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Bob MarleyMusician 'king of reggae'
Date of Birth: 06.02.1945
Country:  Jamaica |
Content:
Biography: Bob Marley
Bob Marley, the Jamaican musician, guitarist, and "King of Reggae," holds an exceptional place in the history of reggae. This is not only because he stood at its origins, but primarily due to Marley's unique talent, which combined musical giftedness with religious ecstasy. To truly understand Marley's music, one must have at least a basic understanding of the history of the Rastafarian movement (a brief history of Rastafarianism is provided at the end of this narrative). His songs cannot be perceived as simple parts of pop culture, and listening to them as spiritual hymns without considering his mystical experiences would be a mistake. In essence, someone who listens to Marley's songs without their context risks seeing him as just another political anarchist among the rebellious youth of the 60s, while he was primarily a spiritual leader and visionary, unmatched even by today's rock and roll. Many have tried to explain the charm of Marley's music simply by acknowledging his talent. However, the answer lies elsewhere: Marley had a rare gift of adequately conveying universal truth, which only religion can provide, while astonishingly balancing between composing "church hymns" and adhering to purely aesthetic canons. His music was earthly but not secular; he was a medium, which explains the presence of eternal laws in his work, giving it strength and allure. Additionally, Marley possessed an incredible plastic rhythmic talent, the ability to place words in their rightful place. Listen to the song "War" from the album "Rastaman Vibrations" - it is impossible to perceive from hearing alone that he is performing a prosaic text. This absolute musicality allowed him to perform any composition, whether his own or someone else's, in the only possible way; any subsequent attempts at cover versions are met with complete exhaustion of interpretations. The history of pop culture, and perhaps even contemporary history in general, does not know of any other case where a person during their lifetime had a reputation equivalent to that of Bob Marley - not in terms of the number of fans, but in terms of the seriousness of his impact. He was a legend of an entire nation, a figure of national scale, and a living prophet - not figuratively, like Jim Morrison, but literally. This is who Bob Marley was and remains to this day. The honors bestowed upon him after his death are comparable to royal ones, and the influence he had on minds and souls during his lifetime was almost biblical.
Early Life and Career
Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in a small town in northern Jamaica. His mother, Cedella Booker, was an eighteen-year-old black woman, and his father was a fifty-year-old white sailor named Norval Marley. In the traditional sense, Bob did not have a family, as his father rarely appeared, although he provided financial support to his mother.
In the early 1960s, Bob and his mother moved to the capital of Jamaica, Kingston, and settled in Trenchtown, like many others in similar circumstances. Here, young Bob made friends with other children from impoverished families, and they spent their time listening to the radio, which played the newly born rock and roll music. Bob dropped out of school and found work in a welding workshop, while spending his free time singing songs and practicing his vocal cords. He received vocal lessons from the famous Kingston singer Joe Higgs, who gave him a few lessons in the backyard of his house. In 1962, Bob and his friends Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh auditioned for local entrepreneur Leslie Kong, who recorded several tracks with them. The following year, Bob formed a group with his friends and named it "The Wailing Wailers." The name was not ironic, but rather stemmed from the traditions of mourning, which are strong in any African culture.
During this time, ska, the Jamaican variant of New Orleans rhythm and blues, was popular, and large acoustic systems were set up on the streets of Kingston (reggae enthusiasts claim that it was this form of street music that led to the development of raves). Marley and his group, who performed popular music, quickly gained recognition and became an island celebrity within the next five years.
Rise to International Fame
The year 1966 was pivotal in Marley's life. He got married, visited America where his remarried mother lived, and formed an impression of Babylon, as Rastafarians referred to America. He returned to Kingston, where Emperor Haile Selassie I, the incarnation of the Almighty Jah - the Rastafarian God, had visited six months earlier. The Rastafarian movement was on the rise at this time, and Marley became its voice. Thus, reggae was born.
Until the early 1970s, The Wailers were practically unknown outside of Jamaica. After unsuccessful attempts to sign a contract with several companies, Marley found himself on the doorstep of the now-famous Island Records. The founder of the studio, Chris Blackwell, initially focused on promoting Jamaican music and, after establishing himself in London in 1962, popularized ska, rocksteady, and reggae in the Old World, as well as pioneering prog-rock bands like Jethro Tull and King Crimson. Familiar with Marley's reputation in his homeland, Blackwell offered him an unprecedented contract for a reggae group: equal terms with rock bands. Marley's first album on Island, "Catch a Fire," immediately set new standards in popular music. Newspapers wrote about the emergence of a new, completely unique style, a new rhythm and melody combined with unusual, religious-protestant themed lyrics. From this moment on, Marley's group gained international fame.
In 1973, The Wailers were invited to open for Sly & The Family Stone, the number one group among black American musicians. However, they were soon removed from the tour because the audience embraced them more warmly than the headliners.
Over the next three years, Marley became a true star, and his songs became anthems for the struggle for racial equality. An incident that occurred on December 5, 1976, in Kingston demonstrates the real political weight of his words. At that time, the city was embroiled in a real war in the ghettos, and Marley, whose authority was unquestionable, decided to hold a free concert to call for peace among the residents. The government, however, scheduled parliamentary elections to take place just two weeks after the concert.
The night before the concert, several individuals broke into Marley's house and opened fire. Marley and three members of his group were injured, but the concert was not canceled, only shortened. Marley took the stage and performed a few songs.
For the next four years, Marley lived alternately in England and America, though most of the time he was on tour. The group frequently visited Africa: in 1980, the government of newly liberated Zimbabwe invited The Wailers to participate in the celebration of Independence Day, recognizing Marley's contributions to third world countries. Two years earlier, the Prime Minister of Jamaica and the leader of the opposition attended one of his concerts. In the same year, the United Nations awarded him the Peace Medal.
In 1980, Marley's health deteriorated rapidly. Three years prior, while playing football, he injured his toe, which developed into a malignant tumor. He had rejected amputation due to religious beliefs. Now, he had to seek treatment at a clinic in Bavaria as the disease had spread to his brain. However, the treatment was unsuccessful, and in early May 1981, Marley, realizing he was dying, asked to be taken back to his homeland. Unfortunately, he did not make it and died in a hospital in Miami on May 11, 1981.
The day of his funeral, according to eyewitnesses, was the most mournful day in the modern history of Jamaica. The country declared a national mourning. All leaders of the ruling party and the opposition attended the funeral ceremony. Marley's body was transported to his birthplace and laid to rest in a mausoleum. He was only 36 years old. A month before his death, he was awarded the Order of Merit, a government award recognizing his outstanding contributions to the country's cultural life. Marley left behind a huge number of fans and followers and a large catalog of songs. But most importantly, he left behind a message, a call to "free your mind from anger and awaken to life." And perhaps, only in his case, these worn-out words, often used by rockers, do not seem banal.
