 Born February 6, 1945 as Nest Robert Marley  Inter-racial parents  Mother Jamaican of African descent  Father of English descent  Marley stated later in life he was a “half- caste”  Played important role in life and career

 Introduced to music at young age in Kingston  Lived in an area of poverty called Trench Town ▪ Area was rich in culture  He lived and grew up with Bunny Wailer  Shared love for music  Made music from bamboo, cans, electric wire, etc.  Learned harmonies from local singer Joe Higgs  Listened to radio stations broadcasted from New Orleans

 Multitude of influences on life and career  Social, political and cultural issues of his hometown and Jamaica  Devout Rastafarian ▪ Numerous lyrical references to peace, equality, and faith  Found inspiration in all facets of life

 Bob and Bunny were introduced to Peter Tosh in 1963 and started The Wailers  First single, “Simmer Down”  The Wailers got a break in 1972 with Island Records deal  Started touring the US and UK  “I Shot the Sheriff” was a huge hit and topped the charts in the US

 In 1975, Rita Marley (Bob’s wife), and other female backup vocalists joined and released “Natty Dread”  “No Woman No Cry” depicts struggles faced growing up in Trench Town  The album “Rastaman Vibration” was released in 1976  Only album to reach top 10 on Billboard’s Top 200  The lyrics in “War” caused controversy from Rastafarian influence, led to an assassination attempt

 “Exodus” was the ninth studio album released in 1977  Arguably considered their best work  Named Album of the Century by Time Magazine in 1999  Top hits include: “Jammin,” Turn Your Lights Down Low,” and “One Love” ▪ Lyrics in “Jammin” mock assassin saying, “No bullet can stop us now”

 July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with cancer  Decided against amputation ▪ Influenced by Rastafarian beliefs ▪ Mostly did not because he would not be able to dance and his football (aka soccer to Americans) game would be severely affected  Sought out holistic approach to treatment, but eventually cancer spread  He died on his way home to Jamaica on May 11, 1981 in Miami, Florida at age of 36.

 1980, “Uprising”  Last studio album released before his death  “Redemption Song” last track ▪ Solo acoustic ballad with Marley playing his guitar, not traditional Reggae sound ▪ Coming to terms with his approaching death

 1974, “Natty Dread”  “No Woman No Cry” ▪ Written by Marley, but composer credit to childhood friend, Vincent Ford, from Trench Town ▪ Marley’s way to repay friend for helping him out when he was poor ▪ Lyrical references to leaving hometown, and not forgetting the good and bad experiences

 1977, “Exodus”  “One Love” ▪ Originally recorded in 1965 by The Wailers ▪ Contains lyrics of The Impressions song, “People Get Ready” written by Curtis Mayfield  Marley’s passion for love, peace, and equality were behind the song

 “Redemption” (3:47 min)  0:00 Intro: Song begins with a solo from an guitar, staccato with melancholy feeling  0:18 Verse 1: Solo vocals begin with a true sound of Marley's unique vocal tone and range  0:52 Chorus : The chorus remains slow with lead vocal and guitar playing  1:14 Verse 2: The guitar tempo remains the same and lead vocals flex between low to high in range

 “Redemption” continued…  1:47 Chorus: same – slow tempo  2:14 Guitar Bridge: Guitar solo with the same melody and addition cords  2:30 Verse 3: Vocals incorporate a staccato articulation, vocals are sang at a higher range  3:02 Chorus : same – slow tempo  3:47 Song ends

 “No Woman No Cry-Live” (7:08)  0.00 Intro: Consists of the chorus and band playing at a slow tempo  0:52 Chorus: Chorus is sung by Bob Marley at a slow tempo, he quickly changes his vocal range several times  1:15 Verse 1: keyboard plays a melody complimenting the vocals, percussion is keeping the beat steady by using a snare drum and a high-hat  2:06 Chorus: Chorus starts with vocals at a low pitch, percussion keeps a constant rhythm

 “No Woman No Cry-Live” (7:08) continued…  2:29 Verse 2: Tempo remains slow, vocal range starts with a mid range switching to a high range pitch with a raspy tone  3:20 Bridge: Vocals, band, percussion and audience develop a faster and staccato Rhythm  3:45 Chorus: Vocal, band tempo and rhythm is slowed back down  4:07 Bridge (guitar): Vocals end, solo electric guitar riff

 “No Woman No Cry-Live” (7:08) continued…  4:58 Verse 3: Vocals begin again his voice sounds strained trying to sing higher raspy notes. Tone of is louder, band is consistent with a louder sound  5:47 Chorus: Vocals transition to a low pitch, followed by backup singers repeating what was sung  6:36 Coda: At this point all vocals end and all that can be heard is the chorus being played by electric guitar along with the bass and percussion.  7:08 Song ends with applause by audience.

 “One Love” (2:52)  0:00 Intro: The melody displays the classic off beat rhythm of Reggae, steel drum are being played  0:15 Chorus: Vocals are slow, off beat in tempo and melodic  0:47 Verse 1: Vocals have a smooth melody and tone, backup singers add a vocal counter melody  1:12 Chorus: A bell is added with the percussion and is being timed to play on the offbeat,vocals continue to be melodic, variations in pitch are a bit higher.

 “One Love” (2:52) continued…  1:43 Verse 2: Backup singers are adding a counter melody to the lead vocals as well as singing synchronized with lead vocal  2:08 Chorus: Vocals are being emphasized more as the song draws to an end  2: 32 Coda: Vocals slowly lower pitch, band lowers tone as song draws to an end  2:52 Song ends

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