| Revision as of 01:58, 17 November 2006 view sourceBostonMA (talk | contribs)7,570 editsm Reverted edits by 66.122.242.32 (talk) to version 88215552 by Skyraider using VP← Previous edit | Revision as of 14:20, 18 November 2006 view source 84.65.24.145 (talk) ←Blanked the pageNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{for|the comedian|Bob Marley (comedian)}} | |||
| {{Infobox musical artist | |||
| |Name = Bob Marley | |||
| |Img = Bob-Marley-in-Concert Zurich 05-30-80.jpg | |||
| |Img_capt = Bob Marley in concert, ], 1980. | |||
| |Background = khaki | |||
| |Birth_name = Robert Nesta Marley | |||
| |Alias = Tuff Gong | |||
| |Born = ], ]<br />{{flagicon|Jamaica}} Nine Miles, ], ] | |||
| |Died = ], ]<br />{{flagicon|USA}} ], ], ] | |||
| |Instrument = ]<br />] | |||
| |Genre = ]<br />]<br />] | |||
| |Occupation = Singer, songwriter, guitarist | |||
| |Years_active = ]-] | |||
| |Label = ]<br />]<br />]/]<br />]/] | |||
| |Associated_acts = ], ] | |||
| |URL = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Robert Nesta Marley''', ] (], ] – ], ]), better known as '''Bob Marley''', was a ] ], ], and ]. He is the most widely known performer of ] music, and is famous for having popularized the genre outside Jamaica. A faithful ], Marley is regarded by many as a ] of the religion,<ref name=prophet>Smith, W. Alan, ''</ref> as well as one of the greatest songwriters of all time.<ref name=greatest>, ''BBC'', May 23, 2001</ref> | |||
| His best known songs are a mixture of reggae, ], and ], and include "]", made famous in 1974 by ], which raised Marley's international profile, "No Woman No Cry", "Exodus", "Could You Be Loved", "Jamming","Redemption Song" and one of his most famous songs, "One Love".<ref name=EB>"Bob Marley," ''Encyclopaedia Britannica'', 2006.</ref> His posthumous album '']'' (1984) became the best-selling reggae album ever, with sales of more than 12 million copies.<ref name=EB/> | |||
| ==Early life and career== | |||
| Bob Marley was born on Tuesday in the small village of Nine Miles in ], ]. His father, ], was a white Jamaican born in ] to ] parents from ]. Norval was a ] and captain, as well as a ] overseer, when he married ], an eighteen-year-old black Jamaican. Norval provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on trips. Bob was ten years old when Norval died of a heart attack in 1955 at age 60. | |||
| Being of mixed race, Bob Marley faced questions about his own racial identity throughout his life. He reflected: | |||
| {{cquote|I don't have prejudice against myself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white.|10px}} | |||
| Marley and his mother moved to ]'s ] slum after Norval's death. Marley was forced to learn ], as he became the target of ] because of his racial makeup and stature (he was 5'4" (163 cm) tall). He gained a reputation for his physical strength and constitution, which earned him the nickname "Tuff Gong". | |||
| Young Marley became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later ]), with whom Marley started to play music. Marley left school at the age of 14 and started as an apprentice at a local welder's shop. In his free time, he and Livingston made music with ], a local singer and devout ]an whom many critics regard as Marley's mentor. It was at one of the ]s with Higgs and Livingston that Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as ]), who had similar musical ambitions. | |||
| In 1962, Marley recorded his first two singles, "]" and "]", with local music producer ]. These songs attracted little attention, and were later re-released on Marley's '']'' album. | |||
| ==The Wailers== | |||
| ], Bob Marley, ].]] | |||
| In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Livingston, ], ], ], and ] formed a ] and ] group, calling themselves "The Teenagers". They later changed their name to "The Wailing Rudeboys", then to "The Wailing Wailers", and finally to "]". By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh. | |||
| Marley took on the role of leader, singer, and main songwriter. Much of The Wailers' early work, including their first single '']'', was produced by ] at ]. The single topped Jamaican Charts in 1964 and established The Wailers as one of the hottest groups in the country. They followed up with songs such as "Soul Rebel" and "400 Years". | |||
| In 1966, Marley married ], and moved near his mother's residence in ] for a few months. Upon returning to Jamaica, Marley began practicing Rastafari and started to wear his trademark ] (''see the '']'' for more on Marley's religious views''). | |||
