1979 Adrian Boot
FIFTY-SIX HOPE ROAD MUSIC, LTD.
FIFTY-SIX HOPE ROAD MUSIC, LTD.
Bob Marley is considered by many to be one most influential musicians of all time. His album Legend went ten times platinum in the U.S and was ranked forty-six in Rollin Stones best five hundred albums. Bob Marley spread a message of love and peace and fought against racism and inequality through his music and way of life.
Bob Marley was born February 6, 1945 on his mother farm in the poor section of Jamaica. His mother Cedella was black and his father Captain Norval Sinclair Marley was white. Because of his mixed heritage and short stature he was the target of discrimination and bullying. Bob Marley commented on this saying “I don’t have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don’t dip on nobody’s side. Me don’t dip on the black man’s side nor the white man’s side. Me dip on God’s side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white.”Though Bob was sent to live with his father for a short time when he was young, he never really knew his father very well. Captain Marley died while Bob was young.. Cedella moved to Kinston to earn a better living and soon sent for Bob to come live with her in the Kingston west side ghetto called Trench town.
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In trench town Bob started listening to the radio and developing musical talent with his friends Neville “Bunny” Livingstone and Peter Tosh. At sixteen he recorded his first song “Judge Not” “One Cup of Coffee” and “Terror”. A record producer Clement Dodd gave Bob a room in the back of the studio to stay in while he was recording in exchange for favors. One of these favors included coaching a vocal group, where he met his wife to be, Rita Anderson, whom he married in 1966. While under Dodd Bob Marley recorded “One Love”. The song incorporated all the things that he has been known to stand for Peace, Love, and Unity.
Bob had a lull in his music after “One Love” until 1973. During this down period Bob moved to Willimington, Delaware with his wife and mother. He worked various jobs in Delaware trying to earn enough money to start his own record company in Jamaica. While in Delaware Bob did pursue music but did not agree with the record producers. His producers tried to persuade him to water down the Rastafarian themes in his music and he responded saying “Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold…” Bob then moved his family back to Jamaica so that he could earn a living working in a factory.
