Bob Marley Research Paper
Bob Marley
On February 6th 1945 in a little town called Nine Mile that was located in Jamaica was born a man who would change the world for the better (3). This man helped to bring together social classes, cultures and ethnicities. He was a role model to the end. He never cared much about money or earthly possessions; he just wanted to be rich with life and play music that could bring all the people of the world together. He was converted to being a Rastafarian in his teenage years which helped to mold his music and his way of living for the rest of his life.
Robert was born in 1945 when his mother a black woman who was Jamaican married a white English male when she was 18. Robert was their only son together. They lived in a very small town in the country side of Jamaica called Nine Miles. This was mostly a farming town and the children had to work a lot in the fields and with the animals (9). Since Robert had a white father he was not fully black so he was …show more content…
made fun of by the other children and even secluded at times. They would call him names like half-caste and others names (2). Although he had a white father he did not see him that much at all. He would come visit once or twice a year to see them. Even when Robert got older and needed some money from his dad he was denied. He went to his dads business and told them he was related to them and was the son of Norval Marley but his family running the company did not believe him and sent him away. This hit Robert very hard and made him write the song named “Cornerstone” which speaks about how he was the son turned away but soon he would be better known and more important than all the rest of the people in the Marley family and he would never need their help ever again (9). But even with no father he continued to grow up and love his mother more and more. They would not live in the small town of Nine Miles much longer though. Robert and his family would move to Trench town Jamaica. This was a big change in the life of Robert. This move introduced him to many things. For example he was introduced to gangs and drugs but also he was introduced to music production and to the Rastafarian movement. Since he grew up with no father he looked for a father figure to fill his life. And the finally he found one when he joined the Rastafarian movement. At first the man who converted him was like a father to him but then Selassie, the savior figure in the Rastafarian religion, became a father figure toward Bob. He wrote many songs about being a “Rasta man”. In this religion the Rastafarians believe that the Selassie is the savior of the world and they justify this because Jesus was not from Africa where they believe everything was created by god and that is where everything should end (1). This is also the reason that Bob had his crazy hair style. After he converted to being Rastafarian, Bob wore dreadlocks as his hair style for the rest of his life. When he was asked by an interviewer “How important are the dreadlocks?” he answered saying “This? This is my identity man. Yeah this is my identity.” This hairstyle shows society that you are a part of the Rastafarian movement. In Jamaica during the time that Bob lived the Rastafarians were not thought of very well by the high class people in society. This was partly because most people who converted to Rastafarianism were low class people and very poor people that were converted because they had nowhere else that they could go for help (2). They were looking for freedom and this religion offered it to them.
Throughout his life even when he was very young and had to work in the field in his small town of Nine Miles Bob’s mom still made him attend school. And when he went to trench town she sent him to the nicest school there so that he would have a way out of Jamaica and be successful. But even though Bob was very thankful of this, he did not want this type of life. So he asked his lifetime friend Bunny Wailer if he would like to go into music with him (6). He and Bunny had grown up together and had known how to play instruments and had jammed together throughout their life. Bob asked Bunny to leave school and produce music with him but Bunny said no because he did not think anyone would record their music. Since this stood in the way Bob went out and recorded his first album by himself and came back and showed Bunny that it was possible. After this they began to play together in groups with different people around trench town trying to find a band or some people to use in a band. The person that they found was named Peter Tosh. This created the big three of the band. They went through many different names at the start of their career for example the teenagers, the wailing rude boys and then the wailing wailers. They chose the name the wailers because someone said to them once that they came from a place where people wailed a lot and were sad about their life so they cried and wailed (8). At this point they were being produced by a man named Coxsone Dodd. He was a producer who had a studio in Trench town. It was said that he just had a knack for finding good music. While Bob and his band worked with Coxsone, Bob lived in the studio in the back room. This was because he wanted to stay late and make music but also because he did not have enough money to live anywhere else. While working with him he made the band go down at night and play at the cemetery to the “Duppy” demons (9). This was so that they would not have any stage fright when they actually started to perform. This would last for a while but then Bob decided he wanted to move to America with his mom. But before he left he had to do something. He had to marry Rita Marley the girl he had been admiring for the past few years. He had to do this before he left because he was not the only suitor looking to steal her heart. But the day after the day after their marriage got his bags and moved to Delaware to live with his mom.
