Bob Marley
A Biography
David V. Moskowitz
A Biography
David V. Moskowitz
Timeline: Events in the Life
of Bob Marley
of Bob Marley
1945 Nesta Robert Marley, the only child of Cedella Malcolm
and Captain Norval Sinclair Marley, was born at
2:30 p.m. on February 6, 1945. The birth took place on
Cedella’s father’s (Omeriah Malcolm’s) farm in Nine
Mile, St. Ann’s Parish, Jamaica. Bob stayed on this family
farm until he was six.
1951 Bob went to live with his father in Kingston, Jamaica.
When Cedella arrived the following year to look in on
Bob, she discovered that he had not been living with
his father but had instead been staying with an elderly
woman named Mrs. Grey.
1952 Once mother and son were reunited, they returned together
to their rural Jamaican home in St. Ann.
1955 Bob learned that his father had died, his mother moved
to Kingston (without him) to earn a better living.
1956 Bob was moved from his grandfather’s farm to live with
his mother’s sister, for whom he tended a herd of goats.
1957 Bob was reunited with his mother when he moved to
Kingston to join her. This otherwise happy reunion was
marred by the fact that they now lived in Kingston’s
west-side ghetto known as Trench Town.
1959 After attending several area schools, including Ebenezer,
Wesley, and St. Aloysius, Bob ended his formal education
when he quit school. He spent his time playingsoccer, hanging out with other ghetto youth, and graduallypicking up music.
1960 Together with his closest friend Bunny, born Neville
Livingston, Bob began to cultivate his musical talents.
He and Bunny built rudimentary instruments and together
they practiced singing by imitating Fats Domino,
Louis Jordan, and the harmonies of Curtis Mayfield’s Impressions.
Also during this year, Bob and Bunny began
studying singing with the Jamaican recording artist Joe
Higgs. Higgs not only provided singing lessons, but he
added Peter Tosh (born MacIntosh) to the group.
1962 At age 16, Bob was taken to sing for producer Leslie
Kong, who issued his first recordings, “Judge Not,” “One
Cup of Coffee,” and “Terror,” on the Beverley’s imprint.
1963 Bob, Peter, and Bunny recorded for Clement “Coxsone”
Dodd, who was one of the three biggest producers of
Jamaican popular music on the island. Under the name
The Wailing Wailers, the group released the single
“Simmer Down,” which brought them considerable success
in Jamaica.
1965 The Wailing Wailers continued to have success with
a series of solid-selling singles. By the end of the year,
it was clear that Bob was the natural front man for the
group. This led to friction that ultimately broke up the
original three-member group. Early in the year, Bob
met Rita Anderson (Alpharita Constantia Anderson),
whom he soon married.
1966 Together, Bob and Rita had three children, although
Bob had many other children outside his relationship
with Rita. Later in this year, Bob moved to Wilmington,
Delaware. Bob remained in Wilmington for seven
months, during which time he worked a variety of odd
jobs trying to make enough money to launch his own
Jamaica-based record company. While in Wilmington,
Bob stayed with his mother, who had previously
relocated to the United States.
1969 Bob, Peter, and Bunny (under the name of the Wailers)
recorded a series of successful singles for Johnny Nash
and Danny Sims’s JAD label. In the middle of the year,
Bob was again in Delaware making and saving money to
open his own studio in Jamaica.1970 The Wailers begin recording a series of now classic
singles for producer Lee “Scratch” Perry in what would
be a legendary lineup: Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter
Tosh, and the Barrett Brothers (Aston and Carlton) as
the rhythm section.
1971 Bob, Peter, and Bunny, along with their rhythm section
Aston and Carlton Barrett, were in London working for
Nash and Sims on a record deal for CBS records. At the
end of the year, the group was abandoned in London
with no means to return to Jamaica. Bob made contact
with Island Records’ head, Christopher Blackwell, who
fronted him the money to get the band back to Jamaica
and make an album. This association quickly made Island
Records the most important reggae music label.
