Bob Marley Essay -- Rastafari Reggae Music

Thesis Statement: Bob Marley’s life affected his writing and contributed to the development of his poetry. Bob Marley is without a doubt the greatest musician a third world country ever produced. Through Rastafari ideas, he influenced many others with songs that touched the lives of millions with his constant message of unity. His wisdom through experience helped him achieve a grand distinction over other artists. In the year 1944, Captain Norvol Marley, a middle-aged white marine officer, married a young Jamaican girl named Cedilla Booker. On February 6, 1945 at two thirty in the morning their son, Robert Nesta Marley, otherwise known as Bob Marley was born in his grandfather’s house (The Story). Soon after Bob was born his father left his mother. Bob’s Father did, however give financial support and occasionally arranged to see his son. It was now the late fifties and jobs were scarce in Jamaica. Bob followed his mother from their home in St. Ann to Trenchtown (West Kingston) to seek employment in the big city.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trenchtown got its name because it was built over a ditch, which drained the sewage of old, Kingston. In Trenchtown Bob spent a lot of his time with his good friend Neville Livingston, who people called by his nickname, Bunny. He began to attend a music class with Bunny, which was held by the famous Jamaican singer Joe Higgs. In that class they met Peter Macintosh and soon became good friends. When Bob was 16, he started to follow his dream of becoming a musician. According to Michael Anderson, â€Å"Music to many young Jamaicans was an escape from the harshness of everyday life† (Anderson, 1). Bob’s life looked brighter on February 10, 1966 when he married girlfriend Rita Anderson. Rita gave birth to their first born whom they named Cedilla. Stephen, Sharon, and Ziggy then followed Cedilla.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bob Marley had quite a massive rà ©sumà © for his artistic career. It first started when he met Jimmy Cliff, who at the age of 14 had already recorded a couple of hit songs. After meeting Bob, Jimmy introduced him to Leslie Kong, a local record producer. Bob followed his advice and auditioned for Leslie Kong (Lieblich, 7). Bob’s musical talents shone much more brightly than anyone else that day and found him in the studio recording his first single â€Å"Judge Not†. Unfortunately neither â€Å"Judge Not† nor his 1962 single â€Å"One More Cup of Coffee† did very wel... .... He used his ideas and beliefs not to create but to solve problems. The life he lived as a Rasta allowed him to generate songs that are treasured significantly. It has always been said legends never die and with such musical genius, Bob Marley’s legend will live on. BIBLIOGRAPHY Hauler, Joe. â€Å"Bob Marley Biography.† MSN Search. Online. Available Online. 3 Nov. 2001. Available at http:/www.rollingstone.com/artist/bio.asp?oid=185. Lieblich, Julia. â€Å"Beyond Dreads, To Roots of Rastafari,† Star Tribune, B 7, August 15, 1998. Marley, Rita. â€Å"Remembering Bob Marley,† Essence. 16: 18, February 1, 1995. Michael Anderson. â€Å"The Biggest Tribute To Bob Marley.† Lycos. 20 Mar. 1998. Online. America Online. 4 Nov. 2001. Available at http:/www.thirdfield.com/. Mirkin, Steve. â€Å"Roots Rock Reggae,† Rolling Stone. 24: 13, April 15, 1998. Salewicz Chris. â€Å"American Music ‘50s Rhythm and blues Influence Bob Marley: Google. Online. Internet. 1995. Available at http:/www.bobmarley.com/life/musical/influences/Americanmusic/index.html. Sisano, Ben. â€Å"All-Star Tribute To Jamaica’s Native Son,† New York Times, III 55, December 19, 1999. The Story. Chicago: Thames and Hudson, 1996.