Conclusion

"Ziggy, when you go up bring me up and when you go down bring me down. Stephen, money cant buy you life."

-Bob Marley

Bob Marley's legacy will live on forever through his music. His brother Ziggy helps keep his legacy alive. Through all of Bob's struggles in life he managed to overcome it all and live happy. His influence will live on in music lovers forever. His way of life proves that you don't to be born rich to be happy. No matter what, you can always overcome the obsacles life throws at you.

Reflection: Tragedy

Even with his confusion about his ethnicity, the assassination attempts, and his drug use, Bob Marley is still a great role model for everyone. Overcoming the tragedies in his life only made him stronger and wiser. He realized that it didn’t matter if he was black or white, he didn’t care either way. As long as he was on God’s side it wouldn’t matter. He wouldn’t let gunmen keep him down, he proved that the good in the world would always overcome the bad. By continuing smoking marijuana after going to jail, he showed the strength in his beliefs. Bob Marley will always bring a positive influence to the world as long as his legacy stays around.

Drug Use

Bob Marley was a firm believer in smoking “herb” or marijuana. He used the drug as a religious sacrament for Rastafari. Bob thought that smoking marijuana was a right that all Rastas had as a right of their religion. In his song “I Shot the Sheriff”, he describes the fate of a herb grower hunted by the sheriff. Some of the lyrics in the song show his point; “Sheriff John Brown always hated me, For what, I don't know: Every time I plant a seed, He said kill it before it grow, He said kill them before they grow. When in England with the Wailers, Bob Marley and his band member, Aston Barret, were arrested for the possession of marijuana. Even after getting out of jail, Bob was still a firm believer in smoking herb. He continued to smoke marijuana for the rest of his life until his death in 1980.

Reflection: Music

Bob Marley and the Wailers started off as a group of people with a passion for music just doing what they love. They ended up getting to share their love with the world. Even when some of the members gave up on the band, whether it be from disputes amongst them or lack of interest, Bob Marley stuck with his passion. His persistence ended up making him one of the most famous people that ever lived. His music will live on forever in the hearts of music lovers everywhere.

Assassination Attempt

On December 3, 1976, Bob, his wife Rita, and his manager were wounded by gunmen during a rehearsal. The gunman attacked them because they were upset over Bob’s political affiliations. Bob was hit in the arm and the chest, but his injuries were minor. His wife was critically wounded in her head and later fully recovered. His manager was shot five times in the chest and had to undergo life-saving surgery.  Two days after the shooting, Bob performed a concert still injured. When as why he was quoted saying, “The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking the day off. How can I?” Later Marley fled the country in fear of another assassination attempt.

Ethnicity

With his mother being Afro-Jamaican, and his father being white, Bob Marley never understood his racial ethnicity. He came to realize that he was neither black nor white and it really didn’t matter to him. He said he wasn’t prejudice. He has been quoted saying, “I don’t have prejudice against myself. My father was white and my mother was black. They call me half castle or whatever. I don’t take nobody’s side. I don’t take the black man’s side or the white man’s side. I take God’s side. The one who created me and caused me to come from black and white.” Marley later identified himself as Black African. He tried sending messages through his music. He talked about the struggles of African people. Bob saw Africa as a Utopia. In his song “Africa Unite” he says, “How good and how pleasant it would be, before God and man, yeahh, to see the unifications of all Africans, yeahh!” He expressed his support for the African community through his music and actions in politics as well.

Reggae Music

Reggae music was first developed in Jamaica in the early 1960’s. Reggae is easily recognized by the rhythmic accents on the offbeat guitars, called “skank”. This type of music is strongly influenced by the African American jazz and old time rhythm and blues. Rastafari played an important role in the development of the reggae music styling. The most recognized reggae band was Bob Marley and the Wailers. Bob and his band made all three transmissions of popular Jamaican music: ska, rock steady, and reggae. Bob Marley claimed that the term “Reggae” came from the Spanish term meaning, “King of Music”.

More Wailers

Album Cover from Bob Marley and the Wailers

After the split up of the band, Bob Marley decided he wasn’t done recording as “The Wailers” just yet. He replaced the old members of the band with brothers, Carlton and Aston “Family Man” Barret, Al Anderson, Tyrone Downie, Earl “Wya” Lindo, and Alvin “Seeco” Patterson. In 1975, Bob Marley reached international fame with his song, “No Woman, No Cry”, and in 1976 he had a popular album in the United States called, “Rastaman Vibration”. It was on the Billboard 100 for four weeks. Bob Marley left Jamaica in 1976 and spent two years in England, where he recorded two albums, “Exodus” and “Kaya”. “Exodus” was on the top British charts for fifty-six consecutive weeks. Performances by the band ended in 1981, when Bob Marley died from the cancer that spread through his body. From 1975 to 1981, Bob Marley and the Wailers spread their love of music and life in general all over the world.

