Bob Marley: Essential Music

Marley’s career not only introduced Jamaican music to the world, it saw the singer overcome a difficult childhood to make his mark. His lyrics, often delivered in thick Jamaican patois, nevertheless spoke eloquently of ‘One Love’, urging his listeners to “Stand up for your rights” and forging musical links with the punk movement. 

Marley, born in 1945, worked with Bunny Livingston and Peter “Tosh” McIntosh as the Wailers (initially Wailin’ Wailers) in the mid Sixties. Early songs bore the unmistakable American soul influence of James Brown and Sam & Dave, but as the Wailers moved on from vocal group to fully-fledged band so his writing grew in maturity. 

He traveled to Europe with Johnny Nash, for whom he wrote the hit ‘Stir It Up’, and aimed his music at European ears. Eric Clapton’s 1974 version of ‘I Shot The Sheriff’ topped the US chart, raising Marley’s profile in that country. The long-awaited British chart breakthrough came with the single ‘No Woman, No Cry’, from the acclaimed Live! album, and all seemed set for further success until illness set in. 

Fellow musical giant Stevie Wonder paid musical tribute to him with his reggae fied ‘Master Blaster (Jammin’)’, and sales of albums he made with backing group the Wailers continue to notch up in millions. 

The life and legacy of Bob Marley has been celebrated by museums, exhibitions, and all-star concerts, and the music he made continues to speak to new generations. This book tells his story in words and pictures, adding a historical perspective to a music that still speaks to us today.