| After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with ] and his studio band, ]. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider The Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, but they would remain friends and work together again. | |||
| Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter McIntosh, and Bunny Livingston recut some old tracks with ] in Kingston and ] in an attempt to commercialize The Wailers' sound. Livingston later asserted that these songs "should never be released on an album... they were just demos for record companies to listen to". | |||
| ] | |||
| The Wailers' first album, '']'', was released worldwide in 1973, and sold well. It was followed a year later by '']'', which included "]" and "]". ] made a hit cover of the latter in 1974. | |||
| The Wailers broke up in 1974, with each of the three main members going on to pursue solo careers. The reason for the breakup is shrouded in conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements amongst Livingston, McIntosh, and Marley concerning performances, while others claim that Livingston and McIntosh simply preferred solo work. McIntosh began recording under the name ], and Livingston continued on as Bunny Wailer. | |||
| ==Bob Marley & The Wailers== | |||
| Despite the breakup, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His new ] included brothers ] and ] on drums and bass respectively, ] and ] on lead guitar, ] and ] on keyboards, and ] on percussion. The "]", consisting of ], ], and Marley's wife, Rita, performed backup vocals. | |||
| In 1975, Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, "]" from the '']'' album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the ], '']'' (1976), which spent four weeks in the ] Top Ten. | |||
| In December 1976, two days before "]", a free concert organized by ] ] in an attempt to ease tension between two warring political groups, Marley, his wife, and manager Don Taylor were wounded in an assault by unknown gunmen inside Marley's home. Taylor and Marley's wife sustained serious injuries, but later made full recoveries. Bob Marley received only minor injuries in the chest and arm. The shooting was thought to have been politically motivated, as many felt the concert was really a support rally for Marley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled. | |||
| Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976 for ], where he recorded his '']'' and '']'' albums. ''Exodus'' stayed on the British album charts for 56 consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: "Exodus", "Waiting In Vain", "Jamming", and also "One Love", a rendition of ]'s hit, "]". It was here that he was arrested and received a conviction for possession of a small quantity of ] while travelling in London. | |||
| In 1978, Marley performed at another political concert in Jamaica, the ], again in an effort to calm warring parties. Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Manley and his political rival, ], joined each other on stage and shook hands. | |||
| The words he said, as he called the two politicians onstage, and while he held their hands above his head: | |||
| {{cquote|His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, run lightning, leading the people of the slaves to shake hands. . . To show the people that you love them right, to show the people that you gonna unite, show the people that you're over bright, show the people that everything is all right. Watch, watch, watch, what you're doing, because . . I'm not so good at talking but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. I'm trying to say, could we have, could we have, up here onstage here the presence of Mr. Michael Manley and Mr. Edward Seaga. I just want to shake hands and show the people that we're gonna unite . . . we're gonna unite . . . we've got to unite . . . The moon is high over my head, and I give my love instead. The moon is high over my head, and I give my love instead.|10px}} | |||
| He said this while improvising on the song "Jamming". | |||
| '']'', a defiant and politically charged album, was released in 1979. Tracks such as "Zimbabwe", "]", "Wake Up and Live", and "Survival" reflected Marley's support for the struggles of ]ns. In early ], he was invited to perform at the ] celebration of ]'s Independence Day. | |||
| '']'' (1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his most religious productions, including "]" and "Forever Loving Jah". It was in "Redemption Song" that Marley sang the famous lyric, | |||
