"He was a man who looked like a skinny lion, moved like a spider and lived like a ghost

Rasta/Reggae/Bob Marley

"He was a man who looked like a skinny lion, moved like a spider and lived like a ghost." Timothy White (Biographer)

THE BIRTH OF A STAR

On February 6, 1945 Trenchtown Jamaica, the Future of Reggae Music was looking bright. Robert Nesta Marley was born at 2:30 in the morning to Captain Norval Marley and a young Jamaican woman, Cedalla Booker. Soon after his birth Capitan Norval left him and his mother, however he still sent money and visited. Bob found a friend Neville Livingston, who was called by nickname Bunny. Together they explored their musical interests in a class led by the Legendary Joe Higgs. It was from this decision to pursue his musical dream that Bob Marley’s dream began.

STARTING OFF IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

As it happened Jamaican Ska music was becoming popular through the Caribbean. Bob entered the reggae business at an appropriate time, as did others. Jimmy Cliff at the age of 14 was recording and after meeting Bob introduced him to Leslie Kong, a local producer. At the age of 15 Bob Started recording, and his first releases were "Judge not", and "One more cup of Coffee", however they did not do very well. Regardless of his first failure Bob pushed on and teamed up with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer to form a group called the Wailing Wailers, and proceeded to make good music. Bob married his girlfriend Rita Anderson, and soon after went to the states to visit his mother. While Bob was in the US, Ska music had evolved to Rock Steady. Because of this evolution the Wailing Wailers were forced off their music label. The producer did not want Rock Steady music, only Ska. They did not give up, and they formed "The Wailers", and started their own label that they called Wail ‘N’ Soul. Under this label they produced the singles "Bend down low" and "Mellow Mood". They ran out of money so they looked to the aid of Lee Perry, who got them back on track. Lee is a producer, and his strongest influence is in the dub version of reggae music. Dub is when the music is only instrumental, and there are barely any words. When there are words they are mixed in to give the song a special effect, which is particular to dub. You can hear an example of this in Bobs’ song Sun Is Shining. It is interesting to listen to his earlier works and compare them to his older work. The beats are all originated from the same place, but the style is slightly altered.

EXPANSION OF THE WAILERS

In 1970 the Wailers grew with the addition of Aston "Family Man" Barret, and his brother Carleton. At his point the Wailers were known through the Caribbean, but still unknown internationally. The Wailers were introduced to Jonny Nash, and ended up touring London with him. However once in London they found themselves out of money, once again. They went to seek help from the Island Records producer Chris Blackwell, who signed them on the spot. Blackwell had already heard of the Wailers and gave them eight thousand pounds to get back to Jamaica and start recording. This was the first time that a reggae band would have access to high quality recording facilities. Under this label they released the album "Catch a Fire" which was well received from critics. More importantly, before the Wailers reggae was sold on signals, or compilation albums.

POPULARITY IN NORTH AMERICA

The spring of 1973 the Wailers went to London to do a three-month tour. At the end of the tour Bunny Wailer left the group and Joe Higgs took his place. The Wailers, along with Joe went to the US to tour with the leading Black group Sly and the Family Stone. They were meant to open for the band, but were fired after four shows. The audiences liked the Wailers more then they liked Sly and the Family Stones. However they found themselves stranded once more, this time in Las Vegas. They made it to San Francisco, where they did a radio broadcasting for KSAN-FM. This whole experience boosted their popularity, and gave them a name in North America.

ORIGINAL BAND MEMBERS LEAVE

They soon released their new album "Burnin" in 1973, and in 1975 they released their third album "Natty Dread". However things were not going well between band members, and Peter Tosh decided to go solo. Now two out of the three original wailers had left the group, and Bob was left. In both Bobs’ songs and Peters’ songs there are references to bad friends. They both state that your best friend is your worst enemy

INCORPARATING THE I-THREE’S

The wailers were stripped of their backup singers. This is when they decided to incorporate the I-Threes. The I-Threes included Rita Marley, Judy Mowatts, and Marcia Grittiths. Bob Marley and the Wailers now went on tour and recorded "Live". The band went through more changes, adding new members and releasing more albums. They were at the height of their career and they thought nothing could keep them down. Bob ended up injuring his tow playing soccer, and went in to the doctor to fix it. They discovered it was cancer, and the only way to control it was to remove the toe. Bob refused as it was against the Rastafarian religion. The band kept on going but Bob was getting weaker. His illness did not prevent him from recording and in 1978 they released "Kaya" which was more mellow then previous albums. Kaya is synonymous for Marijuana, which is the sacrificial herb of the Rastafarians.

