bob marley short biography

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Reading comprehension - short biography of bob marley.

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

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 would later resonate 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, which established his worldwide reputation and produced 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 which developed in Jamaica in the 1930s.This religion infused his music with a sense of spirituality. The Rastafari movement was a key element in the development of reggae. As an ardent proponent of Rastafari, Bob Marley took the reggae music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene.

Illness and death

In July 1977, Marley was found to have a type of malignant melanoma under the nail of a toe. Marley turned down his doctors' advice to have his toe amputated, citing his religious beliefs. Despite his illness, he continued touring until his health deteriorated as the cancer had spread throughout his body. He died on 11 May 1981 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) 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."

Source: Wikipedia

Comprehension:

• Bob Marley continued to work with The Wailers until his daeth. 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

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• 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.
• Was voted the third greatest lyricist of all time by BBC News Online users, following Bob Dylan and John Lennon (May 2001).
• 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.

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Biography of Bob Marley, Iconic Reggae Star

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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.
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• 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!”

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Bob marley (1945-1981).

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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.

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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).

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Short Biography of Bob Marley

Reading comprehension – short biography of bob marley.

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

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 would later resonate 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, which established his worldwide reputation and produced 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 which developed in Jamaica in the 1930s.This religion infused his music with a sense of spirituality. The Rastafari movement was a key element in the development of reggae. As an ardent proponent of Rastafari, Bob Marley took the reggae music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene.

Illness and death

In July 1977, Marley was found to have a type of malignant melanoma under the nail of a toe. Marley turned down his doctors” advice to have his toe amputated, citing his religious beliefs. Despite his illness, he continued touring until his health deteriorated as the cancer had spread throughout his body. He died on 11 May 1981 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) 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.”

Source: Wikipedia

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• Fact Sheet about Jamaica
• Points of interest

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• 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

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Bob Marley: A Short Biography Hardcover – March 20, 2024

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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.
• 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

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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CYLVNS9B
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (March 20, 2024)
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• 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
• #4,142 in Music History & Criticism (Books)
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Bob Marley Short Biography: 10 Lessons from the Bob Marley Documentary

If you'd like to learn more about Bob Marley, I've included a YouTube documentary video for you to watch, as well as one that you can buy or rent.

In a hurry? CLICK HERE to buy or rent bob Marley The Making of a Legend .

Below, you'll find the 10 key lessons I learned from watching, Bob Marley, the documentary.

[color-box color=”mycustomcolor”]All images in the post are clickable! And you can use the Table of Contents to go to different sections in the post.[/color-box]

Initial Thoughts – Bob Marley Short Biography: Documentary

On Saturday I saw the documentary, Bob Marley at the Bloor Street Cinema in Toronto. Last weekend was also Doors Open Toronto which added more energy to the city. I love Bob Marley’s music, and I learned quite a bit about him when I wrote his profile during Black History Month . However, I learned much more about him while watching the film, especially the reasons why he wrote specific songs. Artists often create their art as a social commentary of what’s going on around them, and Bob Marley was no different.

Although the film was almost two-and-one-half hours long, the time went by quickly. Here are 10 important lessons from Bob Marley that I observed:

UPDATE : First Published in May 2012

Bob Marley Short Biography: 10 Lessons from the Bob Marley

• Keep your ego in check . Bob Marley was asked to open for the Commodores , and at the time he was very big and garnered large audiences worldwide. Some said the Commodores should be opening for Bob Marley and not the other way around. He said yes, why? He was not only humble, but he also wanted to reach a wider audience – blacks.
• We are the same . For a long time he was rejected by both people of African descent and Caucasians because of his mixed race. He was in no-man’s-land and was called a half-caste.
• Music is a universal language . He used his music to unite people.
• Have a way to get into the zone – your creative space. He played soccer to get into the creative zone so that he could write music.
• Spread your message so others can learn what you are about. With the internet this is a lot easier, but Bob had to travel the globe to spread his message.
• Learn to peacefully co-exist with others . When the various factions were warring in Jamaica, Bob Marley had a peace concert. During the event he asked the Prime Minister of Jamaica and Leader of the Opposition to come on stage, where he asked them to shake hands. That was a symbolic gesture.
• Give 100 percent : He always gave 110 percent to everything he did.
• Life is not just about you, help others to help themselves . He gave back to others. People lined up outside Bob’s home hoping to get assistance from him, and he gave the people the help they needed.
• Show the real you at all times – be authentic . Bob Marley was authentic all the time – what you see was what you get.

