert Marley| Born =
Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica| Died =
Miami, Florida, United States| Instrument = Vocals, guitar, percussion| Genre = Reggae, ska, rocksteady| Occupation = Singer-songwriter, musician| Years_active = 1962–81| Label = Studio One, Beverley's, Upsetter/Trojan, Island/Tuff Gong| Associated_acts = The Wailers, Wailers Band, The Upsetters, I Threes, Bob Marley & The Wailers| URL = www.bobmarley.com| Notable Instruments = Gibson Les Paul Special}}Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers (1964–1974) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974–1981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited with helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience.

Marley's best known hits include "I Shot the Sheriff", "No Woman, No Cry", "Could You Be Loved", "Stir It Up", "Jamming", "Redemption Song", "One Love" and, together with The Wailers, "Three Little Birds", as well as the posthumous releases "Buffalo Soldier" and "Iron Lion Zion". The compilation album Legend (1984), released three years after his death, is reggae's best-selling album, being 10 times Platinum (Diamond) in the U.S., and selling 20 million copies worldwide.

Early life and career

Bob Marley was born in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica as Nesta Robert Marley. A Jamaican passport official would later swap his first and middle names. His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a white Jamaican of English descent whose family came from Essex, England. Norval was a captain in the Royal Marines, as well as a plantation overseer, when he married Cedella Booker, an Afro-Jamaican then 18 years old. Norval provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on trips. In 1955, when Marley was 10 years old, his father died of a heart attack at age 60. Marley faced questions about his own racial identity throughout his life. He once reflected:

I don't have prejudice against meself. 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.

Although Marley recognised his mixed ancestry, throughout his life and because of his beliefs, he self-identified as a black African, following the ideas of Pan-African leaders such as Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie. A central theme in Bob Marley's message was the repatriation of black people to Zion, which in his view was Ethiopia, or more generally, Africa. In songs such as "Black Survivor", "Babylon System", and "Blackman Redemption", Marley sings about the struggles of blacks and Africans against oppression from the West or "Babylon".

Marley became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer), with whom he started to play music. He left school at the age of 14 to make music with Joe Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafari. At a jam session with Higgs and Livingston, 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, released on the Beverley's label under the pseudonym of Bobby Martell, attracted little attention. The songs were later re-released on the box set Songs of Freedom, a posthumous collection of Marley's work.

Musical career

The Wailers

thumb|220px|right|Marley in concert in 1980, Zurich SwitzerlandIn 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, 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", at which point they were discovered by record producer Coxsone Dodd, and finally to "The Wailers". By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh.

In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's residence in Wilmington, Delaware in the United States for a short time, during which he worked as a DuPont lab assistant and on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant, under the alias Donald Marley.

Though raised in the Catholic tradition, Marley became captivated by Rastafarian beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother's influence.Moskowtz, David Vlado (2007). The Words and Music of Bob Marley. Westport, Connecticut. p. 16. ISBN 0275989356, ISBN 9780275989354. Formally converted to Rastafarianism after returning to Jamaica, Marley began 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 Tosh and Bunny Wailer re-cut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and London in an attempt to commercialise The Wailers' sound. Bunny later asserted that these songs "should never be released on an album … they were just demos for record companies to listen to". Also in 1968, Bob and Rita visited the Bronx to see Johnny Nash's songwriter Jimmy Norman. A three-day jam session with Norman and others, including Norman's co-writer Al Pyfrom, resulted in a 24-minute tape of Marley performing several of his own and Norman-Pyfrom's compositions. This tape is, according to Reggae archivist Roger Steffens, rare in that it was influenced by pop rather than reggae, as part of an effort to break Marley into the American charts. According to an article in The New York Times, Marley experimented on the tape with different sounds, adopting a doo-wop style on "Stay With Me" and "the slow love song style of 1960's artists" on "Splish for My Splash". An artist yet to establish himself outside his native Jamaica, Marley lived in Ridgmount Gardens, Camden, London during 1972.

The Wailers' first album, Catch a Fire, was released worldwide in 1973, and sold well. It was followed later that year by Burnin', which included the songs "Get Up, Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff". Eric Clapton recorded a hit cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1974, raising Marley's international profile. The Wailers broke up in 1974 with each of the three main members pursuing solo careers. The reason for the breakup is shrouded in conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements amongst Bunny, Peter, and Bob concerning performances, while others claim that Bunny and Peter simply preferred solo work.

Bob Marley & The Wailers

thumb|300px|Bob Marley & The Wailers live at Palace Park during the Uprising Tour|alt=A crowd of people standing in water and listening to a band perform on stage.]