While in Delaware Bob lived with his mom and worked. He worked as a lab assistant at the DuPont labs and he worked on and assembly line at the Chrysler plant. When he lived in the United States he went by the name of Donald Marley (2). But this life was not suited for Bob. He was not doing what he loved which was making music. So Bob moved back to Jamaica and got back into his band with Bunny and Peter. They recorded with Coxsone for a little while longer but then left because they found out that Coxsone had been ripping them off and not giving them their fair share of money (1). Bob would eventually write a song named “small axe” that was pointing towards Coxsone who had gone into business with another group and made a producing label named Big Tree. So in the song Bob says “If you’re a Big Tree we’ll cut you down” which shows how much bad blood they had between them that he would write a song about it. Also “Small Axe” turned out to be one of Bob Marley and the Wailers most famous and well known songs (9).
After he left Coxsone, he and his other band members joined Lee Perry. Lee Perry was not a conventional producer. He did things his way but his way worked. He helped Bob Marley and the Wailers create their greatest music of all time. But sadly this partnership only lasted a little less than a year (2). They stopped recording with Lee Perry after they had a dispute about some copyright issues with the band’s songs. After they stopped recording with Lee Perry the wailers went and started to work with LAD records which was out of London but also had a producing studio in Jamaica. They started by going to London and trying to record something. The recording company tried to change the Wailers sound by making them add a bit of a rock into their music and making them less reggae so that their music would appeal to more people around the world and not just to people in Jamaica. So the Wailers decided to record an album and go on tour just in London and see what the people there thought about their music. This album wasn’t even supposed to be released but it was and it got amazingly good feedback (5). Also the concerts that the band had for this Album were the starting point for their worldwide career. After this Bob traveled by himself and recorded a 24 minute tape of Jimmy Norman and him jamming together in a New York Studio. This was supposed to help him break his music into the American society (4). He needed to do this because as of then the only people who listened to his music were a few people in Europe and then his biggest fan base was out of Jamaica. But after this the Wailers took some bad advice and went on a tour with Johnny Cash, the American singer (6). But they were not headlining this tour they were simply the opening act. This meant that they did not make that much money and that they were not able to be recording new music sense they were on the road. This put the Wailers in debt and actually marooned them in London England because they didn’t have the money to get back to Jamaica.
But luck would finally strike the Wailers. This would happen when Bob Marley went to speak with the head of the producing company, Island records, Chris Blackwell (4). When Bob went to talk to him he asked for the recording label to let the Wailers make a CD for the company. At any other time the answer would have been no but the company was in need of a reggae band so they accepted Bob’s offer. The album they created, “Catch a Fire”, turned into one of the most sold Wailer albums of all time. They also recorded another album later that was named “Burnin” which was more of a reggae style compared to the more rock style of “Catch a Fire”. After they created these albums the company tried to send the band on tour around Europe in bars and small places like that. But Bunny did not want to do this so he left the band. And then Peter Tosh decided that he did not have enough say in the music and then left the band to go create his own music (9).
Then there was one. All that was left in the band from the first three was Bob Marley. He moved back to Jamaica in this time and lived in the house that the Island Record Company owned but he soon bought it from them. While living here for the next few years Bob would record music in his own studio or play soccer outside of his house. But this time of peace did not last because soon the whole country of Jamaica would be split in two by two different political parties. And in an attempt to stop this violence that was going on during these times Bob had a free concert (3). But unintentionally he was supporting one of the parties by doing this more than the other. So before the concert happened a tragic event happened. While Bob and his family and friends were at home an unknown gunman came to the house and blindly fired bullets into the house. He injured a few people including Bob Marley and his wife Rita Marley. It was thought that the concert would be cancelled because of this but Bob had other plans. He decided to have the concert to show the people that he cared for them more than he cared for himself and that he knew god would be watching over him.
After the concert Bob left Jamaica and went back to London where he lived with his friends and family for a while.
He felt like Jamaica had betrayed him in a way and had to leave for a while to get over it. While in London Bob suffered what seemed to be toe injury that got infected and was never healed. He was advised to amputate it, but Bob would not do that because he was Rastafarian and as a Rastafarian he was supposed to exercise every day. But eventually he had half of his big toe off of his foot amputated. Then finally after two years of exile he returned to Jamaica to try and create peace by having another free concert for the people (3). Everyone was scared for him at this concert that he might be shot at again but nothing of that sort happened. Jamaica was ready for Bob Marley to return and they wouldn’t have done anything to ruin it again. During this concert Bob not expectantly called the two leaders of the warring parties onto the stage and forced them to shake hands in front of the people
(9).
During this whole time of Bob’s fame he was still married to Rita Marley. Even though sometimes he did not act like it at all. They were legally married but under the Rastafarian religion they did not have to be as loyal to one another as in most relationships. Bob had many women that he cheated on Rita with including one quite well known woman. Her name was Cindy Breakespeare and she was named Ms. World in 1976. She and Bob had a very intimate relationship during his years of stardom. He had many other not as well-known girlfriends. But Bob ended up with thirteen children and only three of them were with Rita.
