Bob Marley: The King of Reggae!

Bob Marley is, without any doubt, the best exponent of the best reggae of all times.  Bob Marley, whose real name is Robert Nesta Marley, was born in Saint Ann, Jamaica on February 6, 1945.  Bob Marley, besides being the father of one of today’s best reggae examples, was a Rastafarian, activist, songwriter, singer and guitarist.  He was so good, that he got to be a more popular artist in the international level.  In addition, a great amount of his songs deal with the endless fight of people living in poverty and act as the voice of the oppressed ones.  Bob Marley left school when he was fourteen years old.  Thus, when he moved to Kingston’s Trenchtown, he started playing music with Bunny Wailer (Neville Livingston).

When the Wailers got demised, Bob Marley started recording with the band including Aston and Carlton Barrett, Junior Marvin, Al Anderson, Earl “Way” Lindo and Tyrone Downie.  Thus, in 1975, Bob Marley got to have his album Rastaman Vibration in the top of the Billboard Top Ten charts for 4 weeks.  This album came after his breakthrough, successful album called Natty Dread.  After he was tried to be murdered at his home, he went to England in 1976, the place where he recorded Exodus and Kaya albums.  Exodus, which was on the British charts for over 56 weeks, includes the hits “Waiting in Vane”, “Jamming”, “One Love” and, of course, “Exodus."

In 1977, Bob Marley had a wound in one of his feet that he believed to be an injury from playing football.  However, the real cause of it was skin cancer.  As time went on, the cancer was spread to his lungs, stomach and brain. Hence, on 11 May, 1981, he died at the Cedars of Lenanon Hopital, Miami, Florida.  Nevertheless, he will always be loved worldwide.  Among the prizes, awards and honors he received, we can find Rolling Stone’s Band of the Year in 1976, the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1981, Time Magazine’s Album of the Year for Exodus in 1999, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in that same year.