HIGH HONOURS

In April of 1978 Bob went back to Jamaica to play the One Love Peace Concert where the Jamacian President Michael Manley and the leader of the Opposition Edward Segawere both in attendance. Bob got them both up on stage, and got them to shake hands, and because of this was awarded Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations. Bob got to visit Africa for the first time, and on the trip worked on the song "Zimbabwe". Their band released their second live album "Babylon by Bus" whish was recorded in Paris. Their record that followed it was "Survival" in 1978. Bob Marley and the Wailers was the most popular band and now had a chance to perform in Africa for the first time. The Zimbabwean government invited the whole band to play at the countries Independence Ceremony, and Bob said it was his greatest honor of his life.

BOB’S HEALTH IS FADING

The group continued recording and "Uprising" was released in 1980. Everything was looking good; the band had a plan to tour with Stevie Wonder for the winter. However Bob’s health was fading. The group played in New York, but after the concert Bob almost fainted from exhaustion. The next day he was running and collapsed in Central Park. He was rushed to the emergency room, where the doctors discovered a tumor in the brain. He went through massive treatment, and Bob went on touring. Bob Marley and the Wailers found themselves in Germany, and the treatment was not working. Bob celebrated his 36 birthday, but it became a reality that he was going to die. Bob wanted to die in his homeland, but did not make it all the way. He died in Miami California, on May 21. Bob now rests in a mausoleum at his birthplace. After his death he was awarded Jamaica’s Order of Merritt. Bob always sang from the heart and sang about it: "One bright morning when my work is over I will fly away home, fly away home."

REGGAE AND THE POWER OF EXPRESSION

Youth through out the world all encounter the same struggles while growing up. Such struggles revolve around this coming of age process and as a result of that people are put in unpleasant situations. The power of music to help communicate concepts and ideals to young people and people of all ages is undeniable. Music possesses the power to communicate when words just won’t do. This is very true for reggae music and the messages that are conveyed through it. The messages in reggae music encompass the full spectrum of emotion and human experience. The people of Africa and Jamaica and many other parts of the world were experiencing the same thing that young persons coming of age were, oppression. Just as many songs today speak of rebellion, so did reggae. Bob and his counterparts sang about change and what was wrong with the world, but not only that. They also sang about what was right about the world as well as just about anything that popped into their head. Some of his songs speak of slavery, others of war and still others of peace, happiness, and unity. Bob illustrated the image of the “Buffalo soldier”, the freedom fighter, and even the “rudeboy”. The rudeboy is a term that describes many of the young people that live in and throughout Jamaica especially in urban areas in Kingston. The rudeboy can simply be described as rude, macho, defiant, and even cool and aloof. They can be seen crowding a street corner or riding bikes with fellow “rudies”.

These would be equivalent to problem children or unruly teenagers. However there is more to it than that. The rudeboy is an actual phenomenon that is apart of Jamaican history. Stories of the rudies and their behavior can be found throughout the “rebel music” of the region. rudies roamed around and provided the women of the area with food, shelter, sexual favors, and offspring. Bob was a bit of a rudeboy himself and it was well known how much he liked the company of different women. His music speaks of this in such songs as “Miss Brown” where Bob sings about visiting a lady friend and in “Kinky Reggae” where similar topics are the subject. Bob’s music as well as reggae in general provided a medium of communication through which the people of jamaica could here the people’s music. Teens and those of all ages were inspired by his music to fight for their rights and strive for peace and unity. Not only did reggae encompass these ideals but it also possessed a great deal of religious messages as well. Reggae and Rastafari go hand in hand especially in Bob’s music. Bob was Rasta and practiced Rasta beliefs as well as basing many of his lyrics around the faith of Rastafari. His song “War” includes the words from a speech given by Haile Selassie, the messiah of Rastafarians. These words echo the ideals and principles of unity and peace for the entire world. So while reggae music does encompass the experience of youth and growing up, it also embodies something even more which is the greater human experience here on earth and beyond.