Only two years later when playing soccer Robert fell on the ground and started foaming at the mouth. When he went to the doctor he was told he had cancer that had spread all over his body and it was inoperable. Hearing this news killed Robert inside but he had one last concert to perform. He performed his last concert in Pittsburgh. The band said that the sound check before the show was the most moving event ever. It lasted 8 hours and was just of continuous playing and Robert sitting there and letting everything out (9). Then he didn’t hold anything back during the concert. He went out and did two encores to finish the night (9). After the concert he went and was treated with chemo therapy in New York then was moved to Germany for eight months of treatment (2). Then he decided to fly home to Jamaica, but he did not make it he only made it to Miami. Where he went on to die in the next few days on May 11th 1981 at the young age of 36. Even though at times he was hated and pushed away by large groups of people connected by their ethnicities or politics he took the heat and kept making music. And now finally only 32 years after his death Bob Marley’s music is loved and cherished by all types of people around the world and used to bring them together every day (8).
Works Cited
1. Moskowitz, David V. Words And Music Of Bob Marley. n.p.: Praeger, 2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
2. Moskowitz, David V. Bob Marley : A Biography. n.p.: Greenwood Press, 2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
3. Gilroy, Paul. "Could You Be Loved? Bob Marley, Anti-Politics And Universal Sufferation." Critical Quarterly 47.1/2 (2005): 226-245. Academic Search Elite. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
4. KENNER, ROB. "The Business Of Bob." Billboard 123.5 (2011): 14. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
5. "The Life & Times Of Bob Marley." Film Journal International 115.5 (2012): 36-146. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
6. Rockwell, John. "Bob Marley." News. N.p., 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. .
7. Morse, Steve. "Reggae`s New Generation Haunted By The Ghost Of Its Mentor, Bob."Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 1 May 1986. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. .
8. Farley, Christopher J. "Remembering Bob Marley." Time.com. N.p., 4 Feb. 2005. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. .
9. Marley. Dir. Kevin McDonald. Shang-ri La Production, 2012. Netflix. Web. 20 March 2013.
On February 6th 1945 in a little town called Nine Mile that was located in Jamaica was born a man who would change the world for the better (3). This man helped to bring together social classes, cultures and ethnicities. He was a role model to the end. He never cared much about money or earthly possessions; he just wanted to be rich with life and play music that could bring all the people of the world together. He was converted to being a Rastafarian in his teenage years which helped to mold his music and his way of living for the rest of his life.
Robert was born in 1945 when his mother a black woman who was Jamaican married a white English male when she was 18. Robert was their only son together. They lived in a very small town in the country side of Jamaica called Nine Miles. This was mostly a farming town and the children had to work a lot in the fields and with the animals (9). Since Robert had a white father he was not fully black so he was …show more content…
made fun of by the other children and even secluded at times. They would call him names like half-caste and others names (2). Although he had a white father he did not see him that much at all. He would come visit once or twice a year to see them. Even when Robert got older and needed some money from his dad he was denied. He went to his dads business and told them he was related to them and was the son of Norval Marley but his family running the company did not believe him and sent him away. This hit Robert very hard and made him write the song named “Cornerstone” which speaks about how he was the son turned away but soon he would be better known and more important than all the rest of the people in the Marley family and he would never need their help ever again (9). But even with no father he continued to grow up and love his mother more and more. They would not live in the small town of Nine Miles much longer though. Robert and his family would move to Trench town Jamaica. This was a big change in the life of Robert. This move introduced him to many things. For example he was introduced to gangs and drugs but also he was introduced to music production and to the Rastafarian movement. Since he grew up with no father he looked for a father figure to fill his life. And the finally he found one when he joined the Rastafarian movement. At first the man who converted him was like a father to him but then Selassie, the savior figure in the Rastafarian religion, became a father figure toward Bob. He wrote many songs about being a “Rasta man”. In this religion the Rastafarians believe that the Selassie is the savior of the world and they justify this because Jesus was not from Africa where they believe everything was created by god and that is where everything should end (1). This is also the reason that Bob had his crazy hair style. After he converted to being Rastafarian, Bob wore dreadlocks as his hair style for the rest of his life. When he was asked by an interviewer “How important are the dreadlocks?” he answered saying “This? This is my identity man. Yeah this is my identity.” This hairstyle shows society that you are a part of the Rastafarian movement. In Jamaica during the time that Bob lived the Rastafarians were not thought of very well by the high class people in society. This was partly because most people who converted to Rastafarianism were low class people and very poor people that were converted because they had nowhere else that they could go for help (2). They were looking for freedom and this religion offered it to them.
