Nesta Robert Marley, known by his stage name as Bob Marley, was a singer and songwriter from Jamaica. He is remembered for being the international ambassador for reggae music. Throughout his career, Marley sold millions of records in his career, a fete that made him the first international musician from a developing nation. Bob Marley was born in the year 1945 to Cedella Malcolm, a black woman, and Captain Norval Sinclair Marley, his white father, in their farm in Nine Mile, St. Ann’s Parish, in Jamaica (Moskowitz, 2007). Bob Marley is known to have assisted in introducing reggae music to the international scene, and still remains to be one of most listened to and loved reggae artists globally.
At the age of 6 years, Bob Marley left her mother’s farm to go and live with his father in Kingston, Jamaica. However, upon visiting him a year after, his mother found out that he was not living with his father but an elderly woman identified as Mrs. Grey (Moskowitz, 2007). He reunited with his mother and went to live with her in Kinston, during which he attended several schools and later dropped out in the year 1959. Marley’s interest in music grew after he dropped out of school, during which he was spending time with his friends while playing soccer. Producer Leslie Kong made his first recordings when he was aged 16 years (Moskowitz, 2007). He later made several recordings under the group, The Wailing Wailers. In according to Moskowitz (2007), in his book, “The Words and Music of Bob Marley,” the Wailing Wailers’ reputation was tough, but they approach music from a Rastafarian perspective.
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Bob Marley was not only the vocalist of the Wailers, but he also used several musical instruments to create his music. Of the different instruments he used in his music, Bob Marley played the guitar. His favorite guitar was the Les Paul series’ electric guitar from the Gibson guitar company, which he used to play while performing on stage as well as in the studio (Moskowitz, 2007). Bob Marley and the Wailers got their big break in the music industry after signing a contract with Island Records in the year 1972. The contract made it possible for him and the music group to record their initial album a factor that made it possible for them to be recognized internationally.
Even though it is widely known that Bob Marley was a Rastafarian, Moskowitz (2007) indicates that he also believed in Pan-Africanism. On the other hand, in spite of the international recognition of his music, he never won a Grammy. Bob Marley was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his brain, lungs, as well as stomach, after which he went to seek unconventional treatment in Germany (Moskowitz, 2007). He later died in the year 1981 at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami after the cancer had spread to different parts of his body. Even though he died at the age of 36, the musician had been given a considerable number of awards, including the “1978 Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations” (Moskowitz, 2007). However, in death, Bob Marley still receives significant praise because of his music and his activities that involved advocating for peace in different nations. These factors enabled him to receive attention from a significant number of organizations and individuals.
References
Moskowitz, D. (2007). The words and music of Bob Marley . Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
Moskowitz, D. V. (2007). Bob Marley: A biography . Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
