Get Up, Stand Up! for the king of reggae music! Bob Marley was a reggae superstar who is considered to be one of the most influential musicians of all time. Born in rural Jamaica, this musician and songwriter began his career with his band, The Wailing Wailers, in 1963. The Wailers went on to spread the gospel of reggae music around the globe. Bob's distinctive style and dedication to his Rastafari beliefs became a rallying cry for the poor and disenfranchised the world over and led to a hugely successful solo career. After his death in 1981, Bob Marley became a symbol of Jamaican culture and identity. His greatest-hits album, Legend, remains the best-selling reggae album of all time. Who Was Bob Marley? tells the story of how a man with humble roots became an international icon. This title in the New York Times best-selling series contains eighty illustrations that help bring the story to life.
A biography in verse of reggae legend Bob Marley, exploring the influences that shaped his life and music on his journey from rural Jamaican childhood to international superstardom.
“Reggae’s chief eyewitness, dropping testimony on reggae’s chief prophet with truth, blood, and fire.” —Marlon James, Man Booker Prize–winning author Renowned reggae historian Roger Steffens’s riveting oral history of Bob Marley’s life draws on four decades of intimate interviews with band members, family, lovers, and confidants—many speaking publicly for the first time. Hailed by the New York Times Book Review as a “crucial voice” in the documentation of Marley’s legacy, Steffens spent years traveling with the Wailers and taking iconic photographs. Through eyewitness accounts of vivid scenes—the future star auditioning for Coxson Dodd; the violent confrontation between the Wailers and producer Lee Perry; the attempted assassination (and conspiracy theories that followed); the artist’s tragic death from cancer—So Much Things to Say tells Marley’s story like never before. What emerges is a legendary figure “who feels a bit more human” (The New Yorker).
A journalist’s access to the music icon gives this account an “authenticity that sets the book apart from other biographies about the man and the legend” (Steve Richards, The Independent). The man who introduced reggae to a worldwide audience, Bob Marley was a hero figure in the classic, mythological sense. From humble beginnings, with talent and religious belief his only weapons, the Jamaican recording artist applied himself with unstinting perseverance to spreading his prophetic musical message across the globe. In 1980, on tour, Bob Marley and the Wailers played to the largest audiences a musical act had ever experienced in Europe. Less than a year later, Marley would die, only thirty-six years old. Sales of Marley’s albums before his death were spectacular; in the years since he died, they have been phenomenal. Chris Salewicz interviewed Bob Marley in Jamaica in 1979. Now, for the first time, in this thorough, detailed account of Marley’s life and the world in which he grew up and which he came to dominate, Salewicz brings to life not only the Rastafari religion and the musical scene in Jamaica, but also the spirit of the man himself. Interviews with dozens of people who knew Marley and have never spoken before are woven through the narrative as Salewicz seeks to explain why Marley has become such an enigmatic and heroic figure, loved by millions all over the world. “As gritty, entertaining, and starry-eyed as Marley himself.” —Publishers Weekly “The definitive account of the man and the myth.” —Steve Richards, The Independent “[Salewicz] invades and illuminates Marley’s privacy more effectively than previous biographers.” —Robert Sandall, The Sunday Times (London)
A memoir by the woman who knew Bob Marley best--his wife, Rita. Rita Marley grew up in the slums of Trench Town, Jamaica. Abandoned by her mother at a very young age, she was raised by her aunt. Music ran in Rita's family, and even as a child her talent for singing was pronounced. By the age of 18, Rita was an unwed mother, and it was then that she met Bob Marley at a recording studio in Trench Town. Bob and Rita became close friends, fell in love, and soon, she and her girlfriends were singing backup for the Wailers. At the ages of 21 and 19, Bob and Rita were married. The rest is history: Bob Marley and the Wailers set Jamaica and the world on fire. But while Rita displayed blazing courage, joy, and an indisputable devotion to her husband, life with Bob was not easy. There were his liaisons with other women--some of which produced children and were conducted under Rita's roof. The press repeatedly reported that Bob was unmarried to preserve his "image." But Rita kept her self-respect, and when Bob succumbed to cancer in 1981, she was at his side. In the years that followed, she became a force in her own right -- as the Bob Marley Foundation's spokesperson and a performer in her reggae group, the I-Three. Written with author Hettie Jones, No Woman No Cry is a no-holds-barred account of life with one of the most famous musicians of all time. In No Woman No Cry, readers will learn about the never-before-told details of Bob Marley's life, including: How Rita practiced subsistence farming when first married to Bob to have food for her family. How Rita rode her bicycle into town with copies of Bob's latest songs to sell. How Rita worked as a housekeeper in Delaware to help support her family when her children were young. Why Rita chose to befriend some of the women with whom Bob had affairs and to give them advice on rearing the children they had with Bob. The story of the attack on Bob which almost killed the two of them. Bob's last wishes, dreams, and hopes, as well as the details of his death, such as who came to the funeral (and who didn't).
