Bob Marley

Robert Nesta Marley, aka Bob Marley, was born on February 6, 1945, in Jamaica.  From 1963 - 1981 he sang and played rhythm guitar for the ska and reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers. Marley is accredited for bringing Jamaican music, as well as Rastafarian beliefs, to the world. He is the first pop superstar from a Third World country. He recorded thirteen albums during the years of 1965 and 1983. Exodus (1977)  has been labeled the best album of the 20th century by Time magazine in 1999. Many of the lyrics in Marley's songs tell the tales of his homeland's social issues. Others talk of his mixed races and his Rastafarian beliefs. The following are some of this best known songs: "No Woman, No Cry", Get Up Stand Up", "One Love", "Redemption Song", "Stir It Up", "Buffalo Solider", "Three Little Birds", and "I Shot the Sheriff". Marley had three children with his wife Rita, adopted two from her previous relationships, and has listed another six on his official website all born of different mothers. In July of 1977, a malignant melanoma was found under one of Marley's toes. Doctors suggested amputation of the toe, but Marley rejected this idea due to his religious beliefs. Instead Marley charted a world wide tour. He performed his last concert on September 23, 1980. His health deteriorated shortly as the cancer had spread throughout his body. He cancelled the rest of the tour to undergo a controversial type of cancer therapy. He fought the cancer without success. Marley died in a Miami, FL, hospital on the morning of May, 11, 1981. He is buried in Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica, with his Gibson Les Paul.