The biography of Bob Nesta Marley, the king of reggae

The biography of Bob Nesta Marley, the king of reggae

Bob Nesta Marley, a Jamaican singer, guitarist, and songwriter, a pioneer of reggae music. Considered one of the greatest artists of the genre, he was the first reggae performer to achieve significant international popularity.

Robert Nesta Marley was born in Rhoden Hall, Saint Ann Parish, in Jamaica. Marley was learning the welding trade in Kingston when he formed his first band, the Rudeboys, in 1961. The group later became known as the Wailers. The band also included musicians Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh, both of whom later embarked on successful solo careers.

The early recordings by the Wailers were in a style called ska, a hybrid of American rhythm and blues and Jamaican mento (a genre that combines African-related folk music traditions with calypso). By the mid-1960s, rock steady, a mellower version of ska that placed more emphasis on vocals, became the most popular form of Jamaican music. Rock steady and traditional mento rhythms then combined to form reggae. By the late 1960s Marley and the Wailers had emerged as one of the leading reggae groups in Jamaica.

In 1967 Marley converted from Christianity to Rastafarianism (a religion that has had a profound influence on reggae music). The Rastafarian movement of this period, among other beliefs, recognized Haile Selassie I, king of Ethiopia, as the living God; praised the spiritual effects of marijuana; and endorsed black racial superiority. Influenced by the Rastafarian movement, Marley's music contains elements of spiritualism and mysticism. Some songs call for personal freedom through revolution, while others embrace carefree attitudes toward life or convey stories of love.

Marley and the Wailers recorded songs on minor record labels throughout the 1960s. The band did not enjoy widespread commercial success until they signed with England’s Island Records in the early 1970s. The group then released a series of internationally successful albums, including Catch A Fire (1972), Burnin' (1973), Natty Dread (1975), and Live (1975).

During his lifetime Marley's music came to be closely associated with the movement toward black political independence, an issue prominent in several African and South American countries at the time. His music has remained highly popular in the decades after his death, and for many it has continued to symbolize the hopes of the downtrodden for a better life outside urban slums. The clarity, conviction, and sincerity of Marley's performances, and his unique, melodic style of song writing, have influenced many pop-music artists, including Stevie Wonder and Eric Clapton.

Marley died of cancer in 1981. In 1994 he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he won a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 2001. Several of Marley’s children have also pursued musical careers, most notably as part of the Melody Makers, a group led by David “Ziggy” Marley.