If you get the opportunity to see the documentary, Bob Marley , please do so, it’s worth it.

Avil’s Favourite Bob Marley Song – Three Little Birds

BOB MARLEY video interview & TRENCH TOWN GHETTO documentary

Direct link to Marley 2012 (Story Of Bob Marley) on YouTube

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Bob Marley Interview With Jay Strausser / WRUV FM Burlington, VT November 1980

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Screen Rant

Reinaldo marcus green shares how bob marley: one love honors the legendary musician's legacy.

Bob Marley: One Love director Reinaldo Marcus Green discusses Marley's legacy, the importance of his music, and casting Kingsley Ben-Adir as the lead.

• Experience Bob Marley's inspirational journey through Reinaldo Marcus Green's passionate storytelling in Bob Marley: One Love , now available on digital.
• Kingsley Ben-Adir embodies the spirit of Bob Marley, bringing his music to life on the big screen in an authentic and captivating way.
• Bob Marley's message of love, unity, and resistance is beautifully captured in the film, with his music serving as the backbone of the story.

Bob Marley has left an indelible mark on the world with his music, and the message he conveyed with it is celebrated in Bob Marley: One Love , which is now out on digital platforms. Although he faced many obstacles in his life Marley grew into a reggae icon who hoped to spread a message of peace and love. Although his story has a tragic ending, Marley manages to share this message with the world and manages his own fears to do just that.

The passion that Reinaldo Marcus Green put into the movie shines through in every aspect, beginning with the casting. Kingsley Ben-Adir brings heart and light to his performance, embodying the spirit of Marley. The music of Bob Marley is the key to Bob Marley: One Love influencing every element of the movie as the heart of the story.

Bob Marley: One Love’s True Story Explained

Screen Rant interviewed director Reinaldo Marcus Green about Bob Marley: One Love . He discussed bringing Bob Marley's legacy and message to the big screen. Green also explained the casting process he underwent to find Ben-Adir and the importance of Bob Marley's music throughout the movie.

"It Was An Honor To Even Come Close To Touching" Bob Marley's Message In One Love

Screen Rant: Reinaldo, when we spoke last in London, I said that this was the perfect movie for the world, especially during this time period, and that still rings true. There's so many themes that I feel like the world can use right now in this one film. But the first question I have for you is what inspired you to direct a film about Bob Marley, and what drew you personally to his story?

Reinaldo Marcus Green: Man, the music man, it is incredible. Bob's message, remarkable. It was an honor to even come close to touching it. Yeah, it's scary, it's daunting, but they were going to make the movie, so I felt like I could do it some justice if I cast the right guy and help to bring the movie to help tell something authentic and try to anyway. And yeah, we were lucky to find Kingsley, who's incredible in the film. What he was able to do with Lashana and the rest of the cast was nothing short of remarkable. And yeah, just to have the gift of Bob's music forever, it's a forever movie. You think about that, it's like I made something that will last forever, and not because of me, but because of Bob's music. It's amazing. It's like you're going to have something that will forever stand the test at the time. And it was a gift. It was a gift.

Now you had mentioned Kingsley, and he disappears into this role and he really brings the essence of Bob to life. And I mean, he learned his patois quite remarkably. I mean, it's to the point where it sounds just like Bob Marley. Now casting the role of Bob Marley must've been a pivotal decision. What qualities were you looking for and how did you know you found the right Bob Marley in Kingsley?