1972 The Wailers released Catch a Fire, which was the first
album-length recording of reggae music. The album had
modest success and a degree of crossover appeal due to
the rock and roll style guitar and keyboard overdubs that
Blackwell added to the original tracks. In January 1973,
the album was released in the United States and forever
changed the way that reggae music was packaged and
marketed. Catch a Fire was soon universally recognized
as the first genuine reggae album in history.
1973 The Wailers launched their first official tour, which
included television appearances on the Old Grey Whistle
Test and Top Gear. Also in this year, the Wailers released
their second record on the Island label, Burnin’.
1974 The Wailers reached international exposure due to Eric
Clapton’s cover of the Wailers song “I Shot the Sheriff.”
The song went to number one and sparked an enormous
amount of interest in the reggae style. While they were
experiencing the most success they had yet had, the
original three-member Wailers core disbanded. Bob
continued to use the Wailers name for the rest of his
life. Without Peter and Bunny, Bob went on to release
the Natty Dread album at the end of the year.
1975 In January, the original Wailers officially disbanded. The
Natty Dread album was released internationally in February.
Much of the summer and fall of the year was taken
up by an international tour in support of the new album.
Several shows were recorded in England and made into
the first Wailers concert album, called Live! The album
sold well in the UK and was released in the United
States in 1976.
1976 Bob appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Bob Marley and the Wailers released the Rastaman Vibration
album then toured for three months to support
the release. At approximately 8:45 p.m. on December 3,
gunmen broke into Marley’s house at 56 Hope Road and
opened fire. Bob and Rita were each shot once and their
manager, Don Taylor, was shot several times. Everyone
survived, but this forced Bob into self-imposed exile in
fear for his life.
1977 In the wake of the assassination attempt, Bob released a
flurry of records. Exodus was issued on June 3, 1977.
1978 Kaya album released in early 1978. The Exodus and
Kaya releases both spawned successful tours. Bob set up
the Jamaican Peace Concert, which featured several
important reggae acts. The concert was produced to help
settle some of the violence that had been tearing the
island apart.
1979 Bob and the Wailers released the Survival album in
October of 1979. The album was another big success
and led to another international tour which was
launched in Boston at the end of October.
1980 The sessions that produced the Survival material also
yielded the songs for the album Uprising. Uprising was
released in June and was supported by another international
tour with dates in the United States and Western
Europe, during which the Wailers played for over one
million people. During the North American leg of the
Uprising tour, Bob collapsed while jogging in New York’s
Central Park. It was soon discovered that he had suffered
a stroke and the rest of the tour was canceled. The
last live show that Bob Marley and the Wailers played
was on September 23, 1980, at Pittsburgh’s Stanley Theater.
In the wake of his collapse, Bob was diagnosed with
terminal cancer in his stomach, lungs, and brain. At the
end of the year, Bob traveled to Bad Wiessee, Germany,
seeking nontraditional cancer treatment from Dr. Josef
Issels. Dr. Issels was able to extend Bob’s life, but could
not successfully treat the cancer.
1980 On October 4, American popular musician Stevie Wonder
released a tribute to the cancer-stricken reggae superstar.
The song was reggae-like in style and was called
“Master Blaster (Jammin’).” It went on to be a serious
hit on the U.S. rhythm and blues charts and topped out
at number five on the pop charts.
1981 At 11:45 on Monday, May 11, 1981, Robert Nesta
Marley, the first third-world musician who rose to international
super stardom, died. In death, Bob was treated
as a Jamaican national hero. He was awarded Jamaica’s
National Order of Merit and given a state funeral.
Afterward, Bob’s body was taken to his St. Ann’s birthplace
where it remains. Since his death, Bob’s childhood
home in St. Ann and his house at 56 Hope Road have
become places of pilgrimage for ardent fans. Although
there are many albums that have been released after
Bob’s death, the Confrontation album (released in 1983)
was the only posthumous release that was conceived of
by Bob before he died.
1984 The most popular collection of Bob’s greatest hits, Legend,
was released. The album went on to become the
highest-selling reggae album of all time.
