The 11th of May 2021 is the 40th anniversary of the death of Bob Marley. One becomes reverent when one thinks about how far he would have come with his music regarding that he improved over and over. Many of his songs are known within the people today, like his albums Survival (1979) and Uprising (1980). Just the Redemption Song, which was released 1980 on Uprising, is an evergreen, which contains many things which are important also today.
Bob Marley was a symbol for many of the oppressed in the world, a symbol against oppression and colonial exploitation. Especially with his worldwide success it was tried by commercial media to reduce him to smoking of marijuana and his Rasta and to push his commitment against racism, hunger and misery in many countries of the world to the background. If one focuses on the echo of Bob Malrey’s music in many parts of the world it becomes clear that marijuana is not the priority. He made his music in the believe and wanted to show that even the oppressed are a strong force and should not make themselves the game ball of the interests oft he powerful nations.
The 1945 born, Robert Nesta Marley with full name, grew up with his mother on the countryside. As a youth he went tot he Jamaican main city Kingston, where he grew up in the ghetto Trench-town and initially should become a welder. But with his friends Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer he formed the band The Wailers and studied how to play Reggae by Joe Higgs. In the beginning time it was hard for the Wailers. But they had great support from the people. Once a radio DJ got kidnapped by unknowns because he didn’t play enough from the Wailers. After his release he played the Wailers the whole day. Bob Marley, as “King of Reggae”, founded a music genre with which the oppressed black people could identify. With his music he often expressed the urge for freedom from colonialism and imperialism: „It is better to die in the fight for freedom than being a prisoner your whole life.“
When Bob Marley became better known and had more income he bought a BMW. It was almost embarrassing to him that he drove an expensive car. He said he justs drives a BMW because it stands for Bob Marley and the Wailers. When he drove to the ghetto with his car he always left the doors unlocked because everybody knew: that is Bob Marley’s car, this is taboo. That shows that the people in the ghetto, despite his fame, saw him as one of them.
With increasing fame Bob Marley got more and more in the front row. The manager Chris Blackwell made him the front man. Especially Peter Tosh was displeased with this and didn’t want to take a back seat behind Bob Marley. He said he wasn’t born to be a background singer. He and Bunny Wailer left the Wailers. Since then it was Bob Marley & the Wailers. The I-Threes were the background singers, three women, one oft hem Bob Marley’s wife Rita Marley. With this constellation they conquered the world. Bob Marley became the first superstar oft he third world.
In December 1976 a peace concert with the title Smile Jamaica should be held in Jamaica basing on the initiative oft he social-democratic People’s National Party (PNP). Marley, who always distanced himself explicitly from the Jamaican politics, but was seen as tendencially a PNP sympathizer, agreed to perform there. On December 3rd 1976, two days before the concert, unknown people entered his house and wounded him through many shots, his wife Rita and his Manager Don Taylor. Taylor and Marley’s wife Rita got wounded heavily but could fully recover later. Bob Marley suffered only mild wounds on chest and arm and could perform the 90 minutes long concert. Because of his good contacts he got help and he fled to the countryside. On the question why he performs, which is dangerous because the gunmen could attack him again he answered: „The people who are trying to make this world worse are not taking a day off. So how could I?“ Later he spoke out a suspicion that the militant wing of opposition party was involved in the attack and wrote in his song Ambush in the Night: „Ambush in the night, All guns aiming at me; Ambush in the night, They opened fire on me now. Ambush in the night, Protected by His Majesty.“
After this concert he went to England in exile where he recorded the albums Exodus (inspired by his own exodus from Jamaica to England) and Kaya. Exodus was named album oft he century by the Time Magazine. In 1978 Marley returned to Jamaica. He was asked, again, why he is doing it, because it was dangerous for him. He answered: „My life is not important. Other people’s life is important. My life is here to help plenty of people. If my life is just for me I don’t want it.“
So he returned and played the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica, to set a sign for an end of the civil war in Jamaica. There is another reason why this concert became famous. When Bob Marley performed the song Jammin he sang himself in ecstasis and sang rief „we got to unite, get, get, get, get“ and jumped, in the same moment there was a lightning struck, followed by thunder. If one checks Youtube for Bob Marley One Love Peace Concert Jammin, one can see this scene as well as the one where he invited both party leaders on stage. Bunny Wailer commented this concert with the words: „that is the spirit of Bob Marley“.
Bob Marley didn’t just sing for poor and oppressed people he also let deeds follow these words. When he was on tour in Europe, he bought footballs fort he ghetto youths in Jamaica because he said in Europe they have better quality than in Jamaica. When he came back from a tour he always gave the poor food in front of his house as well as talking with them about their struggles and how to help them.
Another remarkable performing was in Simbabwe in 1980. In 1979 Bob Marley published the song Zimbabwe on his album Survival and was the only foreign artist at the independence celebration in Simbabwe in 1980. With his presence at the independence celebration he set an example for other oppressed countries. Because the masses felt so much euphoria at his concert, it came to tumultuous scenes which is why the military intervened to drive the masses apart. All band members fled from the stage, only Bob Marley remained at the stage. As the situation calmed down and the band members reentered the stage, Bob Marley said: „now I know who are the real revolutionaries“, a quote from his song Zimbabwe where he sings: „soon we will find out who is the real revolutionary“. His wife Rita Marley said afterwards: „he was ready to die there with his people.“
Unfortunately Bob Marley died way to early at age 36. In the mid 70’s he found out that he had cancer in his right toe but didn’t want to remove the toe because as a Rasta he had the believe to not change anything on his own body. 1980 he broke down while he was jogging in Central Park. Brain cancer was diagnosed. Bob Marley wanted to play one more concert. It was held on 23rd of September 1980 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Afterwards Bob Marley got treatment, but the cancer couldn’t be cured. On 11th of May 1981 Bob Marley died. Shortly before his death he said: „maybe it is foolish to say that but I know it – my music will live on forever“. He was proven right because the content of his music, the fight for independence and freedom, is still an urging concern of the oppressed people.
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