BOB MARLEY BIOGRAPHY - AGE, CAREER, SONGS & FACTS

Bob Marley (1945–1981) took Jamaican reggae to every corner of the world — frontman of Bob Marley & The Wailers, peace advocate, and one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Read the One Love lyrics — his timeless anthem.

Image: Ueli Frey, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Early Life

Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, according to biographical reports including Wikipedia. The Jamaican singer-songwriter and guitarist spent his childhood in the rural village of Nine Mile before moving to Kingston, where the music of the city’s Trench Town neighborhood helped shape the artist he would become.

Career

Marley rose to global fame as the frontman of Bob Marley & The Wailers, becoming reggae’s greatest ambassador and a leading voice of Rastafari culture around the world. His key studio albums, according to reports, include Catch a Fire (1973), Burnin’ (1973), Natty Dread (1974), Rastaman Vibration (1976), Exodus (1977) — named Time Magazine’s Album of the Century in 1999 — Kaya (1978) and Uprising (1980).

His signature songs include “One Love/People Get Ready”, “No Woman, No Cry”, “Is This Love”, “Redemption Song”, “Three Little Birds”, “Get Up, Stand Up”, “Jamming” and “Buffalo Soldier”. In 1978 he performed at the One Love Peace Concert in Kingston, where he famously joined the hands of rival political leaders Michael Manley and Edward Seaga on stage — a moment widely reported as a lasting symbol of his message of peace.

Legacy

Bob Marley died on May 11, 1981, in Miami, Florida, after a battle with melanoma, at the age of 36, according to reports. His honors include induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, and being named the BBC’s Artist of the Millennium in 1999.

His children include musicians Ziggy Marley, Stephen Marley, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Ky-Mani Marley, as well as daughter Cedella Marley, and the Marley family has carried his musical legacy forward for new generations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Bob Marley born and when did he die?
Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Mile, Jamaica, and died on May 11, 1981, in Miami, Florida, at the age of 36.

What is Bob Marley most famous for?
Marley is most famous as the frontman of Bob Marley & The Wailers and as the global ambassador of reggae music, with timeless songs such as “One Love”, “No Woman, No Cry” and “Redemption Song”.

What was the One Love Peace Concert?
Held in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1978, the One Love Peace Concert was a landmark event where Marley famously joined the hands of rival political leaders Michael Manley and Edward Seaga on stage in a gesture of unity.

Which Bob Marley album was named Album of the Century?
Exodus (1977) was named Time Magazine’s Album of the Century in 1999.