Reinaldo Marcus Green: Number one is finding a great actor, but obviously we had to take it one step further and find someone that had the attributes that Bob had, some of them. He had to have a certain level of look to come close. He couldn't be a complete mismatch. Kingsley is of Caribbean descent. He's mixed race. He's good-looking. And with dreads and some mild prosthetics, we were able to accent Kingsley's look to create a version of Bob. So he had enough. Now, had he been completely dark skin, same actor, not possible. Bob was mixed race. It was important to have certain elements, and his race was important to this role. It was important that Bob had a white absentee father because that's true. And so we had to have certain levels that added to the authenticity of Bob's story and Bob's journey, and a great actor could help us get there. Rami Malek was amazing in Bohemian Rhapsody. He's nowhere near the race of Freddie Mercury, so it doesn't matter. A great actor will be able to do a lot. He also can't sing a lick. I heard, I heard he's not good. And he's amazing. He won an Oscar being a terrible singer because he's a great actor. And so just knowing that we knew that I had Bob's music, all I need is somebody to be a great actor to act the singing performances and the singing performances are actually not that many in our movie. The rest of the movie's acting. And so I needed presence. I needed somebody with that charm, that fight, that revolutionary spirit and Kingsley had it. And yeah, we could offset the look. We were never going to be exact or, but it was. But in the movement and the thing, you're like, whoa. I thought that's what they did so brilliantly in Elvis. I think Austin Butler is a better looking dude than, they just went north. They were like, you know what? We'll get close. Let's just find someone that's better looking. It was great. It was amazing. And it's like, look, Kingsley is a pretty good-looking dude. Nobody's going to be like, you know what? They found something. He's handsome. Look at Kingsley. You're like, man, he looks great. And he's a phenomenal actor. So you forgive a lot. You forgive a lot. It's the movie magic. You forgive because he has enough of the accent, not the actual accent. He has enough of the accents to create a character that's in the essence of Bob Marley so that you feel like he can disappear. And that's part of the magic trick is making him disappear, making it feel real. He does a remarkable job. And yeah, we couldn't be more proud of him.

Bob Marley's "Music Is The Backbone Of The Movie"

I couldn't agree with you more. Now, Bob Marley was not just a musician, but a symbol of peace, love, and resistance. How did you capture those? Can you talk about capturing those themes with Kingsley Ben-Adir's portrayal of the icon?

Reinaldo Marcus Green: Well, fortunately for us, we had Bob's music, and that's the script. Everything else was architecture. His music is the backbone of the movie, what he's singing about is the story. It's the journey that we're on. It's the journey he was on. And so we had this get out of jail free card. It's like, you got Bob's music, man. It's amazing. And so I think it was dissecting those lyrics. I know for myself, as a fan of Bob, I was a fan like, I don't know like, everybody else. I didn't really know the music. I knew the music, but I didn't know anything about the music. I just kind of knew the melodies and can sing along a little bit but I didn't know what the dude was singing for. This part of the process of the discovery of this movie was trying to understand what he was singing for, where he was singing from. And it was the same for Kingsley. It was trying to understand what this movie was about. What were we trying to say? What was the thesis of the film? And it's different for everybody. For us, we had to have our own journey. For me, it was Redemption Song. How do we end the movie there? What is he trying to redeem himself for? What's the journey that Bob is on? Oh, he's running from his absentee father. He's running from the sins of his past. That's an architecture for the film. That's a way for me to depict these visions and tie it to the music so that we can connect emotionally to these scenes. And then being able to talk to the actors about that and that journey. So the way Kingsley and I worked is like that through story, through storytelling, through cinematic storytelling. Yeah, look, I'm not LeBron. I can't drop 70. That's his job. But it's my job to call the plays. It's my job to make sure that the towels are there when he gets off and he's sweating. It's my job to wipe, that he doesn't slip. It's my job to make sure that he has somebody to pass to. It's my job to make sure that when he gets tired, someone takes and puts him down and someone else goes in so that we can get him for the fourth quarter. A lot of what I do is trying to be invisible, stay out of the way. But it's a fine line between being invisible and being very visible. And whether it's Bill Belichick or Pat Riley or whatever the analogy is, it's when you're a coach, you're creating a culture for your cast and your crew to succeed. And it's culture. It's a winning culture. And again, in film language, what does that mean to win? I don't know, win or lose. Win or losing is making something that you could feel proud of. And I think we can all look back and say, man, we put our best foot forward. We could be proud of this film. Win, lose or draw, we left it all on the field. We all bled during the making of this movie. It was tough, but we could be proud of that. And thankfully for us, the movie's performed, it's over-performed and that's been a blessing, but that's like icing on the cake because it was really something that we could be proud of before the movie was ever released.

Absolutely and congratulations on all that success. Now, this isn't just Bob Marley's movie, but it's also Bob and Rita's love story. Rita Marley was Bob's guiding light. Can you talk about what Lashana Lynch brought to the role of Rita Marley?

