Bob Marley’s Story
Back when Jamaica was still under British rule, a young boy by the name of Robert Nesta Marley came into the world. His father was an English settler from Sussex, while his mother was Afro-Jamaican. Marley was 10 years old when his father passed away in 1955, after which his mother went on to marry a United States civil servant.
Music was always a big part of Marley’s life, in particular the R&B and ska hits coming out of the states. He found early inspiration in U.S. radio broadcasts, and started engaging with a network of fellow musicians after moving to Trench Town, a neighborhood of Kingston, the largest city in the country. Some of his musical peers during this time included Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, and Joe Higgs, the latter of whom taught Marley how to play guitar. His first #1 hit in Jamaica came in 1964 when Marley was performing with his band, the Wailers.
Interestingly, it was a trip to America in 1966 that cemented Marley’s Jamaican roots. The singer, newly married, moved to Wilmington, Delaware for a short time to be near his mother, who had moved there previously. While working standard jobs—including a stint at the Chrysler plant in Newark—Marley became more engaged in Rastafarianism, a change that many attribute to his mother’s influence. When he moved back to Jamaica, he converted to Rastafari and grew out the dreadlocks that would become a staple of his appearance.
The Wailers biggest break came in 1972 when the band secured a recording contract with Island Records and embarked on a British and U.S. tour. Marley resettled in London, where he released some of his most well-known singles, such as “Exodus” and “Waiting in Vain.” Marley never moved back to the United States permanently, but it was while on tour in the country that Marley discovered that previously diagnosed cancer in his toe had spread throughout his body. In 1981, at the young age of only 36, Marley succumbed to cancer and passed away in Miami. Upon his death, his body was transported back to Nine Mile for burial, and later exhumed and reburied in Ethiopia upon request from his wife.
In his short career, Marley left behind a legacy that continues to traverse the globe—from Jamaica to America, and everywhere in between. He may not have been a U.S. citizen, but there is no denying that Marley is as large a part of the history of music in the country as local born musicians.