Today marks the anniversary of the birth of reggae legend Bob Marley.
Marley was not only known for being a trailblazing artist, but his messages of peace, love and Rastafari culture saw the legend cement himself as a revered political figure and social activist.
His influence runs deep.
Artists such as Sly & Robbie, Sting, One Drop, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder to Elvis Costello have all cited Marley’s profound influence on their careers, and the list could go on.
His words and his music inspire us all to live life to the fullest and freest.
Here are Five Bob Marley Quotes to Live By:
On Freedom:
“None but ourselves can free our minds.”
On Self-worth:
“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”
On Love:
“The winds that sometimes take something we love, are the same that bring us something we learn to love. Therefore we should not cry about something that was taken from us, but, yes, love what we have been given. Because what is really ours is never gone forever.”
On Opportunities:
“When one door is closed, don’t you know that many more are open”
On His Legacy:
“My music will go on forever. Maybe it’s a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever.”
About Bob Marley
Born in the parish of St. Ann, Jamaica, on February 6, 1945, his childhood friend, Neville “Bunny” O’Riley Livingston, inspired him to learn to play the guitar. Growing up in poverty in Trench Town was hard, but Marley used music as an outlet. Soon after, Livingston’s father and Marley’s mother became involved in the young men’s fledgling careers. According to Christopher John Farley’s Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley, they all lived together for a time in Kingston.
Reggae musician Joe Higgs, who, along with Roy Wilson, formed the duo Higgs and Wilson, mentored Marley. Marley then met another Higgs student, Peter McIntosh (Peter Tosh), who would play an important role in Marley’s career.
Marley linked up with record producer Leslie Kong and released his first single, “Judge Not,” in 1962. The single was not a hit. The following year, Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh formed the Wailing Wailers and their first single, “Simmer Down,” shot to the top of the Jamaican charts in January 1964. Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso and Cherry Smith had also joined the group.
Marley met singer Alpharita Constantia Anderson, or Rita, in the mid-1960s. The pair fell in love and married on February 10, 1966, when Rita was only 19. Rita already had a child from a previous relationship. Marley adopted two of Rita’s children. The couple would go on to have three more children.
Marley and the Wailers regularly scored hits on the charts in the United Kingdom. However, his highest Billboard hit, “Roots, Rock, Reggae.” reached just number 51 in the Billboard charts.” Marley still ranks as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of more than 75 million records worldwide.
Bob Marley passed away, aged just 36, at the Cedars Of Lebanon Hospital in Miami on May 11, 1981, from acral lentiginous melanoma, which is a form of skin cancer. Rita Marley never divorced her husband. They were married until the end.
