A Jamaican singer, songwriter, guitarist and activist, who is the most widely known performer of reggae music. A faithful Rastafarian, Marley is regarded by many as a prophet of the religion.
Marley was born to a white Jamaican father and black mother. His father provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on trips. Marley was ten years old when his father died of a heart attack in 1955.
Marley and his mother moved to Kingston's Trenchtown slum after his father's death. He was forced to learn self-defence, as he became the target of bullying because of his mixed race and small stature. He gained a reputation for his physical strength, which earned him the nickname 'Tuff Gong'. Marley became friends with Neville 'Bunny' Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer), with whom he started to play music.
He 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 Joe Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafarian who is regarded by many as Marley's mentor. It was at a jam session with Higgs and Livingston that Marley met Winston McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh), who had similar musical ambitions.
In 1963, Marley, Livingston, McIntosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith formed a ska and rocksteady group, calling themselves the Teenagers. They later changed their name to the Wailing Rudeboys, then to the Wailing Wailers and finally to the Wailers.
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 was produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One and the Wailers were established as one of the hottest groups in the country.
In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson and moved near his mother's residence in Delaware for a few months. Upon returning to Jamaica, Marley became a member of the Rastafarian movement and started to wear his trademark dreadlocks.
After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee 'Scratch' Perry and his studio band, the Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider the Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute over recording rights, but they would remain friends and work together again.
The Wailers' first album, Catch A Fire, was released worldwide in 1973, and sold well. It was followed a year later by Burnin'.
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 not clear; some believe that there were disagreements over performances, while others claim that Livingston and McIntosh simply preferred solo work. McIntosh began recording under the name Peter Tosh, and Livingston continued as Bunny Wailer.
Despite the breakup, Marley continued recording as Bob Marley & the Wailers. His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston 'Family Man' Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl 'Wya' Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin 'Seeco' Patterson on percussion. The I-Threes, consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths and Rita Marley, provided backing vocals.
1974's Natty Dread album brought Marley international recognition.
In December 1976, two days before a free concert organised by the Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley 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 Manley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded and an injured Marley performed as scheduled.
Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976 for England, where he recorded his Exodus and Kaya albums. It was here that he was arrested and received a conviction for possession of a small quantity of cannabis while travelling in London.
In 1978, Marley performed at another political concert in Jamaica, the One Love Peace Concert, again in an effort to calm warring parties. Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Manley and his political rival, Edward Seaga, joined each other on stage and shook hands.
Uprising (1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his most religious productions, including Redemption Song.
In July 1977, Marley was found to have malignant melanoma in a football wound on his right big toe. Marley refused amputation, citing worries that the operation would affect his dancing, as well as the Rastafari belief that the body must be 'whole'. The cancer then metastasised to Marley's brain, lungs, liver, and stomach. After playing two shows at Madison Square Garden as part of the fall 1980 Uprising Tour, he collapsed while jogging in Central Park. The remainder of the tour was subsequently cancelled. Bob Marley played his final concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 23rd September 1980. Marley afterwards sought medical help, but his cancer had already progressed to the terminal stage. While flying home from Germany to Jamaica for his final days, Marley became ill and landed in Miami for immediate medical attention, but died there on the morning of 11th May 1981 at the age of 36.