Bob Marley or Robert Nesta Marley was born in 1945 in Trenchtown. This is actually a little slumming Kingston and if you ever listened to his album, what he refers to Trenchtown, he’s actually referring to the place where he was born.
He actually at fourteen started working as a welder’s assistant. But it’s also around this time that he started hanging out with Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh. Peter Tosh was actually killed several years back but his name that until very recently was also synonymous with the Reggae Movement.
Now what makes somebody like Bob Marley very special is that he was a Rastafarian. He lived in Jamaica but he took reggae music and he not only popularized it in the western culture and made it sort of acceptable and likable to a major white audience in the United States. He also was able to use this music emerge and mobilize people and in order to encourage peace and activism and in order to talk about the oppressed situation in which he had grown up.
Another thing about Bob Marley is that he is not like the other musicians who died of excess. Bob Marley actually died of cancer in his toe. A lot of people don’t realize he was a devoted Rastafarian. He didn’t really think if there was anything wrong. He didn’t get it checked out until it was much too late and then it spread. Bob Marley actually died of cancer at a very, very young age.
Some fun and interesting facts about Bob Marley of Ohio really liked. Those of you who are Lauren Hill fans today, I don’t know if you realized but one of my favorite Lauren Hill’s song is called ‘Zion’. It’s about her child whose she’s bringing into the world. Now, the father of this child is actually Bob Marley’s son. Lauren Hill’s child is actually Bob Marley’s grandchild. His son Ziggy has gone on and has carried on a lot of his work and has continued. Some of his kids also have become really good musicians there although Ziggy Marley family is the most prominent today.
Another really fantastic thing about Bob Marley is just that his music is so easy to listen to. It’s upbeat and I don’t know about you but when I was a kid, I found my dad’s final copy of Bob Marley Legend and it really just changed my life. I mean I can see the whole different way of looking at music.
So, Bob Marley, for just being a great guy, for being a guy who used his music to combat racism and for a man who was able to popularize an entire genre in north America. This guy is high on the module meter and we salute you Bob.
So, on our men with Mojo list, Bob Marley.
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