Despite the break-up, 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, provided backing 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 United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. In December 1976, two days before "Smile Jamaica", a free concert organised by the 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 minor wounds 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, two days after the attempt. When asked why, Marley responded, "The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?" The members of the group Zap Pow, which had no radical religious or political beliefs, played as Bob Marley's backup band before a festival crowd of 80,000 while members of The Wailers were still missing or in hiding.Walker, Jeff (1980) on the cover of Zap Pow's LP Reggae Rules. Los Angeles: Rhino Records.

Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976, and after a month-long "recovery and writing" sojourn at the site of Chris Blackwell's Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, arrived in England, where he spent two years in self-imposed exile. Whilst there 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 "One Love" (a rendition of Curtis Mayfield's hit, "People Get Ready"). During his time in London, he was arrested and received a conviction for possession of a small quantity of cannabis. In 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica and performed at another political concert, the One Love Peace Concert, again in an effort to calm warring parties. Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Michael Manley (leader of then-ruling People's National Party) and his political rival Edward Seaga (leader of the opposing Jamaica Labour Party), joined each other on stage and shook hands.

Under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers eleven albums were released, four live albums and seven studio albums. The releases included Babylon by Bus, a double live album with 13 tracks, was released in 1978 to critical acclaim. This album, and specifically the final track "Jamming" with the audience in a frenzy, captured the intensity of Marley's live performances. 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. His appearance at the Amandla Festival in Boston in July 1979 showed his strong opposition to South African apartheid, which he already had shown in his song "War" in 1976. In early 1980, he was invited to perform at the 17 April celebration of Zimbabwe's Independence Day. Uprising (1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his most religious productions; it included "Redemption Song" and "Forever Loving Jah". 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.

Later years

Illness

In July 1977, Marley was found to have acral lentiginous melanoma, a form of malignant melanoma. Despite his illness, he wished to continue touring and was in the process of scheduling a world tour in 1980. The intention was for Inner Circle to be his opening act on the tour but after their lead singer Jacob Miller died in Jamaica in March 1980 after returning from a scouting mission in South America this was no longer mentioned. The album Uprising was released in May 1980 and the band completed a major tour of Europe, where they played their biggest concert, to a hundred thousand people in Milan. After the tour Marley went to America, where he performed two shows at Madison Square Garden as part of the Uprising Tour. Shortly afterwards, his health deteriorated and he became very ill; the cancer had spread throughout his body. The rest of the tour was canceled and Marley sought treatment at the Bavarian clinic of Josef Issels, where he received a controversial type of cancer therapy partly based on avoidance of certain foods, drinks, and other substances. After fighting the cancer without success for eight months, he boarded a plane for his home in Jamaica.

Death and Legacy

While flying home from Germany to Jamaica, accepting that he was going to die, Marley's vital functions worsened. After landing in Miami, he was taken to hospital for immediate medical attention. He died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) on the morning of 11 May 1981, at the age of 36. The spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain caused his death. His final words to his son Ziggy were "Money can't buy life".Marley received a state funeral in Jamaica on 21 May 1981, which combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari tradition. He was buried in a chapel near his birthplace with his red Gibson Les Paul (some accounts say it was a Fender Stratocaster ). A month before his death, he had also been awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit. Several months after his death, Jamaica issued a series of postage stamps honouring Bob Marley. Images of stamps at Stamp Search.com

In 1994, Marley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1999 Time magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers' Exodus as the greatest album of the 20th century. In 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a feature-length documentary about his life, Rebel Music, won various awards at the Grammys. With contributions from Rita, The Wailers, and Marley's lovers and children, it also tells much of the story in his own words. A statue was inaugurated, next to the national stadium on Arthur Wint Drive in Kingston to commemorate him. In 2006, the State of New York renamed a portion of Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to East 98th Street in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn "Bob Marley Boulevard".

Religion

Bob Marley was a member of the Rastafari movement, whose culture was a key element in the development of reggae. Bob Marley became a leading proponent of the Rastafari, taking their music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene. As observant Rastafari practice Ital, a diet that shuns meat, Marley was a vegetarian. According to his biographers, he affiliated with the Twelve Tribes Mansion. He was in the denomination known as "Tribe of Joseph", because he was born in February (each of the twelve sects being composed of members born in a different month). He signified this in his album liner notes, quoting the portion from Genesis that includes Jacob's blessing to his son Joseph. Marley was baptised by the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Kingston, Jamaica, on 4 November 1980.

Wife and children

Bob Marley had a number of children: three with his wife Rita, two adopted from Rita's previous relationships, and several others with different women. The Bob Marley official website acknowledges eleven children.