| {{cquote|Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery<br>None but ourselves can free our minds...|10px}} | |||
| '']'', released posthumously in 1983, contained unreleased material recorded during Marley's lifetime, including the hit "]" and new mixes of singles previously only available in Jamaica! | |||
| ==Religion== | |||
| Bob Marley was a member of the ], whose culture was a key element in the development of reggae. Bob Marley became the leading proponent of the Rastafari, taking their music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene. | |||
| Now considered a "rasta" legend, Marley's adoption of the characteristic Rastafarian dreadlocks and famous use of ] as a ] in the late sixties were an integral part of his persona. He is said to have entered every performance proclaiming the divinity of ]. | |||
| Many of Marley's songs contained Biblical references, sometimes using wordplay to fuse activism and religion, as in "Revolution" and "Revelation": | |||
| {{cquote|Revelation, reveals the truth...|10px}} | |||
| {{cquote|It takes a revolution to make a solution...|10px}} | |||
| A few months before his death, Marley was baptised into the ] and took the name ''Berhane Selassie'' (meaning ''the Light of the Holy Trinity'' in ]). | |||
| ==Battle with cancer== | |||
| ===Diagnosis=== | |||
| In July ], Marley was found to have ] in a ] wound on his right ] (big toe). Marley refused amputation, citing worries that the operation would affect his dancing, as well as the Rastafarian belief that the body must be "whole" | |||
| {{cquote|Rasta no abide amputation. I don't allow a man to be dismantled.|10px|10px|From the biography ''Catch a Fire''}} | |||
| Marley may have seen ] as ''samfai'', ] who cheat the gullible by pretending to have the power of witchcraft {{fact}}. True to this belief Marley went against all surgical possibilities and sought out other means that would not break his religious beliefs. | |||
| ===Collapse and treatment=== | |||
| The ] spread to Marley's ], ]s, ], and ] following his refusal of treatment. After playing two shows at ] as part of his fall 1980 ], he collapsed while jogging in ] ]. The remainder of the tour was subsequently cancelled. | |||
| Bob Marley played his final concert at the ] in ] on ], ]. The live version of "]" on '']'' was recorded at this show.<ref>http://www.bobmarley.com/songs/songs.cgi?redemption</ref> Marley afterwards sought medical help from ] specialist ], but his cancer had already progressed to the terminal stage. | |||
| ==Death== | |||
| While flying home from ] to Jamaica for his final days, Marley became ill, and landed in Miami for immediate medical attention. He died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in ] on the morning of ], ] at the age of 36. His final words to his son ] were "Money can't buy life".<ref name="timeline">{{cite web | |||
| | last = Steffens | |||
| | first = Roger | |||
| | title = Bob Marley Chronology 1945-1981 | |||
| | url = http://www.reggae.com/artists/bob_marley/chronology.htm | |||
| | accessdate = 2006-10-26 }}</ref> | |||
| Marley received a ] in Jamaica, which combined elements of ] Orthodoxy and Rastafari. He was buried in a crypt near his birthplace with his ], a soccer ball, a marijuana bud, and a ]. A month before his death, he was awarded the ]. | |||
| == Children == | |||
| Bob Marley had 13 children: three with his wife ], two adopted from Rita's previous relationships, and the remaining eight with separate women.<ref>http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/dixon.html</ref><ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/dancehall/marley_famtree1.shtm</ref> His children are, in order of birth: | |||
| # Imani Carole, born May 22, 1963 to Cheryl Murray | |||
| # Sharon, born ], ] to ] in a separate marriage; | |||
| # Cedella, born ], ] to ]; | |||
| # ], born ], ] to ]; | |||
| # ], born ], ] to ]; | |||
| # Robert "Robbie", born ], ] to Pat Williams; | |||
| # ], born ], ] to Janet Hunt; | |||
| # Karen, born ] to Janet Bowen; | |||
| # Stephanie, born ] {{fact}} to ] in a separate marriage; | |||
| # ], born ], ] to Lucy Pounder; | |||
| #], born ], ] to Anita Belnavis; | |||
| # ], born ], ] to ]; | |||
| # Makeda, born ], ] to Yvette Crichton. | |||
| == Posthumous reputation == | |||
| Bob Marley's music has continuously grown in popularity in the years since his death, providing a stream of revenue for his estate and affording him a mythical status in ] music history. He remains enormously popular and well-known all over the world, particularly so in Africa. Marley was inducted into the ] in ]. '']'' magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers' '']'' as the greatest album of the 20th century. | |||