Throughout his life even when he was very young and had to work in the field in his small town of Nine Miles Bob’s mom still made him attend school. And when he went to trench town she sent him to the nicest school there so that he would have a way out of Jamaica and be successful. But even though Bob was very thankful of this, he did not want this type of life. So he asked his lifetime friend Bunny Wailer if he would like to go into music with him (6). He and Bunny had grown up together and had known how to play instruments and had jammed together throughout their life. Bob asked Bunny to leave school and produce music with him but Bunny said no because he did not think anyone would record their music. Since this stood in the way Bob went out and recorded his first album by himself and came back and showed Bunny that it was possible. After this they began to play together in groups with different people around trench town trying to find a band or some people to use in a band. The person that they found was named Peter Tosh. This created the big three of the band. They went through many different names at the start of their career for example the teenagers, the wailing rude boys and then the wailing wailers. They chose the name the wailers because someone said to them once that they came from a place where people wailed a lot and were sad about their life so they cried and wailed (8). At this point they were being produced by a man named Coxsone Dodd. He was a producer who had a studio in Trench town. It was said that he just had a knack for finding good music. While Bob and his band worked with Coxsone, Bob lived in the studio in the back room. This was because he wanted to stay late and make music but also because he did not have enough money to live anywhere else. While working with him he made the band go down at night and play at the cemetery to the “Duppy” demons (9). This was so that they would not have any stage fright when they actually started to perform. This would last for a while but then Bob decided he wanted to move to America with his mom. But before he left he had to do something. He had to marry Rita Marley the girl he had been admiring for the past few years. He had to do this before he left because he was not the only suitor looking to steal her heart. But the day after the day after their marriage got his bags and moved to Delaware to live with his mom.
While in Delaware Bob lived with his mom and worked. He worked as a lab assistant at the DuPont labs and he worked on and assembly line at the Chrysler plant. When he lived in the United States he went by the name of Donald Marley (2). But this life was not suited for Bob. He was not doing what he loved which was making music. So Bob moved back to Jamaica and got back into his band with Bunny and Peter. They recorded with Coxsone for a little while longer but then left because they found out that Coxsone had been ripping them off and not giving them their fair share of money (1). Bob would eventually write a song named “small axe” that was pointing towards Coxsone who had gone into business with another group and made a producing label named Big Tree. So in the song Bob says “If you’re a Big Tree we’ll cut you down” which shows how much bad blood they had between them that he would write a song about it. Also “Small Axe” turned out to be one of Bob Marley and the Wailers most famous and well known songs (9).
After he left Coxsone, he and his other band members joined Lee Perry. Lee Perry was not a conventional producer. He did things his way but his way worked. He helped Bob Marley and the Wailers create their greatest music of all time. But sadly this partnership only lasted a little less than a year (2). They stopped recording with Lee Perry after they had a dispute about some copyright issues with the band’s songs. After they stopped recording with Lee Perry the wailers went and started to work with LAD records which was out of London but also had a producing studio in Jamaica. They started by going to London and trying to record something. The recording company tried to change the Wailers sound by making them add a bit of a rock into their music and making them less reggae so that their music would appeal to more people around the world and not just to people in Jamaica. So the Wailers decided to record an album and go on tour just in London and see what the people there thought about their music. This album wasn’t even supposed to be released but it was and it got amazingly good feedback (5). Also the concerts that the band had for this Album were the starting point for their worldwide career. After this Bob traveled by himself and recorded a 24 minute tape of Jimmy Norman and him jamming together in a New York Studio. This was supposed to help him break his music into the American society (4). He needed to do this because as of then the only people who listened to his music were a few people in Europe and then his biggest fan base was out of Jamaica. But after this the Wailers took some bad advice and went on a tour with Johnny Cash, the American singer (6). But they were not headlining this tour they were simply the opening act. This meant that they did not make that much money and that they were not able to be recording new music sense they were on the road. This put the Wailers in debt and actually marooned them in London England because they didn’t have the money to get back to Jamaica.