1999 The collection of Bob’s greatest hits, Legend, received its
10th platinum certification, signifying that it had sold
more than 10 million copies. This continues to easily
hold the record for the highest-selling reggae boxed set.
and Captain Norval Sinclair Marley, was born at
2:30 p.m. on February 6, 1945. The birth took place on
Cedella’s father’s (Omeriah Malcolm’s) farm in Nine
Mile, St. Ann’s Parish, Jamaica. Bob stayed on this family
farm until he was six.
1951 Bob went to live with his father in Kingston, Jamaica.
When Cedella arrived the following year to look in on
Bob, she discovered that he had not been living with
his father but had instead been staying with an elderly
woman named Mrs. Grey.
1952 Once mother and son were reunited, they returned together
to their rural Jamaican home in St. Ann.
1955 Bob learned that his father had died, his mother moved
to Kingston (without him) to earn a better living.
1956 Bob was moved from his grandfather’s farm to live with
his mother’s sister, for whom he tended a herd of goats.
1957 Bob was reunited with his mother when he moved to
Kingston to join her. This otherwise happy reunion was
marred by the fact that they now lived in Kingston’s
west-side ghetto known as Trench Town.
1959 After attending several area schools, including Ebenezer,
Wesley, and St. Aloysius, Bob ended his formal education
when he quit school. He spent his time playingsoccer, hanging out with other ghetto youth, and graduallypicking up music.
1960 Together with his closest friend Bunny, born Neville
Livingston, Bob began to cultivate his musical talents.
He and Bunny built rudimentary instruments and together
they practiced singing by imitating Fats Domino,
Louis Jordan, and the harmonies of Curtis Mayfield’s Impressions.
Also during this year, Bob and Bunny began
studying singing with the Jamaican recording artist Joe
Higgs. Higgs not only provided singing lessons, but he
added Peter Tosh (born MacIntosh) to the group.
1962 At age 16, Bob was taken to sing for producer Leslie
Kong, who issued his first recordings, “Judge Not,” “One
Cup of Coffee,” and “Terror,” on the Beverley’s imprint.
1963 Bob, Peter, and Bunny recorded for Clement “Coxsone”
Dodd, who was one of the three biggest producers of
Jamaican popular music on the island. Under the name
The Wailing Wailers, the group released the single
“Simmer Down,” which brought them considerable success
in Jamaica.
1965 The Wailing Wailers continued to have success with
a series of solid-selling singles. By the end of the year,
it was clear that Bob was the natural front man for the
group. This led to friction that ultimately broke up the
original three-member group. Early in the year, Bob
met Rita Anderson (Alpharita Constantia Anderson),
whom he soon married.
1966 Together, Bob and Rita had three children, although
Bob had many other children outside his relationship
with Rita. Later in this year, Bob moved to Wilmington,
Delaware. Bob remained in Wilmington for seven
months, during which time he worked a variety of odd
jobs trying to make enough money to launch his own
Jamaica-based record company. While in Wilmington,
Bob stayed with his mother, who had previously
relocated to the United States.
1969 Bob, Peter, and Bunny (under the name of the Wailers)
recorded a series of successful singles for Johnny Nash
and Danny Sims’s JAD label. In the middle of the year,
Bob was again in Delaware making and saving money to
open his own studio in Jamaica.1970 The Wailers begin recording a series of now classic
singles for producer Lee “Scratch” Perry in what would
be a legendary lineup: Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter
Tosh, and the Barrett Brothers (Aston and Carlton) as
the rhythm section.
1971 Bob, Peter, and Bunny, along with their rhythm section
Aston and Carlton Barrett, were in London working for
Nash and Sims on a record deal for CBS records. At the
end of the year, the group was abandoned in London
with no means to return to Jamaica. Bob made contact
with Island Records’ head, Christopher Blackwell, who
fronted him the money to get the band back to Jamaica
and make an album. This association quickly made Island
Records the most important reggae music label.
1972 The Wailers released Catch a Fire, which was the first
album-length recording of reggae music. The album had
modest success and a degree of crossover appeal due to
the rock and roll style guitar and keyboard overdubs that
Blackwell added to the original tracks. In January 1973,
the album was released in the United States and forever
changed the way that reggae music was packaged and
marketed. Catch a Fire was soon universally recognized
as the first genuine reggae album in history.
