(The group’s early work can be heard on numerous anthologies, including 1990’s The Birth of a Legend.) They disbanded in 1966, and Marley moved to Delaware, but returned home in 1967, reunited the old group and began fitting together the pieces of what would come to be known as reggae: a rhythmic style that was then gaining popularity in Jamaica, belief in Ras Tafari and its attendant effects (marijuana use, dreadlocks, language, politics, etc.) and a bottom-heavy production sound learned from producer Lee Perry and his studio’s mighty rhythm section (bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett and his drummer brother Carlton, both of whom became Wailers).īy the early ’70s, the reggae revolution was in full swing in Jamaica, and the timely interest of Island Records was all it took to introduce this local phenomenon to the rest of the world. In the early ’60s, the Wailin’ Wailers - basically Marley, Neville Livingstone (aka Bunny Wailer) and Peter MacKintosh (later Tosh) - were Jamaica’s leading ska band, taking their cues from American R&B as much as an indigenous form called mento. And by building his art on a platform of esoteric religious faith and progressive Third World politics, Marley demonstrated a rare degree of defiance and courage for a global celebrity, and that has made him an enduring political/cultural hero to many. By exploding Eurocentric myths about the vitality and value of cultures beyond the borders of Britain and the US, he encouraged widespread cultural curiosity, as well as sparking the rediscovery of their heritage by countless people of color. Carrying the homegrown sounds of a small Caribbean island to Europe, Africa and America, he is directly responsible for a rhythm and a style that has moved millions and influenced every form of popular music for the past two decades.
It is safe to say that the world would be a very different - and vastly poorer - place were it not for Bob Marley.