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Singer-songwriter Robert Nesta Marley (a. k. a Singer-songwriter Robert Nesta Marley (a.k.a. Bob Marley) was born on February 6, 1945 in the mountain village of Nine Mile, Jamaica. His mother was Cadella Malcolm Marley and his father was a British quartermaster named Captain Norman Marley. His parents divorced in 1957 when he was 12. That same year he and his mother moved to Trenchtown. As a teenager, Marley soon became friends with Peter Tosh and Neville Livingston (a.k.a. Bunny Wailer). In 1963 they started a band that was originally called Wailing Rudeboys, then the Wailing Wailers, and then to just the Wailers .

In 1967, Marley converted the Rastafarian religion In 1967, Marley converted the Rastafarian religion. This theme showed up in his music there after. When Marley’s mom left Jamaica to find work, Marley usually stayed at a friends house. Dodd took Marley in and became like a father figure to him. He let Marley live in the back room at the recording studio. In return, Marley coach a vocal group named the Soulettes. While coaching the Soulettes is how Marley met his wife, Rita Anderson. They got married in 1966. The day after the wedding, Marley left to go live with his mom in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1972, he became a songwriter for Johnny Nash and created the first reggae international hit “Stir It Up”.

They sought an alliance with Chris Blackwell in the 1970s. As their popularity increased they grew farther apart. They went to London in April 1973 to embark on a club tour. They came back 3 months later because Bunny didn’t like having to leave Jamaica for long periods of time to go on tours. He was replaced with the Wailers’ original singing teacher, Joe Higgs. Peter Tosh didn’t like Chris Blackwell for trying to make Marley the focus of the group. He was by the I-Threes, a female group that included Marley’s wife Rita with Marcia Gtiffths and Judy Mowatt Tosh and Bunny each became solo artist in the mid-1970s. The Wailers’ first hit was “Simmer Down” and by 1972 they had recorded 4 albums.

Bob Marley gave a “Smile Jamaica” on December 3, 1976. Shortly before the concert was to take place, seven gunmen stormed into Marley’s home in the ensuing gunfire. Despite the assassination attempt, the concert went on as scheduled. The concert had an audience of 80,000 people. Marley, bandaged and unable to strum his guitar, climbed onto the stage to begin a blistering ninety-minute set. Immediately after the “Smile Jamaica” concert, Marley left the country. In 1978, Marley hurt his foot playing soccer. The toe became cancerous and doctors advised him to get it amputated but this was against Rasta beliefs. Bob Marley died on May 11, 1981 of toe and lung cancer and liver failure in Miami, Florida.