Robert Nesta Marley was born on 6 February 1945 on the island of Jamaica. He had a white father and a black (teenage) mother. At the age of 14, Robert left his parental home to start a music career.
In 1962, his first single 'Judge Not' was released. A year later, he formed a group with other singers: Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingstone, Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso, and Cherry Smith. The group's name was The Teenagers. Later, this became The Wailing Rudeboys and then shortened to The Wailers. In 1981, the Rastafari succumbed to cancer and died at a young age.
Influence
Bob Marley's music from Jamaica has influenced countless artists and music genres. Posthumous work has also been released (Iron Lion Zion in 1992). In 1999, the tribute album Chant Down Babylon was released, featuring artists such as Erykah Badu, Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), and Lauryn Hill ('Turn Your Lights Down Low').
On 30 May 1980, Bob Marley unknowingly began the last tour of his life: the 'Uprising Tour'. Eleven days after the start of the tour, the album Uprising was released. The tour was intended to promote this new album. On 13 June 1980, Bob Marley & The Wailers, together with his backing choir the I Threes, performed at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. Dortmund was one of many places where the group played, but according to those present, this was a performance never to be forgotten. It was sweltering hot in the hall, and condensed water dripped from the ceiling. The hall was also filled with cannabis smoke and the wonderful music of Bob Marley. With songs such as 'No Woman, No Cry', 'Redemption Song', and 'Could You Be Loved', he left beautiful memories for the fans present. The 'Uprising Tour' started on 30 May 1980 in Zurich and ended in September 1980 in the United States. Almost a year after the performance in Dortmund, on 11 May 1981, he died at the age of 36 from cancer.
Top 2000
Bob Marley has a total of nine entries in the Top 2000. 'No Woman No Cry' is at number 269. At number 185 in the 2020 Top 2000 list is ‘Three Little Birds’ by Bob Marley & The Wailers from 1977.
Sunday Morning Classic: Live! At the Lyceum
On 11 April 2021, Bob and his Wailers took the stage at our Sunday Morning Classics with the album Live! At the Lyceum.
After five prestigious shows at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, the band had three days off. Time for some rest and the journey to England, where the Lyceum Theatre was booked. The theatre had an estimated capacity of 2,100 people. When tickets went on sale, they sold out within a few hours, which was quite an achievement for an artist who did not have many records to his name. But something was brewing; Bob Marley and reggae were on their way to an unstoppable rise. During the concerts, the police had their hands full with thousands of people who showed up without tickets. What stood out was that the audience was a 50-50 black-white mix. Bob Marley's appeal was enormous.
As the title suggests, these are indeed Bob Marley & the Wailers, captured during a performance at the Lyceum Ballroom in London during the final UK leg of the Natty Dread tour.
Passionate and symbiotic energies constantly circulate between the band and the audience, resulting in one of the most memorable concert recordings of the pop music era.
With the addition of lead guitarist Al Anderson during the recording sessions for their previous album, Natty Dread, the Wailers took increasingly bigger steps towards a seamless transition to the consciousness of the rock music audience.
Anderson's bluesy guitar brings both "Burnin' and Lootin'" and "Trenchtown Rock", the only new composition on Live!
Anderson floats and weaves his smooth fretwork between the somewhat laid-back rhythms common to reggae.
The mutual affinity that Marley binds with his audience is clearly evident from the approving roar greeting the opening notes of 'Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)', 'I Shot the Sheriff', and 'Kinky Reggae'. Likewise, "No Woman, No Cry" evokes a group of sing-alongs, as the enormous volume of the audience challenges the amplified musicians. With this evidence, it is undeniable that Bob Marley & the Wailers became the most unlikely pop music icons. Moreover, Live! underscores the underrated talents of the Wailers as musicians. Older works such as "Burnin' and Lootin'" and "I Shot the Sheriff" benefit greatly from Tyrone Downie's keyboard punctuation and the soulful backing vocals of the I-Threes.
Live! shows Marley and the band in top form.
Source: Jan Liebregts and NPO Photo: Eddie Mallin