Reinaldo Marcus Green: Oh man. She brought a backbone. She brought a depth unlike any other. She's a fantastic actress, really a force to be reckoned with. And I had seen, she was a little bit more recognizable. She had been in some bigger movies and had a slightly high profile at the time. And so I knew of her work and I knew what she was capable of. I was surprised that she wanted to do our movie because originally in the original versions of the script, it wasn't a huge part. And it was great to know that you're like, wait, you're going to get, I got two LeBrons? We better flush this out. We better figure this one out. And it was the best thing that could have happened to us because it forced us to put more Rita in the movie where she deserved to be. Her story deserved to be told. And quite frankly, it wasn't told early. We didn't have it in the script. It wasn't reflected. And I'm very lucky that I came off of King Richard where the same thing happened. Aunjanue Ellis's character was not there, and we saw what Aunjanue was able to do, and she elevated that film. She elevated every scene that Will was in, and she brought Will his Oscar in a lot of ways, and I think similarly here now, I don't know about awards or any of that stuff, but the elevation of having two actors go toe to toe, and be that connected is incredible. And when you find somebody like Lashana who's like, I'm going to get it, Kingsley's coming, the level is now, it's high level chess match, and it's beautiful. It's beautiful to kind of see that.

About Bob Marley: One Love

Bob Marley: One Love celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob's powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music.

Check out our other Bob Marley: One Love interviews here:

• Kingsley Ben-Adir
• Lashana Lynch
• Reinaldo Marcus Green
• James Norton

Bob Marley: One Love is available on digital now and will be out on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 28.

Bob Marley: One Love

Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, Bob Marley: One Love is a biographical music-drama that explores the life of Bob Marley, as portrayed by Kingsley Ben-Adir. The film highlights the ups and downs of Marley's life and career until his untimely death in 1981.

Ziggy Marley

Singer and songwriter Ziggy Marley is the oldest son of the reggae giant Bob Marley and a Grammy Award-winning musician in his own right.

1968-present

Quick Facts

The melody makers, solo music career, wife and children, who is ziggy marley.

As the son of reggae legend Bob Marley , Ziggy Marley made a name for himself as one of the genre’s leading artists. Ziggy and his siblings formed the Melody Makers in 1981 after their father’s death. Their 1988 album, Conscious Party , won a Grammy and helped the group break through to mainstream audiences. Marley began a solo career in 2006 and went on to record several more Grammy Award–winning albums, including his self-titled 2016 studio effort.

FULL NAME: David Nesta Marley BORN: October 17, 1968 BIRTHPLACE: Kingston, Jamaica SPOUSE: Orly Agai (2004-present) CHILDREN: Bambaata, Justice, Zuri, Judah, Gideon, Abraham, and Isaiah PARENTS: Bob Marley and Rita Marley ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Libra

Ziggy Marley was born as David Nesta Marley on October 17, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica. The oldest son of reggae great Bob Marley and wife Rita Marley, Ziggy spent some of his early years growing up in Trench Town, one of Kingston’s poorest neighborhoods, as his father tried to make a success of his band, the Wailers (later Bob Marley and the Wailers). Rita, also a talented singer, joined the group in the mid-1970s.

Also in his youth, Ziggy spent some time in Wilmington, Delaware, where his younger brother Stephen was born in 1972. He already had an older sister, Cedella, and an older half-sister, Sharon, from his mother’s previous relationship. By 1978, Ziggy had seven more half-siblings, all products of his parents’ extramarital affairs: Stephanie, born to his mother, as well as Robert, Rohan, Karen, Julian, Ky-Mani, and Damian, on his father’s side.

In 1979, Ziggy, Cedella, Stephen, and Sharon recorded their first song together, “Children Playing in the Streets.” Written by their father, the single addressed the horrible poverty that many children in Jamaica were living in. Royalties from the song were donated to the United Nations Children’s Fund.

After his father’s death in 1981, Ziggy performed with Stephen at Bob’s funeral. They went on to form the Melody Makers with Sharon and Cedella. While all four members provided the vocals, Ziggy also played guitar, an instrument his father had taught him. Stephen played the guitar as well and the drums. Performing as the Melody Makers, they released their next single, “What a Plot,” later in 1981.

In 1985, the Melody Makers released their first album, Play the Game Right, which failed to garner much success. Their next effort, Hey World! (1986), met a similar fate, though it did receive many positive reviews.

Breakthrough Album

Changing names, the group became Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers and released Conscious Party (1988) with Virgin Records. The album helped the group break through to mainstream audiences. Produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads, it incorporated elements of reggae, pop, and rock.

Handling much of the writing, Ziggy managed to imbue the songs with an upbeat, positive quality while remaining topical and thought-provoking. The track “Tomorrow People” became popular with many listeners, and the album did well on both the pop and R&B/hip-hop charts in the United States. In early 1989, the group brought home the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

Later Years

With their next record, One Bright Day (1989), Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers had another critical success on their hands and earned a second consecutive Grammy for Best Reggae Album. However, sales didn’t match those of their previous studio effort.

