“Get Up Stand Up” For Bob Marley

By Mary Miller Cullins

On February 6, 1945, Bob Marley was born in the village of Nine Mile in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica as Nesta Robert Marley.  

Bob Marley, a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician would have been 65 years old today.  Unfortunately, his life was cut short due to a type a malignant melanoma found under the nail of one of his toes.  Citing religious beliefs, Marley turned down doctors’ advice to have the toe amputated.  This was in 1977.  Despite his illness he continued touring ans was in the process of planning a world tour in 1980, he died that March.

Although Bob Marley has been gone from this Earth for 33 years now, his music remains popular decades after his death.  Marley was the Third World’s first pop superstar.  He was the man who introduced the world to the mystic power of reggae.  He was a true rocker at heart, and as a songwriter, he brought the strong lyrical force of Bob Dylan, the personal charisma of John Lennon, and the essential vocal styling of Smokey Robinson into one voice.

Marley was a rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady, and reggae band The Wailers (1963-1974) and Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974-1981).  He remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited for spreading both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience.  His music was heavily influenced by the social issues of his homeland, and he is considered to have given a voice to the specific political and cultural climate of Jamaica.

For me personally, I love Bob Marley.  His music is about love  and peace, right and wrong, freedom, and loving one another.  My favorite album, Legend, was released in 1984, three years after his death.  It is reggae’s best-selling album, going Platinum ten times and selling 25 million copies.  How can you not listen to One Love or Stir It Up without swaying to the sound and feeling happy about just about everything?  Bob Marley is a legend and his music has proved to be timeless.  I wish there were more Bob Marley’s alive today spreading the message of freedom, love,  joy and peace.  Seems to me our world is in need of Bob Marley!

“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold.”

Bob Marley

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Posted by Mary Miller Cullins on 11:18 AM. Filed under Fun Facts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.