Bob Marley

Robert Nesta Marley was born in Jamaica,
the son of a Liverpool-born captain in the
West Indian regiment of the British Army.
Marley's parents separated when he was six,
and he moved with his mother to Trench Town,
a slum in west Kingston. There, with childhood
friend 'Bunny' Livingston, Marley made his first music,
a combination of rhythm, blues and local musical styles,
which became known as 'ska'. In the early 1960s,
Marley and Bunny joined up with Peter Tosh to form a harmony group,
 the Wailing Wailers. The group soon became well-known in Jamaica,
and both reflected and led the evolution of reggae. In 1967,
Marley converted from Christianity to Rastafarianism and entered
the mature phase of his musical career. His group was renamed
The Wailers and, after being joined in 1970 by Aston and Carlton
Barrett who formed the rhythm section, began to attract international attention.
The group was signed by Island Records, a London-based company founded in Jamaica,
and in 1972 recorded Catch a Fire, which was a modest success.
Though carrying out other musical work - for singer Johnny Nash,
for example - Marley continued to record and tour with The Wailers.
His songwriting skills developed apace; in 1974 Eric Clapton had
a hit with Marley's I Shot the Sheriff and in 1975 The Wailers
had their first major hit with No Woman No Cry.
Soon after, with the departure of Bunny and Peter,
the group became Bob Marley & The Wailers.
Throughout the later 1970s, Marley's songs became increasingly spiritual and political,
often focussing on the turmoil then present in Jamaica. In December 1976,
during the Jamaican general election campaign, an attempt was made on Marley's life,
and he fled to London. There he wrote and recorded Exodus,
which featured Marley's biggest hits, including Jamming,
Waiting in Vain and One Love. By 1980, Marley had a worldwide following,
and his music had become closely associated with the black political independence
movement and freedom fighting in general. His health, however, was deteriorating,
and in 1981 Marley died from cancer at the age of only thirty-six.