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Bob Marley
By Nicole Seck
the story
The Would-Be Nobel Laureate and His Resounding
Drum That Never Stops Beating
BOSS MAGAZINE ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Not only a drum major for peace,
justice, racial equality and universal
love—a legend by far—the echoes
of Marley’s rhythmic reggae
bellows can be heard and spiritually
felt to this very day, as if he were
still alive. Of course the essence
of music is one such that never
truly dies, much like energy can
never be destroyed; it becomes
transferred into another form.
The same analogy could be used
to explain the very nature of the
creation of reggae music pre
and post the Marley era.
The tale of Marley and
childhood companion Neville
Livingston (Bunny Wailer) is one
that will continue to be spoken
of for years to come. The pair
had been known for belting out
tunes together while attending
Nine Mile’s Stepney Primary
and Junior High School. The love
that transpired between the
duo would eventually lead to
the formation of stylistic vocal
group, The Teenagers, which
would later include Bunny,
Livingston, the legendary Peter
Tosh, songstress Beverley Kelso,
Cherry Smith alongside Junior
Brathwaite. Although the group
was heavily embued with vocal
talent, under the informal
tutelage of Higgins (from the wellknown
Higgins and Wilson) Marley
developed an adroitness in playing
the guitar; an instrument that would
make a marked distinction in many
of Marley’s songs, stage shows, and
photographs. The larger “Wailers”
group would soon after dwindle to
become composed of Bunny, Tosh
and Marley.
As we, the receptors of music have
experienced, The Wailers’ “I Shot
the Sheriff” received international
acclaim and made significant
headway amongst fanbases
spanning different musical genres.
With the upbeat track landing in
the hands of British musician Eric
Clapton, who became enamoured
with the song, so much so that he
decidedly recorded a cover of the
song to be featured on his 1974
461 Ocean Boulevard album. The
crossover from strictly roots reggae
became apparent with its reception
being made popular by the likes of
Clapton, whose rendition shot to
#1 of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart
in September of 1974, thereby
orchestrating the emergence of a
universal reception of the Roots,
Rock, Reggae phenomenon.
While it must be acknowledged
with slight modesty that Marley
was the driving force behind
reggae music’s popularity on
an international scale, it is
nevertheless important to give
credit where credit is due. In
this case, paying homage to
Marley falls short if only we
fail to offer a deserving salute
to reggae’s predecessors: ska
and rock steady. Ska and rock
steady evolved in the 50s and
60s, incorporating jazz, rhythm
and blues, bop, rock ‘n’ roll and
punk elements from the United
States. Around the same
time Jamaica was released
from British rule in 1962, we
witnessed the rise in popularity
of jazz and bop in the U.S,
while Jamaicans celebrated
ska and mento at home--music
that they proudly called their
own. Rastafarianism (of which
Marley was a believer) also
rose to gain many followers to
its way of living in the 60s, with
its ritualistic Nyabinghi drum having
said to have been a contributor to
reggae sounds as well.
It is thus not merely a coincidence
that around the time that The
Wailers formed their group in 1963
was around the time that a musical
transition began to occur, allowing
for the establishment of reggae as
a uniquely classified musical genre.
Reggae became distinguished by its
slower, mismatched beats, guitar
chords played in staccato, and often
riveting piano keys which mimicked
the aloofness of the guitar sounds.
Today, the cool, offbeat rhythms
of reggae are recognized as a cool
boy skank or swag that was much
slower paced than its precursors.
Although The Wailers mutually
decide to go their separate ways in
1974, Marley continued to produce
works under the name Bob Marley
and the Wailers. As a solo artist,
not only did Marley’s musical lyrics
profess thoughts of emancipation
and global peace, his active
participation in benefit concerts
such as “Smile Jamaica,” which took
place during the time of Michael
Manley’s leadership in 1976
professed the same, at a time when
the People’s National Party and
the Jamaican Labour Party were at
odds. Despite what many purport
to have been an assassination
attempt on Marley, his spouse,
and manager two days prior to the
concert, due to what some thought
was a concert in support of Manley
and not for unification purposes at
all, an injured Marley nonetheless
had chosen to perform, which
speaks volumes about the
man’s courageous and unityloving
spirit. With the threat of
another onslaught stirring, Marley
performed again in 1978 as part of
the One Love Peace Concert, which
was planned as a way to ameliorate
rising tensions between Jamaica’s
opposing political parties. It is
around the same time that Marley’s
Exodus and Kaya albums had been
released and it is duly noted that
the albums’ contents very much
so promoted ideas of love and
freedom. The highly popular “One
Love” was one of the songs to
appear on the Exodus album and
to date is arguably celebrated as
Marley’s most loved songs.
Ever winning in the musical arena,
Marley set the stage as a band
leader for reggae by having spawned
a widespread and internationally
recognized genre of music. Perhaps
it was Marley’s complex yet cool,
reclined yet relatable nature
that drew massive crowds and
subsequent notoriety his way.
Maybe it was his connection to the
people of the Earth, his compassion
for the underdog, his refrain from
the pomp and the circumstance.
Although everyone has their own
reason for being a Marley fan, the
bottom line remains that Bob was
for the people: not only Jamaican
people, but people of the world.
Having grown up on a farm in the
rural Nine Mile, St. Ann Parish,
Jamaica—essentially cash poor—
Marley’s experiences led to his
connection with the downtrodden
and grassroots movements alike.
Perhaps being the product of a biracial
marriage between his folks,
Ellen Marley, a Jamaican of African
descent, and Norval Marley, of
European descent, made resonating
with the duality amongst binaries
such as those that exist between
Blacks and Whites, the rich and the
cash poor—an easier feat.
A would-be Nobel Laureate I am
sure, posthumously and if in a
position to nominate a candidate
for a Nobel Peace Prize, many would
(without refrain) choose Marley.
Regrettably, back in 1974 the de jure
Statutes of the Nobel Foundation
established that Prizes could not be
handed out to deceased persons,
with the exception of cases where
awardees were alive at the time
that their nominations and awards
had been set.
Following in their Father’s
footsteps, Marley’s children—most
notably, Damion, Ziggy, Stephen
and Kymani—have managed
quite successfully to continue
the luminescence that is their
legendary father’s name and
reputation. The pastiche that is
connected to Marley’s legacy is one
that was before Marley and after
Marley—perpetual. Music is truly
a universal language that connects
us all. Indeed Marley played an
exceptional role in seeing to it that
during a highly contentious time
in the political affairs of the U.S.,
with the civil rights movement and
in Jamaica, with warring political
parties, there was a voice that
took our attention away from the
fighting and sought to appease our
souls. Thank you Bob Marley. We
salute you.
Nikki is an educator and writer,
whose musings cover a wide range
of topics incuding but, not limited
to: politics, love, education and
cultural criticism. You can follow
her on Twitter @artculturemusic.
WINTER 2013 BOSS MAGAZINE
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