Those listed on the official site are:

1. Sharon, born 23 November 1964, to Rita in previous relationship
2. Cedella born 23 August 1967, to Rita
3. David "Ziggy", born 17 October 1968, to Rita
4. Stephen, born 20 April 1972, to Rita
5. Robert "Robbie", born 16 May 1972, to Pat Williams
6. Rohan, born 19 May 1972, to Janet Hunt
7. Karen, born 1973 to Janet Bowen
8. Stephanie, born 17 August 1974; according to Cedella Booker she was the daughter of Rita and a man called Ital with whom Rita had an affair; nonetheless she was acknowledged as Bob's daughter
9. Julian, born 4 June 1975, to Lucy Pounder
10. Ky-Mani, born 26 February 1976, to Anita Belnavis
11. Damian, born 21 July 1978, to Cindy Breakspeare

Makeda was born on 30 May 1981, to Yvette Crichton, after Marley's death. 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.

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 1979–Jan 1980: Survival Tour (USA, Canada, Trinidad/Tobago, Bahamas, Gabon)
• May–Sep 1980: Uprising Tour (Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, USA)

Awards and honours

thumb|Marley's star on the Walk of Fame|alt=A five pointed pink star inlaid in the sidewalk with Bob Marley written on it.]

• 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)
• February 2001: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• February 2001: Awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2004: Rolling Stone ranked him #11 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
• "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 Gsrdens, London, dedicated to him by Nubian Jak community trust and supported by Her Majesty's Foreign Office.
• 2010 "Catch a Fire" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Reggae Album).

Film adaptation(s)

In February 2008, director Martin Scorsese announced his intention to produce a documentary movie on Marley. The film was set to be released on 6 February 2010, on what would have been Marley's 65th birthday. Recently, however, Scorsese dropped out due to scheduling problems. He is being replaced by Jonathan Demme.

In March 2008, The Weinstein Company announced its plans to produce a biopic of Bob Marley, based on the book No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley by Rita Marley. Rudy Langlais will produce the script by Lizzie Borden and Rita Marley will be executive producer.

Sound samples

• (1964)

See also

• Junior Marvin
• Al Anderson
• Aston "Family Man" Barrett
• Bob Marley Museum

• Honorific nicknames in popular music
• List of reggae musicians
• Rastafari movement
• List of vegetarians

Notes and references

Further reading

• Farley, Christopher (2007). Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley, Amistad Press ISBN 0060539925
• Goldman, Vivien (2006). The Book of Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Album of the Century, Aurum Press ISBN 1845132106
• Henke, James (2006). Marley Legend: An Illustrated Life of Bob Marley, Simon & Schuster Ltd ISBN 0743285514
• Marley, Rita; Jones, Hettie (2004) No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley Hyperion Books ISBN 0786887559
• Masouri, John (2007) Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley's "Wailers" Wise Publications ISBN 1846096898
• White, Timothy (2006). Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley Owl Books ISBN 0805080864

External links

• The Bob Marley Foundation
• Bob Marley at Rolling Stone
• Marley Elected one of the Greatest Songwriters BBC News, 23 May 2001
• Showcase: Bob Marley by James Estrin, The New York Times, 18 May 2009
• Interview with Heather Marley in BobMarley Magazine
• Extensive discography

{{Persondata|NAME= Marley, Bob|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Marley, Robert Nesta|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Singer, songwriter, guitarist|DATE OF BIRTH= 6 February, 1945|PLACE OF BIRTH= Nine Miles, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica|DATE OF DEATH= 11 May 1981|PLACE OF DEATH= Miami, Florida, U.S.}}Anti-apartheid activistsCannabis cultureDeaths from skin cancerEnglish-language singersEthiopian Orthodox ChristiansGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award winnersJamaican male singersJamaican reggae singersJamaican RastafariansJamaican songwritersJamaican vegetariansJamaican people of English descentPan-AfricanismResonator guitaristsPerformers of Rastafarian musicPeople from Wilmington, DelawareJamaican expatriates in the United KingdomJamaican expatriates in the United StatesRock and Roll Hall of Fame inducteesShooting survivorsCancer deaths in FloridaPeople from Saint Ann Parish1945 births1981 deathsConverts to the Rastafari movement

Bob MarleyBob Marleyቦብ ማርሊبوب مارليBob MarleyBob MarleyBob Marleyবব মার�লিБоб МарліБоб МарліBob MarleyBob MarleyБоб МарлиBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyΜπομπ Μά�λεϊBob MarleyBob MarleyBob Marleyباب مارلیBob MarleyBob MarleyBob Marley밥 �리बॉब मार�लेBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob Marleyבוב מ�רליಬಾಬ� ಮಾರ�ಲಿბ�ბ მ�რლიBob MarleyBob MarleyRobertus MarleyBobs M�rlijsBob MarleyBob MarleyБоб МарлиBob MarleyBob Marleyボブ・マーリーBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyМарли, БобBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyБоб МарлиBob MarleyBob MarleyBob MarleyBob Marleyபாப� மார�லிบ็อบ มาร์เลย์Bob MarleyБоб МарліBob MarleyBob Marley巴布·馬利" } }