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NESTA ROBERT MARLEY aka Bob Marley
aka Tuff Gong (February 6, 1945 to May 11, 1981) On Friday June 9th 1944 a middle aged English captain, Captain Norval St Clair Marley married a Jamaican teenager named Cedella Malcolm. On the February 6th 1945 in Nine Miles, St Ann, Jamaica their son, Nesta Robert (Bob) Marley was born. Later to be nicknamed 'Tuff Gong'. Soon after their son's birth his parents parted company and he occasionally returned to visit his son. In 1957 Marley and his mother moved to Trenchtown and by the age of 16 he decided to follow his dream to become a musician. Like many other Jamaicans he saw music as escapism from the daily struggles. In 1960 Marley and his close friend Bunny Livingston received extensive tuition with the great vocalist Joe Higgs, one of Trenchtown's most famous residents and a musically prominent Rasta. They would later be introduced to Peter (Tosh) McIntosh. Higgs was as conscious in his actions as in his lyrics; these included publicly advocating the taboo subject of Rastafari, which was growing by quantum leaps among the ghetto sufferers. Jimmy Cliff, a local musician (only 14 years old), had already made a few hits and introduced Marley to local producer Leslie Kong of the Beverley's Label. Marley made his first single 'Judge Not' in 1961, but this record and the following one 'One More Cup Of Coffee' released under the name of Bobby Martell went unnoticed. Marley's and Leslie's relationship came to an end when Marley didn't receive payment for his work but later their musical relationship would later be briefly re-established. Marley was learning the welding trade in Kingston when he formed his first harmony group in 1961 along with Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh, both of whom later embarked on successful solo careers. The other members were Junior Braithwaite and two backing singers Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith. The group later became known as the Wailing Wailers. They began their joint recording careers in 1963 with the introduction to Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd producer for Studio One. Their first two singles with Studio One were 'It Hurts To Be Alone' and 'I'm Still Waiting' which both received positive responses. 'Simmer Down' was to follow in late 1963 and was a local hit and it went to number one on the JBC Radio chart, holding that position for 2 months. During 1963 to 1966 the Wailing Wailers produced over 70 tracks for Coxsone, over 20 of these were local hits. The tracks were covers of US Soul and Doo-Wop with Ska backing. At one point in 1965 the group held 5 of the top 10 slots on the Jamaican charts. In late 1965, Braithwaite left to go to America and Kelso and Smith also departed later that year. On 10 February 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, a member of the Soulettes (a Studio One trio), later to become one of the I-Threes and a solo vocalist in her own right. The next day Bob left for the United States to visit his mother who lived in Delaware. While in the US he worked to better finance his music and soon returned home. When Marley returned the Wailing Wailers' music evolved from Ska to Rock Steady. This evolution conflicted with Coxsone who wanted a Ska band. So the Wailing Wailers left Coxsone and renamed themselves the Wailers. Instead of looking around for a new label the Wailers decided to form their own which they called Wail 'N' Soul 'M which coincided with the birth of the Bob's first born Cedella. They released a couple of singles on their label such as 'Bend Down Low' and 'Mellow Mood' which were overtly Rasta songs before it folded the same year. Marley met Danny Sims, manager for soul singer Johnny Nash. The Wailers recorded songs for Danny Sims and in 1970 two members of the Upsetters, the Barrett brothers joined The Wailers. Aston 'Family Man' Barrett played bass and his brother Carlton played the drums. A second more successful label was formed by the Wailers called Tuff Gong (after Bob Marley's nickname) and the first single on that label was 'Run For Cover'. Following an album with Leslie Kong called 'Best of the Wailers', they hooked up with Lee 'Scratch' Perry, who helped focus the trio's rebel stance and produced an amazing series of classics including 'Duppy Conqueror,' 'Small Axe' and 'Sun is Sng' along with reworking some of their earlier material. While recng on the Tuff Gong label The Wailers came to the attention of the then Island Records President, Chris Blackwell in 1972. Island Records specialised in Rock music and the Wailers first offering out of Island Records was packaged as a Rock album. 