But luck would finally strike the Wailers. This would happen when Bob Marley went to speak with the head of the producing company, Island records, Chris Blackwell (4). When Bob went to talk to him he asked for the recording label to let the Wailers make a CD for the company. At any other time the answer would have been no but the company was in need of a reggae band so they accepted Bob’s offer. The album they created, “Catch a Fire”, turned into one of the most sold Wailer albums of all time. They also recorded another album later that was named “Burnin” which was more of a reggae style compared to the more rock style of “Catch a Fire”. After they created these albums the company tried to send the band on tour around Europe in bars and small places like that. But Bunny did not want to do this so he left the band. And then Peter Tosh decided that he did not have enough say in the music and then left the band to go create his own music (9).
Then there was one. All that was left in the band from the first three was Bob Marley. He moved back to Jamaica in this time and lived in the house that the Island Record Company owned but he soon bought it from them. While living here for the next few years Bob would record music in his own studio or play soccer outside of his house. But this time of peace did not last because soon the whole country of Jamaica would be split in two by two different political parties. And in an attempt to stop this violence that was going on during these times Bob had a free concert (3). But unintentionally he was supporting one of the parties by doing this more than the other. So before the concert happened a tragic event happened. While Bob and his family and friends were at home an unknown gunman came to the house and blindly fired bullets into the house. He injured a few people including Bob Marley and his wife Rita Marley. It was thought that the concert would be cancelled because of this but Bob had other plans. He decided to have the concert to show the people that he cared for them more than he cared for himself and that he knew god would be watching over him.
After the concert Bob left Jamaica and went back to London where he lived with his friends and family for a while.
He felt like Jamaica had betrayed him in a way and had to leave for a while to get over it. While in London Bob suffered what seemed to be toe injury that got infected and was never healed. He was advised to amputate it, but Bob would not do that because he was Rastafarian and as a Rastafarian he was supposed to exercise every day. But eventually he had half of his big toe off of his foot amputated. Then finally after two years of exile he returned to Jamaica to try and create peace by having another free concert for the people (3). Everyone was scared for him at this concert that he might be shot at again but nothing of that sort happened. Jamaica was ready for Bob Marley to return and they wouldn’t have done anything to ruin it again. During this concert Bob not expectantly called the two leaders of the warring parties onto the stage and forced them to shake hands in front of the people
(9).
During this whole time of Bob’s fame he was still married to Rita Marley. Even though sometimes he did not act like it at all. They were legally married but under the Rastafarian religion they did not have to be as loyal to one another as in most relationships. Bob had many women that he cheated on Rita with including one quite well known woman. Her name was Cindy Breakespeare and she was named Ms. World in 1976. She and Bob had a very intimate relationship during his years of stardom. He had many other not as well-known girlfriends. But Bob ended up with thirteen children and only three of them were with Rita.
Only two years later when playing soccer Robert fell on the ground and started foaming at the mouth. When he went to the doctor he was told he had cancer that had spread all over his body and it was inoperable. Hearing this news killed Robert inside but he had one last concert to perform. He performed his last concert in Pittsburgh. The band said that the sound check before the show was the most moving event ever. It lasted 8 hours and was just of continuous playing and Robert sitting there and letting everything out (9). Then he didn’t hold anything back during the concert. He went out and did two encores to finish the night (9). After the concert he went and was treated with chemo therapy in New York then was moved to Germany for eight months of treatment (2). Then he decided to fly home to Jamaica, but he did not make it he only made it to Miami. Where he went on to die in the next few days on May 11th 1981 at the young age of 36. Even though at times he was hated and pushed away by large groups of people connected by their ethnicities or politics he took the heat and kept making music. And now finally only 32 years after his death Bob Marley’s music is loved and cherished by all types of people around the world and used to bring them together every day (8).
Works Cited
1. Moskowitz, David V. Words And Music Of Bob Marley. n.p.: Praeger, 2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
2. Moskowitz, David V. Bob Marley : A Biography. n.p.: Greenwood Press, 2007. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
3. Gilroy, Paul. "Could You Be Loved? Bob Marley, Anti-Politics And Universal Sufferation." Critical Quarterly 47.1/2 (2005): 226-245. Academic Search Elite. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
4. KENNER, ROB. "The Business Of Bob." Billboard 123.5 (2011): 14. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
5. "The Life & Times Of Bob Marley." Film Journal International 115.5 (2012): 36-146. OmniFile Full Text Select (H.W. Wilson). Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
6. Rockwell, John. "Bob Marley." News. N.p., 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. .
7. Morse, Steve. "Reggae`s New Generation Haunted By The Ghost Of Its Mentor, Bob."Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 1 May 1986. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. .
8. Farley, Christopher J. "Remembering Bob Marley." Time.com. N.p., 4 Feb. 2005. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. .
9. Marley. Dir. Kevin McDonald. Shang-ri La Production, 2012. Netflix. Web. 20 March 2013.