Everyone knows the song “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley, but do you know the legacy behind the artist? Marley was a Jamaican artist born in 1945. He holds a large legacy in the music industry, some of his main accomplishments are as following: being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and although in his life time he was never nominated for a grammy nomination, in 2001 he won “The Grammy Lifetime Achievement award,” an honor given by the Recording Academy to performers who throughout their lifetime have contributed outstanding artistic significance to their field. Marley also has his name on the 2171st star on the Hollywood walk of fame and a feature length documentary about his life, produced by Rebel music and directed by Jeremy Marre.
Marley didn’t come from much, he grew up in a small rural town in the mountainous terrain of the parish of St. Anns. In the late 1950s, when Marley was barely a teenager, he left St. Ann, traveled to Jamaica’s capital and eventually settled in Kingston, a low income community made up of squatter settlements and government yards that housed a minimum of four families each. Despite the poverty, the community was culturally rich. Marley’s music was nurtured by this community, when he was living there he released “No Woman No Cry” (1974), “Trench Town Rock” (1975). Although Marley found success in his town, his mother was not certain of his career choice so when he left school at 14 his mom lined up a welder apprentice job for him, for him which Marley reluctantly accepted.But after a small metal spike was embedded into his eye he quit immediately to pursue music full time. Around that time there was a rise to island music and a new genre called Ska was newly popular. Marley assimilated into this genre of music, boosting his career even further.
One of Marley’s grandsons, YG Marley is in the height of his career right now with 20.3 Million monthly listeners and in his recent rise to fame on TikTok with his new hit “Praise Jah In The Moonlight.” Similarly one of Marley’s sons, “Ziggy” Marley, has 1.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Both followed in the footsteps of their late father and grandfather. Marley has left a large impact on the music industry, fighting against racism and spreading his music genre (ska) into places where it isn’t widely heard or where English isn’t as widely spoken. In one of his hits songs “One Drop,” he sings “fighting against ism and scism” using music to fight racism. Furthermore, in Koh Lipe, Thailand, Marley’s birthday Feb. 6 is celebrated for three days with a cultural festival. Similarly in New Zealand, his life and music are celebrated and a large part of Waitangi day (Feb. 6). When Marley visited New Zealand they welcomed him with traditional songs and a dance ceremony.
Recorded in 1980 and posthumously released in 1983, “Buffalo Soldier” recounts the atrocities of the slave trade. Like so many of Marley’s songs, it highlights the importance of relating past occurrences to present-day identities. Touring with his band The Wailers, Marley brought reggae music to the world stage, showing the world the authenticity of Jamaican music with its unique sounds and rhythms. Maryleys music stretched further than just catchy tunes, his songs were filled with powerful messages about love, racism, peace, freedom and fighting against the injustices of the world. Marley believed that every human deserves equality and fairness so he expressed his fight for equality through music. His songs are powerful tools in social movements and have been an inspiration for people around the world to stand up for what’s right and fight socialism and racism and unite together for change.
The “Bob Marley: One love’ film was released. Feb. 14th 2024 and follows Marley’s rise to fame in the reggae music industry despite racism and how he fought for equality and rights for those who don’t have them. When he passed away in 1981 from melanoma, the world was shocked, his death making headlines of major newspapers in hours. Shortly following his death, the Jamaican government placed a memorial statue in Independence park in Kingston, Jamaica that shows him growing out of the ground. Marley left a hole in the heart of the music world, but his life and work will always be remembered through his music.