The group made several more albums together in the 1990s, including the Grammy Award–winning Fallen Is Babylon (1997), before disbanding.

Since Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers broke up, Ziggy has continued the family’s involvement in the music scene, making a name for himself as one of the genre’s leading artists in the process.

Marley released his first solo album, Dragonfly , in 2003. He had a number of guests on the recording, including Flea and John Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the entire album had a strong rock and hip-hop flair to it. The songs explored social, political, and personal topics.

His next effort, Love Is My Religion (2006), won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. Marley continued to deliver critically acclaimed music, both as a solo artist and alongside family members and other celebrated performers like Donna Summer . His self-titled 2016 album took home the Grammy for Best Reggae Album, giving him a record seven Grammy wins in that category.

In addition to his music, Marley established the U.R.G.E. (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightment) organization to help children in poverty.

Marley’s wife is Orly Agai. The couple married in December 2004 and share four children: Judah, Gideon, Abraham, and Isaiah. Marley is also father to three kids—Daniel, who goes by “Bambaata;” Justice; and Zuri—from previous relationships.

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Tragic Details About Bob Marley

T he mere mention of reggae music evokes the name of one man: Bob Marley, the Jamaican-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist who became the leading figure in the musical genre, ultimately popularizing reggae throughout the world. His hits continue to resonate, with such songs as "One Love," "No Woman No Cry," "Jamming," and numerous others still spreading his message of love and unity.

Marley was a force to be reckoned with; a legendary rock star who sold over 75 million records, he was also a political activist and visionary who achieved success beyond his wildest dreams, and was on the cusp of even greater accomplishments. Sadly, he died in 1981, at the far-too-young age of just 36, leaving behind a legacy that has only grown larger over the years. That's evident in "Africa Unite," a posthumous 2023 album in which some of his greatest hits were reimagined by top Afrobeat artists, along with the stage musical "Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical," which made its debut in London's West End in 2021. Meanwhile, his short and influential life came to the screen in early 2024 with the release of "Bob Marley: One Love," a Hollywood biopic in which Marley was portrayed by actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, one of  the cast members of the "Barbie" movie.

During his brief time on Earth, this singular artist experienced both unparalleled triumph and devastating tribulations. To learn more, keep reading to explore some tragic details about Bob Marley.

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Bob Marley Barely Knew His Father

Bob Marley was born Nesta Robert Marley in 1945 in Nine Mile, a small town situated high in the mountains in Jamaica's St. Ann Parish. His mother, Jamaican native Cedella Booker, was just 18 when she married Marley's father, Norval Sinclair Marley. The elder Marley was not Jamaican, originally hailing from England, and was also significantly older than his wife — aged 60 when they wed. The match wasn't a good one, and Marley's parents separated soon after he was born. 

The elder Marley was apparently not cut out for fatherhood; rarely around and displaying little interest in his son, he was absent for much of Bob Marley's childhood. Esther Anderson, who was once Marley's girlfriend, confirmed that Marley's father was, for all intents and purposes, a non-presence in his childhood. "The guy didn't exist," she told BBC News , claiming she only ever saw him in a single photograph. "There was a photograph of him on a horse, a white man on a horse," she said of Marley's father. According to Anderson, Marley rarely spoke about his father; when he did, it was with scorn.

"He provided little financial support and seldom saw her and their son," said Christopher Marley, a member of the white side of Bob Marley's family, in an interview for the book, " So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley ." He added, "Norval was seriously unstable, to put it mildly." Norval Marley died in 1955, when his son was just 10.

He Grew Up The Slums Of Trench Town

It's not hyperbole to state that Bob Marley is a celebrity who grew up poorer than you thought . In Nine Mile, he and his mother shared a tiny ramshackle dwelling made from scrap wood and corrugated metal. As Bunny Wailer, his bandmate in The Wailers, explained for "So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley," Marley's childhood was a struggle for survival. "His most serious endeavor was just to eat and drink," he said. "There were many nights of cold ground for his bed and rock stone for his pillow. Countless nights."

When Marley was 12, he and his mother moved to Trench Town, the notorious slum within Jamaica's capital city of Kingston. Growing up in those rough streets, Marley was given the nickname Tuff Gong. The moniker, which Marley would later use as the name of his recording studio, was inspired by the Rastafarian religion that he would ultimately embrace. The name was reportedly bestowed on Marley by those who recognized something special about him, indicative of a person who was destined for a unique journey in life. 