Explore the entire, incredible journey of Bob Marley and the Wailers, and their enduring legacy, in this unique visual history. More than four decades after Marley’s death, he and his bandmates remain the most famous reggae artists of all time--and one of the most famous bands of all time, period.Illustrated with photos and memorabilia from all phases of their journey, Bob Marley and the Wailers illuminates the lives and times of the man and his collaborators. Their evolution from early-’60s Jamaican ska act to international superstars was not just improbable, but unprecedented for an act from an underdeveloped country. As you make your way through the band’s story, you will see the crucial role they played in establishing reggae as a globally popular form of music, and the influence that the Rastafari movement had on their lives and sound; plus, how Marley’s socially conscious lyrics and actions made him a universal symbol of pride and justice. This beautifully designed volume includes: A complete history of the band, right up to Marley’s untimely death in 1981, and his continuing influence today Fantastic performance and candid off-stage photography Images of rare memorabilia Sidebars from a roster of respected music journalists Coverage of the 2024 Bob Marley biopic One Love This is the definitive illustrated biography of Bob Marley and the Wailers—a must-have for every fan of the world music legend.
In the middle of a depressing youth in a ghetto of Kingston, Jamaica, Robert Nesta Marley sees only one way out: music. And that music will be what Jamaica made of rock and pop locally that had hardly been heard anywhere else: reggae! It is Marley who brings the unmistakable beat of reggae to the entire world. From small stages in Jamaica, his partners, The Wailers, accompany him all the way to the most fabulous world tours and adulation. In addition to a rocketing musical career, the most famous rasta wants to shake things up and proclaim his humanitarian and egalitarian values.
In honor of Bob Marley's seventy-fifth birthday, this glorious oversize book collects more than 150 photographs that celebrate the life and influence of the forefather of reggae and one of the greatest musical and sociopolitical icons of twentieth-century pop culture. Drawing exclusively on photos in the Marley family archives, the book mixes the iconic and the intimate, bringing together striking images of Marley as a performer onstage with unseen glimpses into his creative process in and out of the studio and his family life in Jamaica. Making the most of its oversize pages, the book is designed as a monument to his influence. Focusing on the last decade of his life--the period of his greatest worldwide fame--and with excerpts from unpublished interviews and prophetic quotes alongside the images, this is a definitive portrait of one of the great artists of the twentieth century made by those who knew him best.
Collected from interviews, the words of the most renowned Jamaican singer-songwriter paint an vivid and inspiring picture of the artist who sought to bring faith, unity and love to his listeners through his music and lyrics. 40,000 first printing.
One of the twentieth century’s most iconic cultural figures, Bob Marley was responsible for popularizing reggae music throughout the world. He set attendance records that still stand today and his 1977 Exodus album was hailed by Time magazine as the greatest of the 20th Century. His unique blend of politically conscious lyrics and unforgettable melodies won him legions of fans far beyond the Caribbean. But Marley was no mere pop star: his strong attachment to Rasta beliefs and practices and his fierce hostility to the injustice of "Babylon" made him an important spokesperson for the dispossessed all over the globe. In this new biography, Garry Steckles follows Marley’s eventful life through the early days in rural Jamaica, arrival in Kingston, first recordings and performances to his spectacular status as an international superstar. Throughout he analyzes Marley’s political and religious beliefs, while also concentrating on his relationships with fellow musicians, family and influential figures. A chapter focusing on Marley’s long-term legacy explores what the musician contributed to world music and what the religious believer gave to Rastafarianism.
