Bob Marley Lives On

   

Image source: www.thenewsnigeria.com.ng

  Yesterday marked the 39th year since the passing of legendary Robert Nesta Marley popularly known as “Bob Marley”. The Jamaican singer, musician and songwriter was considered as one of the pioneers of reggae music. He was born on the 6th of February 1945 to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cadella Booker (who was also a Jamaican singer and writer) when she was 18 years. Born in the rural community of Nine Mile, nestled in the mountainous terrain of saint Ann parish, British Jamaica.

     Barely into his teen he left St. Ann and moved to Jamaica’s capital and eventually settled in the western Kingston vicinity of Trench town. Because of the nature of the Trench town community, Bob Marley quickly learned to defend himself against Trench town’s bad boys, in this struggle he earned the respectful nickname “Tuff Gong”. Despite the poverty and despair that surrounded the Trench town community, the town was also culturally rich, and was the genesis of Bob’s abundant musical talent.

• Image Souce: www.bobmarley.com

     In 1963, Bob Marley and his childhood friend Neville Livingston also known as Bunny Wailer, under the tutor of Joe Boggs a successful singer, started the musical group knows as “The Wailers”. With their single hit titled “summer Down” with Bob cautioning the ghetto youth to control their tempers or “the Battle would be hotter” reportedly sold over 80,000 copies.

     In 1969 there was a great change in the popular Jamaican music which slowed the beat further. The new beat was a slow steady tickling rhythm that was first heard on The Maytals song “Do the reggae”. With this new development, Bob Marley approached a major sound producer of raggae sound, Leslie Kong and that set him on the highway to success in raggae music. After one year of the disbandment of “The Wailers” a year earlier after they received international recognition, Marley still used the bands name to release  a solo material. With the release of the Albums Natty Dread and Rastaman Vibration he began to gin success in Raggae music. After surging an assassination attempt, the Jamaican singer permanently moved to London, where he recorded the album Exodus. In 1977, Bob Marley was diagnosed with acral lengtiginious melanoma (a serious skin cancer) and died as a result of the the illness in 1981. His greatest hit album legend was released in 1984 became the best selling raggae album of all time.

     Subject to poverty and racism which also shaped his life and music career, he used his music as a voice to speak against the challenges of his day which included poverty, oppression, violence, racism and injustice. His music has also taught basic principles which include social justice, human rights, peace, love and unity to the World at large. This can be seen in so many of his song one of which include “Get Up Stand Up” written as a protest song for the Jamaican people to fight against racism. Bob Marley was the person most responsible for the globalization of raggae music. He changed the course of jamiacan music and brought raggae to the World stage.