Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Miles, Saint Ann, Jamaica, to Norval Marley and Cedella Booker. His father, Norval, was a Jamaican of English descent, and his mother, Cedella, was a black teenager. The couple married in 1944, but Norval left for Kingston immediately after, and they never lived together as a family. Norval died in 1957, and Bob saw him only a few times before his death.
Bob Marley started his music career with the Wailers, a group he formed with Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston in 1963. The group went through several lineup changes, with Bob, Tosh, and Livingston being the core members. Marley married Rita Marley in February 1966, and she introduced him to Rastafarianism, which had a profound impact on his music and life.
The Wailers collaborated with Lee Scratch Perry, resulting in some of their finest tracks, including "Soul Rebel", "Duppy Conquerer", "400 Years", and "Small Axe". However, the collaboration ended bitterly when Perry sold the records without their consent, leading to the Wailers' music being brought to the attention of Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records.
Blackwell signed the Wailers and produced their first album, "Catch a Fire", which was followed by "Burnin'", featuring tracks such as "Get Up Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff". Eric Clapton's cover of the latter song reached #1 in the US. In 1974, Tosh and Livingston left the Wailers to pursue solo careers, and Marley formed the band "Bob Marley and the Wailers" with his wife Rita and other backup singers.
During this period, Marley released several groundbreaking albums, including "Natty Dread", "Rastaman Vibration", and "Exodus", which remained on the British charts for 56 straight weeks. Marley's music introduced reggae to the western world and established him as an international artist.
In 1977, Marley consulted with a doctor about a wound on his toe that would not heal, and the diagnosis revealed malignant melanoma. Marley refused to have his toe amputated, claiming it contradicted his Rastafarian beliefs, and the cancer was kept secret from the public while he continued working.
Marley returned to Jamaica in 1978 and released "Survival" in 1979, followed by a successful European tour. In 1980, he participated in the independence ceremony of Zimbabwe and started an American tour to reach black audiences in the US. However, he collapsed while jogging in Central Park on September 21, 1980, and the cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and stomach. Bob Marley died in a Miami hospital on May 11, 1981, at the age of 36.
