MAJOR MUSIC ARTISTS / MAJOR MUSICIANS - JAMAICA
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| Bob Marley |
DESCRIPTION: Bob Marley
ACTIVITY STATUS: Departed
ACTIVITY PERIOD: 1962 - 1981
MUSIC GENRE: Reggae
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: JAMAICA
MAIN INSTRUMENT: Vocals, Guitar, Percussion
BANDS / OUTFITS: Bob Marley & The Wailers
RECORD COMPANIES / LABELS (Current & Past): Island, Beverley's, Studio One, JAD, Wail'n Soul'm, Upsetter, Tuff Gong.
OFFICIAL WEB SITE: http://bobmarley.com/
ABOUT HIM:
BOB MARLEY
(1945-1981)
The man who carried the torch for the oppressed peoples of the world during his all-too short lifetime was born in Jamaica, and grew up in Trenchtown (about which he later sang in No Woman, No Cry). His father was English, and his mother Jamaican. He started playing music in his teens, and in his early twenties formed the band The Wailers. The group soon embraced Ethiopian Ratafarianism, a faith which rejects white values and exalts African pride. Their fame and message spread far beyond the West Indies in the early 1970s, with their first international releases, including the hit Get Up Stand Up. Eric Clapton’s cover of I Shot The Sheriff took their name to a wider audience in the early-mid Seventies, and their fame hit new heights with the hit album Natty Dread, which included the classic No Woman No Cry. Reggae music became one of the most popular and influential musical trends of the 1970s, its danceable, intoxicating rhythms resonant in later tracks from bands like the Police and Blondie. Despite the international acclaim, the mid-Seventies was a dangerous time for Marley, with his support for progressive Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley leading to a visit from a goon squad (some theorists have it CIA-backed) in which shots were fired and Marley wounded. He played on regardless. Though still political, later albums such as Exodus, Kaya and Uprising tended towards themes of peace, love and ganja (marijuana). In the late 1970s Marley was found to be suffering from cancer, and he died in 1981, aged 36. His voice is still heard, however, singing out in great tracks like Could You Be Loved, Exodus, Is This Love, Jammin' and his anthem of freedom, Redemption Song. “The power of philosophy floats through my head, light like a feather, heavy as lead.”
By Larry Buttrose
VIDEO
| Parent Category Page Links: | Music Artists / Outfits - Jamaica | Major Musicians - Jamaica |
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