The rural poverty of Nine Mile was very different from the urban form he encountered in the densely populated slum that housed the poorest citizens of Kingston. Marley himself summed up his experience in the song "Trench Town," in which he sang, "They said, 'Can anything good come out of Trench Town?'"

His Biracial Heritage Led To Bullying

The product of a white father and a Black mother, Bob Marley may be one celeb you didn't know was biracial . He grew up feeling unaccepted by either race; he was considered white by his Black peers, and white people considered him to be Black. At school, he was taunted by classmates, who derided him as yellow or "the German boy."

When he reached adolescence, Marley made an effort to reach out to his father's side of the family, in the hopes that he'd find some sort of acceptance from them. He was denied that opportunity when his outreach to his white relatives was firmly rebuffed.

That sense of being an island unto himself, not feeling truly a part of either culture, shaped Marley. Not only did it infuse him with the resilience and self-reliance upon which he'd built his successful career as an entertainer, but it also influenced his inclusive philosophy on race. "I don't have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was Black. Them call me half-caste or whatever," Marley once said in an interview, as documented in "Marley Legend: An Illustrated Life of Bob Marley." "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."

He And His Wife Were Shot In An Assassination Attempt

By 1976, Bob Marley had exploded onto the international music scene, with Eric Clapton's hit cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" pushing both him and reggae music into the mainstream. In December, Marley was back home in Kingston preparing to headline the Smile Jamaica concert — Marley's attempt at establishing national unity in a starkly divided Jamaica during a time of deep political turmoil as battling factions turned the streets into a war zone. Both political parties had approached Marley about giving them his support — he declined both, instead preferring to be a neutral outsider.

This took a near-fatal turn on December 3, when a vehicle came to a stop outside the home that Marley shared with wife Rita and their children. Several armed gunmen poured out and stormed the property, on a mission to assassinate Marley. They entered Marley's home, guns blazing. A bullet grazed his chest, and another lodged in his arm. His wife Rita was shot in the head, but survived.

The would-be assassins were never apprehended, but various theories emerged over the years. One theory posited that the CIA was responsible, in an alleged attempt to destabilize the country after Jamaican leader Michael Manley visited Cuba to meet with communist dictator Fidel Castro. In an undated interview posted to  YouTube by Rastafari Coalition, Marley was asked whether the men who shot him were ever brought to justice. "No," he said cryptically, "not by a court or police."

He Was Forced To Flee His Beloved Jamaica For Exile In London

Despite being wounded in that failed assassination attempt, Bob Marley soldiered on and performed at the politically charged Smile Jamaica concert. The next day, Marley fled to London, where he'd spend the next three years in a self-imposed form of exile due to his belief that his life was in danger if he remained in Jamaica. 

He lived in several parts of the city, initially in Chelsea, but also in Bloomsbury, and then Notting Hill. While Marley no doubt missed the tropical warmth of his homeland while living in damp and rainy London, that period was also an intensely creative one for him. His band, The Wailers, joined him in London, where they recorded their blockbuster "Exodus" album.

London was also where several of Marley's illegitimate children were conceived ( Marley had way more kids than you might have realized,  reportedly acknowledging 11 kids by seven different women). One of these resulted from his affair with Cindy Breakspeare, the Jamaican pageant queen crowned Miss World in 1976. Another alleged affair was with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who reportedly vanished for a week with Marley while on an assignment for Harper's Bazaar (Wintour, however, has denied the claim).

He Was Arrested For Marijuana Possession

Bob Marley's association with marijuana has been well documented. Marley didn't consider weed to be a drug, but a holy sacrament within the Rastafarian religion, and was reported to smoke a pound of it each week. "When you smoke herb, herb reveal yourself to you," Marley once said. "All the wickedness you do, the herb reveal itself to yourself, your conscience, show up yourself clear, because herb make you meditate. Is only a natural 'ting and it grow like a tree."

While in London, Marley's prodigious consumption of "herb" did not jibe with the British authorities' stance on marijuana. That was apparent in March 1977, when Marley and The Wailers' bass player, Aston "Family Man" Barrett, were arrested and charged with possession of what was reportedly a small amount of marijuana; Marley was convicted, but managed to avoid jail time by paying a fine.