1973 The Wailers launched their first official tour, which
included television appearances on the Old Grey Whistle
Test and Top Gear. Also in this year, the Wailers released
their second record on the Island label, Burnin’.
1974 The Wailers reached international exposure due to Eric
Clapton’s cover of the Wailers song “I Shot the Sheriff.”
The song went to number one and sparked an enormous
amount of interest in the reggae style. While they were
experiencing the most success they had yet had, the
original three-member Wailers core disbanded. Bob
continued to use the Wailers name for the rest of his
life. Without Peter and Bunny, Bob went on to release
the Natty Dread album at the end of the year.
1975 In January, the original Wailers officially disbanded. The
Natty Dread album was released internationally in February.
Much of the summer and fall of the year was taken
up by an international tour in support of the new album.
Several shows were recorded in England and made into
the first Wailers concert album, called Live! The album
sold well in the UK and was released in the United
States in 1976.
1976 Bob appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Bob Marley and the Wailers released the Rastaman Vibration
album then toured for three months to support
the release. At approximately 8:45 p.m. on December 3,
gunmen broke into Marley’s house at 56 Hope Road and
opened fire. Bob and Rita were each shot once and their
manager, Don Taylor, was shot several times. Everyone
survived, but this forced Bob into self-imposed exile in
fear for his life.
1977 In the wake of the assassination attempt, Bob released a
flurry of records. Exodus was issued on June 3, 1977.
1978 Kaya album released in early 1978. The Exodus and
Kaya releases both spawned successful tours. Bob set up
the Jamaican Peace Concert, which featured several
important reggae acts. The concert was produced to help
settle some of the violence that had been tearing the
island apart.
1979 Bob and the Wailers released the Survival album in
October of 1979. The album was another big success
and led to another international tour which was
launched in Boston at the end of October.
1980 The sessions that produced the Survival material also
yielded the songs for the album Uprising. Uprising was
released in June and was supported by another international
tour with dates in the United States and Western
Europe, during which the Wailers played for over one
million people. During the North American leg of the
Uprising tour, Bob collapsed while jogging in New York’s
Central Park. It was soon discovered that he had suffered
a stroke and the rest of the tour was canceled. The
last live show that Bob Marley and the Wailers played
was on September 23, 1980, at Pittsburgh’s Stanley Theater.
In the wake of his collapse, Bob was diagnosed with
terminal cancer in his stomach, lungs, and brain. At the
end of the year, Bob traveled to Bad Wiessee, Germany,
seeking nontraditional cancer treatment from Dr. Josef
Issels. Dr. Issels was able to extend Bob’s life, but could
not successfully treat the cancer.
1980 On October 4, American popular musician Stevie Wonder
released a tribute to the cancer-stricken reggae superstar.
The song was reggae-like in style and was called
“Master Blaster (Jammin’).” It went on to be a serious
hit on the U.S. rhythm and blues charts and topped out
at number five on the pop charts.
1981 At 11:45 on Monday, May 11, 1981, Robert Nesta
Marley, the first third-world musician who rose to international
super stardom, died. In death, Bob was treated
as a Jamaican national hero. He was awarded Jamaica’s
National Order of Merit and given a state funeral.
Afterward, Bob’s body was taken to his St. Ann’s birthplace
where it remains. Since his death, Bob’s childhood
home in St. Ann and his house at 56 Hope Road have
become places of pilgrimage for ardent fans. Although
there are many albums that have been released after
Bob’s death, the Confrontation album (released in 1983)
was the only posthumous release that was conceived of
by Bob before he died.
1984 The most popular collection of Bob’s greatest hits, Legend,
was released. The album went on to become the
highest-selling reggae album of all time.
1999 The collection of Bob’s greatest hits, Legend, received its
10th platinum certification, signifying that it had sold
more than 10 million copies. This continues to easily
hold the record for the highest-selling reggae boxed set.
