Thursday, June 4, 2009
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley
BORN: February 6, 1945, St. Ann, Jamaica
DIED: May 11, 1981, Miami, FL
In the year 1944, Captain Norval Marley married a young Jamaican girl named Cedalla Booker. On February 6, 1945 at two thirty in the morning their son, Robert Nesta Marley was born in his grandfather's house. Soon after Bob was born his father left his mother. He did however give financial support and occasionally returned to see his son.
It was now the late fifties, jobs were scarce in Jamaica, so Bob followed his mother from their home in St. Ann to Trenchtown (West Kingston) to seek employment in the big city. Trenchtown got it's name because it was built over a ditch which drained the sewage of old Kingston. In Trenchtown Bob spent a lot of his time with his good friend Neville Livingstone who people called by his nickname, Bunny. Also in the big city Bob was more exposed to the music which he had loved, including such greats as Fats Domino and Ray Charles. Bob and Bunny attended a music class together which was held by the famous Jamaican singer Joe Higgs. In that class they met Peter Macintosh and soon became good friends.
Bunny Wailer
Neville O' Riley Livingstone, born on 10th of April 1947, and loved by generations of Jamaican music lovers as Bunny Wailer, remains one of reggae's most reclusive and understated heroes.
He grew up alongside Bob Marley in the country, his father, Thaddius "Taddy" Livingstone, moved to Kingston at the same time as Bob's mother Cedella, where he opened a rum bar. Both the young boys were left behind to be looked after by relatives until they were old enough to move to the city themselves. Eventually a relationship developed between Cedella and Taddy, which led to the birth of a daughter Pearl.
Growing up together in Kingston, the boys developed a strong desire to become musicians, and along with another friend, Winston McIntosh (Peter Tosh), began attending music lessons in the yard of local recording artist Joe Higgs.
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh was born into this world without a father or mother with the responsibility, or the time to raise young Peter. He was raised by his aunt, although Peter's personality would have you believe that he raised himself. An extremely self-reliant, self-dependent entity, Tosh fought for those who could not fight themselves. He was a voice for those who had not the means, nor the ability to speak to a worldwide audience. While those with power on the island of Jamaica saw Peter as a threat to the existing regime (A regime comprised of corrupt 'politricksters' who ally with Jamaica's small, wealthy, land owning class), the people saw Peter as a rebel hero. A champion of human rights, throughout his life Peter fought against the vampires and the duppies and all evil spirits, the spirits which Peter himself feared more than anything. Peter Tosh was a saint. Not a saint in the conventional, religious definition, but insofar as that he was put on this earth with a purpose. He was to expose the filth and corruption and expunge the wickedness of the ghosts which haunted him his entire life. Peter was a savior, sent to liberate the people of Jamaica, both physically and mentally.
Bob Marley Legend
This legendary artist still lives on to this very day. Wish he was here right now!! Rastafari!
"I love the development of our music, that's what I really dig about the whole thing. How we've tried to develop, y'know? It grows. That's why every day people come forward with new songs. Music goes on forever."
--Bob Marley, August 1979