Interestingly, evidence has subsequently emerged that Marley lied about where he was living when he was arrested, giving cops a fake address so they wouldn't search the place where he was actually staying — which no doubt contained significantly more ganja than he was carrying on his person. London authorities didn't appear to hold a grudge about Marley's weed bust when the home where he lived (which he didn't reveal to police) received one of the city's iconic blue heritage plaques in 2019 to commemorate the fact that Marley slept — and smoked — there.

Even In Adulthood, His Identity Weighed Heavy On His Mind

The sense of isolation that Bob Marley felt as a biracial child wasn't something that he overcame, but a factor that continued to shape him throughout his life, even in his adult years.

Or at least that's the contention of filmmaker Kevin MacDonald, director of the 2012 biographical documentary "Marley." As MacDonald told The Guardian , Marley didn't like to discuss the fact that his father was white, and hadn't fully reconciled that half of his heritage with the image of himself that he'd built up — and which millions of fans worldwide had embraced. "I was doing some press with [Marley's son] Ziggy Marley the other day, and he said of his father, 'I think Bob always regretted that he wasn't Black,'" MacDonald said. "I wouldn't put it in those bald terms, but I think that was a key to his psychology and to the music. He was always the outsider, and he found a way in his life and music to redeem that fact."

According to MacDonald, being shunned by his father proved to be something of a double-edged sword; while it devastated Marley emotionally, it also lit a fire that fueled him on his journey to superstardom. "He, in fact, proved to the white family, 'I can succeed; you're going to be forgotten, but I'm going to do something,'" MacDonald told Jam Bands . "I think that his father's rejection was part of the reason he was so ambitious."

He Was Diagnosed With A Rare Form Of Cancer

In 1977, Bob Marley noticed a dark spot under his toenail. He initially believed it was an injury he sustained while playing soccer in Paris with a group of journalists, when the steel spike on a soccer cleat punctured his toe. Marley ignored it. However, the spot didn't go away, and over time became a lesion. When Marley eventually visited a doctor, the physician immediately ordered a biopsy. The results led Marley to be diagnosed with acral melanoma, a rare and highly aggressive form of skin cancer.

This particular type of cancer — unlike most forms of melanoma — isn't caused by the sun's ultraviolet radiation, but is actually believed to be the result of genetic factors. Acral melanoma typically begins to form on hairless skin, under a fingernail of toenail (which was the case with Marley), but can also form on the soles of feet or the palms of one's hands. While acral melanoma is rare on an overall basis, it's actually the most common type of melanoma to occur in people of color. Because of the speed at which acral melanoma spreads, it must be treated quickly and aggressively. 

He Ignored Medical Advice That Could Have Saved His Life

When Bob Marley received his diagnosis of acral melanoma, the doctor recommended that Marley's entire toe be amputated in order to prevent the cancer from spreading. Marley, however, balked at that, and refused amputation. One key reason for that had to do with his religious beliefs, as Rastafarianism considers removing any part of the body to be sinful. In addition, Marley felt that the removal of his toe would cause him to lose his balance, hampering his ability to dance onstage while performing, which could potentially damage his career.

Marley stubbornly refused to accept the doctor's recommendation, and insisted that another route be taken. Instead, he underwent excisional surgery, with the bed of the toe's nail surgically removed, along with the cancerous tissue and additional tissue surrounding the area. He then received a skin graft from his thigh to replace the tissue that had been removed.  

In Marley's mind, his health scare had been dealt with. While doctors told him he needed to receive regular checkups to monitor the situation to see if the cancer continued to spread, Marley ignored that advice. Instead, he continued to live his life in London, writing songs, recording and performing, and going on as he always had. Marley looked to the future, not realizing that bigger medical issues for him to deal with  were laying ahead.

A Collapse While Jogging Revealed Devastating Medical News

In the months following his cancer diagnosis and the surgical procedure to address it, Bob Marley embarked on a U.S. tour. He was in New York City when he decided to go for a jog in Central Park. While running, Marley collapsed as a sharp pain hit his neck. After his friend helped him back to the hotel in which they were staying, Marley rested and eventually recovered a few hours later. 

The next day, Marley was examined by a neurologist, who had devastating news to share: The cancer in his toe had rapidly spread throughout his body; the neurologist told Marley that he now had a brain tumor. He was given just two weeks to live. "They came in and said, 'Bob, you're in a lot of trouble and you need help immediately,'" Wailers guitarist Al Anderson — who was with Marley when he received the terminal diagnosis — told Relix . "It was like time started moving in the other direction." Danny Sims, who was Marley's manager during that time, told The New Yorker that a doctor from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center offered a bleak diagnosis, telling him that Marley had "more cancer in him than I've seen with a live human being."

