Nesta Robert “Bob” Marley was born in Nine Miles, Saint Ann, Jamaica on February 6, 1945. His father died when he was only 10. Bob Marley started his career with a group he formed in 1963 with Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston. The group was called “Wailers”. At the age of 21, he married Rita Marley. The Wailers worked with Lee Scratch Perry and made some of their finest tracks like “400 years” “Duppy Conqueror” “Small Axe” and “Soul Rebel”. Although, when the wailers found that Perry sold the records in England without their consent, this collaboration ended bitterly. But this incident did give Wailers music, the attention of Chris Blackwell, the owner of island records.
Blackwell signed Wailers and produced Wailer’s first album, “Catch a Fire” followed by “Burnin”. Burnin featured tracks as “I shot the sheriff” and “Get up Stand Up”. In 1974, other members of the Wailers, Tosh and Livingston left the group to start solo careers. Marley formed the band “Bob Marley and the Wailers” afterwards. His wife was also a band member as one of the three backup singers. Marley made some really ground breaking albums after Tosh and Livingston Left, such as “Natty Dead” and “Rastaman Vibration”.
In 1976, during a political violence in Jamaica, there was an attempt on Marley’s life. Because of that Marley left for England and lived in self-exile for 2 years. During this time, his album “Exodus” was released; it remained on British Charts for a straight 56 weeks. And the success was followed by another album “Kaya”. These consecutive successes marked the beginning of Bob Marley’s International Status.
In 1977, for a wound in his big toe, Marley was diagnosed by doctors for having Malignant Melanoma. The doctors recommended him to have his toe amputated but he refused to do so. The cancer was kept a secret from the public, while Marley continued to work.
He returned to Jamaica in 1978 and released “Survival” in 1979. It was followed by a successful European Tour. In 1980, he was the only foreign artiste to take part in the independence ceremony of Zimbabwe. At the peak of his successful career, he started an American tour with an intention to reach blacks in the United States. On September 21, 1980, he collapsed while jogging in the central park of NYC. Earlier diagnosed cancer had spread to his brain, lungs and stomach. In a Miami Hospital, on May 11, 1981, the 36 years old Bob Marley died.