Early Music Career

After dropping out of school in 1962, Bob Marley met Joe Higgs and Peter Tosh and recorded his first two singles, “Judge Not” and “One Cup of Coffee”. The songs were released on Beverley’s Label. In 1963, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso, and Cherry Smith, formed their own “rock steady” group, calling it “The Teenagers”. Later the named would be changed to “The Wailing Rudeboys”, then to “The Wailing Wailers”, then finally to the group’s final name, “The Wailers”. By the year 1966, Braithwaite, Smith, and Kelso had left the band, leaving Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer as the bands only members. They went on to create hits like, “Stay With Me” and “Splish for My Splash”. Later the band signed with Island Records. In April, 1973, The Wailers released their first hit album called, “Catch a Fire” which found audiences across the reggae and rock fan base. They were scheduled seventeen shows in the United States and became the number one black act in the U.S. They were fired for being more popular than the acts they were opening for. In 1974 the band split up to take on personal careers. Many say the split up of the band because of disputes about performances.

Reflection: Biography

When Bob Marley was born into poverty no one would have ever guessed he would become someone great. He never gave up. Even though he dropped out of school, he made the best of his life. He did what he loved. He spoke his mind and stood up for his beliefs. His death was a tragedy to millions of his fans. Even after his death his legacy still goes on to this day. He will always be an inspiration to many generations to come.

Teen Years

Bunny Livingston

During Bob’s teenage years, he moved to Kingston, the capitol of Jamaica, with his mother. They settled in a shanty little town within Kingston called Trench Town.  After attending the Stepney School in Kinston, Bob spent time acquiring a trade as a welder.  At the age of 14, Marley met Bunny Livingston and dropped out of school.  Bunny became one of the most influential people he would have in his life.  Later, Marley’s mother and Livingston’s father began living together, and this union proved to be important.  Senior Livingston introduced Marley to musical instruments by teaching him to play the guitar.  To escape his harsh surroundings, Marley got lost in music, preferring the Motown sounds of popular singers such as Ray Charles and Fats Domino.  Bob developed his love for singing in the church choir and through the encouragement from his friend Desmond Dekker. His teenage years sparked the beginning of a passion for music and a big music career.

Later Life

In July of 1977, Bob Marley found out from his doctor that he had cancer. The cancer was a type of maligment melanoma under the nail of one of his toes. There is an urban legend that the cancer started because of a sports injury, but it has been proven false, it was symptoms of an already existing cancer. Because of Bob’s strong belief in Rastafari, his religion made him turn down any medical help with the illness. Despite the cancer, he continued touring and doing concerts. In 1981, Bob was on his way home from Germany to Jamaica when he became very ill. His plane was landed in Miami, Florida so that he could seek immediate medical attention. On May 11, 1981, Robert Nesta Marley was pronounced dead at Cedars of Labanon Hospital in Miami.

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Early Life

Bob Marley's Childhood Home

Bob Marley's Father

Bob's Mother

Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Miles, Jamaica. His mother was a 28 year old Jamaican woman named Cedella Booker and his father was a 60 year old white English captain named Norval Sinclair Marley. As a child, Bob Marley grew up in St. Ann, where he experienced violence and poverty. Bob’s father was a plantation overseer and was always away at work. His father died at the age of seventy, when Bob was only ten years old. A life that began in poverty, violence, and a single parent household turned out to be one of the most spectacular lifetimes anyone could ever wish for.

Introduction

"Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny. In this bright future, you cant forget your past."

-Bob Marley

Bob Marley lived a life full of ups and downs. He went from violence and poverty to riches and fame. He went from being a nobody, to being an international household name. His childhood was full of struggles because of a broken family and confusion about who he really was. Even after all the obstacles his life threw at him, he still managed to achieve success and greatness in the music industry because of his passion for music and his love for God. His words of inspiration about many different aspects of life have influenced todays music and some people’s way of life. Overcoming poverty and violence and becoming someone that everyone will remember shows that no matter how bad life can get, the hard times can always be overcome.

Works Cited

Farley, C. J. (2005, February 4). TIME Magazine. Remembering Bob Marley .

Rockwell, J. (2012, April 10). The New York Times. Bob Marely , p. 2012.

White, T. (2006). Catch a Fire. Macmillan.

Wikipedia. (2012, April 12). Bob Marley. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Marley

Snow, B. (208, August 13). Smooth Harold. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from Top Ten Best Bob Marley Songs: http://www.smoothharold.com/top-10-best-bob-marley-songs/