Marley went on to Pittsburgh, where he delivered a fiery, and now-historic three-hour show, the longest performance he'd ever given. It would also be his final concert ever. 

His Health Deteriorated While Seeking Alternative Treatment For His Cancer

After receiving the sad news that his cancer was now terminal and untreatable by traditional western medicine, Bob Marley went to Germany to seek a cure via alternative medicine. He received treatment at a clinic situated in the Bavarian Alps, run by controversial physician Dr. Josef Issels, who had developed a treatment protocol for cancer that focused on using the body's immune system to attack cancer cells, utilizing ultraviolet blood irradiation. 

Initially, there was cause for optimism. "In the first months of treatment Bob Marley improved considerably and was again able to play football for fun. This helped, of course, to be optimistic and he also saw other seriously ill patients getting better," wrote Issels' widow Ilse Marie Issels, as reported by Luxury London . 

Marley spent eight months at the clinic, and his condition seemingly stabilized. That, however, proved to be temporary, and Marley's condition began deteriorating. Realizing the end was near, Marley embarked on one final journey to return to Jamaica, planning to draw his final breath in the land of his birth.

Bob Marley's Touching Last Words To His Son

Bob Marley never reached Jamaica. While flying to Kingston, Marley became deathly sick while on the flight. The plane instead landed in Miami, where Marley was rushed to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. He died shortly after, at the age of 36. 

While Marley was still alive, his wife Rita flew all of the singer's children — some of them hers, some he'd had with other women — and brought them all to Miami so they could say goodbye. While laying on his deathbed, Marley imparted some words of wisdom to his firstborn, Ziggy Marley. "[He said] 'On your way up, take me up. On your way down, don't let me down,'" Marley's son told People . Elaborating on his father's final words, Ziggy explained, "A father-son relationship is very deep, and it's a spiritual thing also. We share a certain spiritual foundation — my father, myself, my brothers and my sisters. So that word means exactly what I'm supposed to be doing, I'm doing. It just means that I don't have to think about it, really, because I was doing it anyway."

Meanwhile, Ziggy Marley also shot down a rumor claiming that the final words his father uttered were, "Money can't buy life." Marley insisted there was no veracity to that at all. "That's not true," he declared.

Bob Marley's Death Resulted In Lawsuits And Family Infighting

When Bob Marley died in 1981 he left behind numerous children and a musical legacy that endures to this day. What he did not leave, however, was a will. As a result, it was left to his various offspring and family members to sort it all out, which ultimately resulted in a chaotic mishmash of infighting and legal challenges. Marley left behind a fortune of $11.5 million (these days Marley's estate is estimated to bring in more than $25 million per year, making him one of those celebs who made a fortune after dying ).

As the Washington Post pointed out, the real benefactors of all the legal wrangling over Marley's estate were the lawyers, who had reportedly received upwards of $4 million in fees while trying to sort out the mess. 

Then again, one of Marley's closest friends felt that not making a will may have been deliberate, a way of testing the character of those he left behind. In the 2012 documentary "Marley," Neville Garrick — who designed several of Marley's album covers — said that the fight over Marley's estate forced "everybody [to] reveal who they really were, you get me? Who really did love him, who fighting over the money." 

A Conspiracy Theory About Bob Marley's Death Refuses To Wane

The renewed interest in the life and music of Bob Marley that was generated by the 2024 biopic also caused a long-debunked conspiracy theory about his death to resurface. According to that account, Marley's death was actually an assassination, the result of a covert CIA agent gifting Marley a pair of shoes that had been booby-trapped with a nail that had been (depending upon which version of the conspiracy theory one goes with) made radioactive or coated in carcinogenic bacteria. The reason behind this alleged assassination: Marley's political influence was growing and appeared unstoppable, which the CIA deemed could be detrimental to American interests in the Caribbean. 

The dodgy nature of this theory is evident from its source, allegedly coming from the deathbed confession of a CIA agent named Bill Oxley.

That theory continues to find its adherents; rappers Busta Rhymes and T.I. both believe that Marley was murdered by the CIA. However, that claim — which came from a single, unverified story on an obscure website — simply isn't true. USA Today went digging, and could find no record of a Bill Oxley who'd worked for the CIA, while myth-busting websites  Snopes and 4News could also find no proof that Oxley existed, let alone confessed to the Marley's murder.

Read the original article on Nicki Swift .