| In 2001, the same year that Marley won the ] Lifetime Achievement Award, a feature-length documentary about his life by ], Rebel Music, was nominated for the Best Long Form Music Video documentary at the Grammies. It won various other awards. With contributions from Rita, the Wailers, and Marley's lovers and children, it tells much of the story too in his own words. | |||
| In February ], a Brooklyn community board voted to rename a portion of Church Avenue, which runs through several heavily populated Caribbean-American neighbourhoods, after Bob Marley, pending approval of the New York City Council.<ref>http://1010wins.com/topstories/local_story_051101000.html</ref> | |||
| <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ]]] --> | |||
| In January ], it was reported that Rita Marley was planning to have her late husband's remains exhumed and reburied in ], ].<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4168883.stm</ref> This announcement was met with great resistance in Jamaica, with critics arguing that his life was a testament to the unique ]. Marley's 60th birthday celebration on February 6, 2005 was celebrated in Shashamane, having previously always been held in Jamaica. Later that year, Rita Marley denied having made such plans.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4172495.stm</ref> | |||
| ==Discography== | |||
| ''For a detailed listing of albums by Bob Marley & the Wailers, see ].'' | |||
| ==Tours== | |||
| * Apr-Jul ]: ''']''' (England, USA) | |||
| * Oct-Nov ]: ''']''' (USA, England) | |||
| * Jun-Jul ]: ''']''' (USA, Canada, England) | |||
| * Apr-Jul ]: ''']''' (USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, France, England, Wales) | |||
| * May-Jun ]: ''']''' (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, England) | |||
| * May-Aug ]: ''']''' (USA, Canada, England, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium) | |||
| * Apr-May ]: ''']''' (Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii) | |||
| * Oct-Dec ]: ''']''' (USA, Canada, Trinidad/Tobago, Bahamas) | |||
| *Apr ]: Zimbabwe | |||
| * May-Sep ]: ''']''' (Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, USA) | |||
| ==Awards and honors== | |||
| ] | |||
| * 1976: Band of the Year (]) | |||
| * June 1978: Awarded the ] from the ] | |||
| * February 1981: Awarded Jamaica's third highest honor, the ] | |||
| * March 1994: Inducted into the ] | |||
| * 1999: Album of the Century for '']'' (]) | |||
| * February 2001: A star on the ] | |||
| * February 2001: Awarded ] | |||
| * 2005: Posthumous Achievement Award | |||
| * "One Love" named song of the millennium by The ] | |||
| ==Sound samples== | |||
| *] (] format) | |||
| *] (] format) | |||
| *] (] format) | |||
| *{{audio|Bob Marley & The Wailers - Simmer Down (1964).ogg|"Simmer Down" (1964)}} | |||
| *{{audio|Bob Marley & The Wailers - Soul Rebel (1970).ogg|"Soul Rebel" (1970)}} | |||
| *{{audio|The Wailers - Get Up, Stand Up (1973).ogg|"Get Up, Stand Up" (1973)}} | |||
| *{{audio|Redemption Song.ogg|"Redemption Song" (1980)}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| <references/> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| *ISBN 1-4000-5286-6 ], ''The Book of Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Album of the Century'' | |||
| *ISBN 0-06-053991-7 ], ''Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley'', Amistad/Harpercollins | |||
| *ISBN 0-8118-5036-6 ], ''Marley Legend: An Illustrated Life of Bob Marley'', Chronicle Books | |||
| *ISBN 0-7868-6867-8 ], Hettie Jones, ''No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley'' | |||
| *ISBN 0-8050-6009-X ], ''Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley'' | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commons|Bob Marley}} | |||
| {{wikiquote}} | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * at the ] | |||
| * – News related to Marley and The Wailers | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * addressed to the ], which was made into Marley's famous song "War". | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * Bob Marley & The Wailers 1962-1972 | |||
| * | |||
| * at Rollingstone | |||
| * Some Wailers Vinyls releases | |||
| <br /> | |||
| {{Reggae}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| {{Link FA|be}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||