System Mechanic - Clean, repair, protect, and speed up your PC!Bob Marley, Reggae singer/songwriter
February 06, 1945 - May 11, 1981
Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945 in Nine Miles, Jamaica to Cedella Malcolm, and Norval Marley. Norval, a General in the British Army, abandoned Bob and Cedella shortly after they were wed, and had no contact with them for five years.
When Bob was five years old, He and his mother moved to Kingston. In Kingston they lived with Bob’s best friend, Bunny Livingston (Wailer) and his family. Bob and Bunny escaped from the violent world of Kingston with music and spent most of their time writing songs and practicing them.
At the age of sixteen, Bob wanted to record music. Like other young Jamaican kids, he saw music as an escape from the tough reality of life. In 1963, Bob released his first single, "Judge Not". He and Bunny soon joined forces with Peter Tosh and the group The Wailers was born. The Wailers became one of the most popular groups in Jamaica. Early Wailers songs were based on the popular dance music style of "ska". Over time, the Wailers slowed down the beat, preferring the slower, bass-heavy sound of reggae.
In 1966, Bob Marley married Rita Anderson, and the following year their first child was born. In 1971, Bob Marley and the Wailers, signed a major record label with Island Records, a first for a reggae band. Marley formed a new look 'Bob Marley and The Wailers' in 1973, which included Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt. This led to a succession of record-breaking albums and tours. In 1976, reggae-mania boomed in the States, and Bob Marley and The Wailers were named Rolling Stone Magazine 'Band of the Year)
In April 1978 Bob Marley performed in Jamaica on the One Love Peace Concert in front of the Prime Minister, and Leader of the Opposition. Bob arranged a meeting on stage between the two rivals. Later that year Bob got the Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations. The last Bob Marley and the Wailers tour in 1980 attracted the largest audiences at that time for any musical act in Europe.
On May 11, 1981 Robert Nesta Marley died of brain & lung cancer at the age of 36. Later that year the Government of Jamaica awarded him the Order of Merit, and in 1991 proclaimed his birthday be observed as Bob Marley Day. Marley was inducted in the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and remains today, the greatest legend of Reggae music.
