Bob Marley: His Music and Legacy

Bob Marley’s lifetime of creativity originated in Jamaica and became the foundation of inspiration that spread messages of hope, justice, and understanding around the world. In this exhibit, discover Marley's spirit of love and unity, and celebrate the enduring legacy of his music, work, philosophy, and life.

Despite the poverty, despair and various unsavory activities that sustained some ghetto dwellers, Trench Town was also a culturally rich community where Bob's abundant musical talents were nurtured. A lifelong source of inspiration, Bob immortalized Trench Town in his songs “No Woman No Cry” (1974), “Trench Town Rock” (1975) and “Trench Town”, the latter released posthumously in 1983.

By the early 1960s, the island’s music industry was beginning to take shape and its development gave birth to an indigenous popular Jamaican music form called ska. A local interpretation of American soul and R&B, with an irresistible accent on the offbeat, ska exerted a widespread influence on poor Jamaican youth while offering a welcomed escape from their otherwise harsh realities. Within the burgeoning Jamaican music industry, the elusive lure of stardom was now a tangible goal for many ghetto youths.

In 1971, Bob went to Sweden to collaborate on a film score with American singer Johnny Nash. Bob secured a contract with Nash’s label CBS Records and by early 1972, the Wailers were in London promoting their single Reggae On Broadway. CBS, however, had little faith in their success and abruptly abandoned the group there.

Bob paid a chance visit to the London offices of Island Records and the result was a meeting with label founder Chris Blackwell. He sought the finances to record a single but Blackwell suggested the group record an album and advanced them £4,000, an unheard of sum to be given to a Jamaican act.

Following the successful Catch A Fire Tour, the Wailers promptly recorded their second album for Island Records, Burnin, which was released in October 1973. Featuring some of Bob’s most celebrated songs “Burnin” introduced their timeless anthem of insurgency “Get Up Stand Up” and “I Shot The Sheriff,” which Eric Clapton covered and took to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Clapton’s cover significantly elevated Bob Marley’s international profile, the same year that Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the group.

Three months after the Smile Jamaica concert, Bob flew to London where he lived for the next year and a half; there he recorded the albums Exodus (1977) and Kaya (1978). Exodus’ title track provided a call for change, “the movement of Jah people,” incorporating spiritual and political concerns into its groundbreaking amalgam of reggae, rock and soul-funk.

A second single, the sultry dance tune “Jamming” became a British top 10 hit. The Exodus album remained on the UK charts for a staggering 56 consecutive weeks, bringing a level of commercial success to Bob Marley & The Wailers that had previously eluded the band.

In a more laid back vein, the Kaya album hit no. 4 on the British charts, propelled by the popularity of the romantic singles “Satisfy My Soul” and “Is This Love?” Kaya’s title track extols the herb Marley used throughout his lifetime; the somber “Running Away,” and the haunting “Time Will Tell” are deep reflections on the December 1976 assassination attempt.

The release of Kaya coincided with Bob Marley’s triumphant return to Jamaica for a performance at the One Love Peace Concert, held on April 22, 1978 at Kingston’s National Stadium. The event was another effort aimed at curtailing the rampant violence stemming from PNP-JLP rivalries; the event featured 16 popular reggae acts and was dubbed a “Third World Woodstock.”

In the concert’s most memorable scenario, Bob Marley invited JLP leader Edward Seaga and Prime Minister Michael Manley onstage. As the Wailers pumped out the rhythm to “Jamming,” Bob urged the politicians to shake hands; clasping his left hand over theirs, he raised their arms aloft and chanted “Jah Rastafari.”

In recognition of his courageous attempt to bridge Jamaica’s cavernous political divide, Bob traveled to the United Nations in New York where he received the organization’s Medal of Peace on June 15, 1978.

Bob Marley served as a world ambassador for reggae music and sold more than 20 million records throughout his career—making him the first international superstar to emerge from the so-called Third World.

He posthumously was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; in December 1999, his 1977 album Exodus was named album of the century by TIME magazine and his song One Love was designated song of the millennium by the BBC. Since its release in 1984, Bob’s Legend compilation has annually sold over 250,000 copies according to Nielsen Sound Scan, and it is only the 17th album to exceed sales of 10 million copies since SoundScan began its tabulations in 1991.

In 2000, Bob received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the next year, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone named him one of the greatest artists of all time (#11). In 2006, the bustling stretch of Church Avenue, between Remsen Avenue and east 98th street in Brooklyn, was co-named Bob Marley Boulevard—a significant development for the Caribbean community. In 2010, The Wailers’ album Catch A Fire was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2012, Los Angeles declared August 7th as "Bob Marley Day."

In celebration of what would have been his 68th birthday, the 55th Annual Grammy Awards in 2013 featured an all-star tribute to Bob featuring performances by Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Sting, and his sons Ziggy and Damian Marley. Directly connecting the dots between today’s sounds and the reggae legend’s illustrious career, the performance proved that Bob has the ultimate staying power.