Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Bob Marley was born in 1945, he grew up in trenchtown, Kingston Jamaica.
He saw reaggy music as an escape from the world he lived in.
Reaggy was is music that tells the people how they feel about all kind of things
When Bob Marley was 16 years old, he recorded, together with his friends Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh (later The Wailers), his first song “Judge Not”.
In 1962 they made their second song “On Cup Of Coffee”.
In the beginning they had no success, but slowly they got more and more popular.
After a couple of changes in the band, Bob was brought more on the foreground, and the name of the group became “Bob Marley and The Wailers”.
Their next single “Simmer Down” was a huge success in Jamaica. On February 10th 1966, Bob married his girlfriend, Rita Anderson.
In the seventies Bob Marley and The Wailers brought out their first reggae-LP “Catch a Fire” and this one was a big success.

In December 1976 The Wailers were going to give a benefit concert (smile Jamaica), but before it was given Bob got imminent letters.
The letter said that if he would perform he would be punished with death… During the repetitions it happened, Rita got a bullet and Don Taylor (Wailers’ promoter) caught 5 bullets, Bob himself was also hit by a few bullets 1 bullet went straight through his ribs.
Bob knew who had done it, but didn’t report it by the police because he thought it wouldn’t make any sense.
Everybody survived this incident.
At the end of the show he asked both of the political leaders to come on stage.
Once on the stage, he wanted the enemies to shake hands.
While they where on stage there was played ‘One love’.
Another event, which was very important for the Rastas, was in 1977 when Bob got handed over the ring that used to be property of Haile Selassie (who died in 1975).
Marley had problems with his big toe, which was serious injured during playing football.
He refused to amputate the toe because that is against the rules of his religion:
Leviticus 21:5 “They shall not make baldness up on their head, neither shall they shave of the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh.”
In 1980 he poured in during the jogging, and the shocking news followed: he had a brain tumour and he had less then a month more to live.
How ever he wanted to continue his travels and concerts, but his woman Rita held him back. She cancelled the tour.
Bob went to Germany for treatment, where also determined lung cancer and stomach cancer. He knew what was going to happen, so he decided to go back to Jamaica.
Too bad, he never came any further then Miami, that’s where he passed away on May 11th 1981.
Because of his great music, that came right from his heart, his positive message and way of life, he became for many (especially young black Jamaican people) a role model.
Some Rastas even believe that not Haile Selassie, but Bob Marley himself Jah is.

Word-list

Escape ontsnappen
Recorded opnemen
Judge not oordeel niet
Fourground voorgrond
Punished straffen
Survived overleven
Incident ongeluk
Enemies vijanden
Baldnes kaal