Bob Nesta Marley was born in Nine Miles, Jamaica and would have been 80 years old this week.
As aa teenager he worked as a welder alongside another reggae singer, Desmond Dekker. Dekker auditioned for the legendary producer Leslie Kong with one of his own songs, Honour Your Mother and Father. Dekker then introduced Marley to Kong and Marley auditioned with the same song and was signed. Marley’s version became a local hit.
In 1957, at the age of 12, his family moved to Trenchtown, six years later he recorded four songs for Kong and one of them, Pne Cup of Coffee was released under the pseudonym Bobby Martell.
Later in 1963, he joined Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh and Junior Braithwaite in a group called the Teenagers but soon changed their name to the Wailing Rudeboys. That didn’t last and soon became the Wailing Wailers. At this point they were discovered by another legendary reggae producer, Coxone Dodd and advised them to drop the ‘wailing’ and become Bob Marley & the Wailers.
His debut UK hit was No Woman No Cry recorded live at the Lyceum Ballroom in the Strand in London. In 1977, he was diagnosed with a type of melanoma under the nail of his right big toe and nothing to do with the rumour that Danny Baker contributed to his death. He died on 11th May 1981 and was given a state funeral in Jamaica.
Let’s enjoy his 1978 single Is This Love.