'Catch A Fire' was released in 1973 and in the same year they visited the UK to tour and appear on TV. In July 1973 they supported Bruce Springsteen in New York and this helped to push the sales of 'Catch A Fire'. The success of 'Catch A Fire' enabled the Wailers to issue 'Burnin' adding Earl 'Wire' Lindo to the group and they were now unhindered by any Rock production, which signalled a return to the militant approach. In the Autumn of 1974 the Rock guitarist Eric Clapton covered 'I Shot the Sheriff' and the tune reached the number 9 position in the UK charts and number one in the US charts, reinforcing the impact of the Wailers in the process. On the brink of wider success internal differences caused Tosh and Livingston to depart, both embarking on successful solo careers. Lindo left to join US roots musician Taj Mahal. The new Wailers band was formed mid 1974 with Marley, the Barrett brothers and Bernard 'Touter' Harvey on keyboards with vocal harmonies by the I-Threes, comprising Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt. This line up with later additions would come to define the so-called 'international' reggae sound that Bob Marley and the Wailers played until Marley's death. In 1975 the album 'Natty Dread' was released and the newly named Bob Marley and the Wailers played to patrons in the London Lyceum attracting people from all walks of life and cultures. The cross over had begun. At the end of the year Marley finally scored his first UK chart hit, 'No Woman No Cry'. Marley survived an assassination attempt while at home at 56 Hope Road, Kingston on 3rd December 1976 when 6 armed men shot at him, his wife, the Wailer's Manager Don Taylo, Don Kinsey and a few of the Marley offspring. There was speculation that the shooting incident was politically motivated. Marley had been persuaded by Prime Minister Michael Manley to attend the forthcoming Smile Jamaica Concert and he was assured that it was not a PNP event but an event put on by the Jamaican Government for the nation. Although Marley received a gun wound to his arm 2 days later he performed at the Smile Jamaica Concert in Kingston, after which he flew to the UK and was not to return to Jamaica for more than 18 months. The Wailers followed Marley and they recorded Exodus in 1977. Exodus spent 56 weeks on the UK album chart during 1977 to 1978 and his live performances were extremely popular. In May Marley was informed that he had cancer, which was probably caused by an earlier football injury. His cancer would most certainly have been taken care of by amputation of the toe but he refused. To do so would have been against his Rastafarian faith. In April 1978, he played the One Love Peace Concert in Kingston, bringing the two Jamaican leaders President Michael Manley and the leader of the Opposition Edward Seaga together on stage in a largely symbolic peacemaking gesture. The band then undertook a huge worldwide tour that took them to the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Late in 1980 Marley began treatment with the German cancer specialist Dr Josef Issels. By the 3rd May the doctor had given up. A month before Bob's death, he was awarded Jamaica's Order Of Merit, the nation's third highest honor, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the country's culture. Marley expressed his wish to return to Jamaica but he got as far as Miami, Florida, where he died in hospital on the 11th May 1981. Marley left behind 11 children by 7 women, sold tens of millions of records worldwide, left a $30 million estate, wrote 'The New Psalms,' and died at 36 of melanoma. Following his death an Island Records spokesperson estimated worldwide sales of $190m. Marley's funeral was held at Kingston's National Heroes Arena and was attended by people from all areas of Jamaica including the Prime Minister Edward Seaga and the Governor General Michael Manley. Following the radiation treatment he was given to fight the cancer his dreadlocks had fallen out. Rita had kept them and they were woven into a wig that was placed on his head. Sharing Bob's coffin was his Bible and his Gibson guitar. Marley is as popular now, if not more so, than when he was alive due to his charismatic personality and his great singing and songwriting abilities. Marley's work was celebrated in 1992 with the release of an outstanding 4-CD box set, 'Songs of Freedom' chronicling his entire career, though his discography remains cluttered due to legal particulars of his estate. Marley remains today the greatest legend of Reggae music, and was inducted in the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. His album, 'Legend' sold over 10 million copies, and has remained on the Billboard Top Pop Catalogue Albums Chart since its release, where it was No1 for 44 consecutive weeks, and was the No1 album for 1995. In 1999 the album 'Songs of Freedom' was re-issued and an album remix release offering entitled 'Chant Down Babylon' co-ordinated by Marley's son Stephen. 'Chant Down Babylon' features original Marley vocals alongside today's top soul and hip-hop artists bringing their own style and flavour remixed by Stephen Marley. 'Every song is a classic, from the messages of love to the anthems of revolution. But more than that, the album is a political and cultural nexus, drawing inspiration from the Third World and then giving voice to it the world over.' This was the write up in the US based Time Magazine (January 4th 2000) with regards to citing 'Exodus' (1977) by Bob Marley and the Wailers as the best album of the century. Marley's global success is an inspiration to all Jamaican artists; his name is synonymous with Jamaican music, of which he was its first superstar. Sources: Bob Marley: An Intimate Portrait By His Mother - Cedella Booker with Anthony Winkler The Rough Guide to Reggae - Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton The Guinness Who's Who of Reggae - General Editor - Colin Larkin Thirdfield.com - www.thirdfield.com/Bob.html Bob Marley Tuff Gong - www.angelfire.com/al/tuffsframe/indexOLD.html The Legendary Bob Marley - www.BobMarley.com/life/ Time.com - www.pathfinder.com/time/ |
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