Obviously, Bob Marley needs absolutely no introduction. Everybody in the world has more than likely heard one of his songs, whether it be something from his life, such as ‘African Herb man’, or something that was remixed and re-released after he died, like ’Sun is Shining’. Whatever the song, all of Bob Marley’s songs remain classics across the world.
Robert Nesta Marley was born in 1945, on February the 6th, in St. Ann (Jamaica). Amazingly, Bob Marley recorded his first single, ’Judge Not’, at the age of sixteen. He recorded under the different name of Robert Marley. He recorded his second single shortly after under the name of Bobby Martell. Neither of these songs were particularly successful. He decided to enlist the support of a man named Joe Higgs, who had already trained the collective of singers that became known as ’the Wailers’, who eventually joined Bob Marley. He settled on the recording name Bob Marley only a short few years later, recording his first song with ’The Wailers’, ’Simmer Down’, which became a number one hit instantly.
Over the next few years, ‘The Wailers’ recorded over one hundred songs. They were the first ever Jamaican band to hold five slots in the top ten, at one time. After a good number of years going through different record labels, before eventually splitting up. The band now became known as ’Bob Marley and the Wailers’, with the addition of ’The I-Threes’, a trio of female backing vocalists.
Bob Marley shot to fame quickly, releasing hundreds of songs. He was a firm believer in the traditions of the Rastafarians, he was definitely not just a pot smoking rebel. It was, however, his religious practices, including heavy smoking, that eventually killed him at the very young age of 36, when he was diagnosed with Melanoma cancer.
Bob Marley’s legacy still lives on today. Members of his family still go on tour around the world paying tribute to his memory and success. Compilation albums are always being released, and virtually every reggae artist thanks Bob Marley for his influence in their album credits. Bob Marley really has influenced an entire genre.
