When asked what is reggae music, a great man by the name of Robert Nesta Marley answered, "Reggae music is like news, the people’s music, history of the people for the people..." This is exactly what he preached, sang and died for. On February 6th 1945 a young 18 year old women by the name of Cedella Booker gave birth to a baby boy in northern Jamaica. His father, with the name of Norval Marley was a 5o year old British quartermaster whom Bob rarely saw. In the late 1950's Bob and his mother moved to a small town named Trechtown in Jamaica's capital of Kingston. His surrounding would later influence him to right a song by the name of "Concrete Jungle" due to the cement housed that where built after a hurricane hit Jamaica. There he found his first musical influences by listening to American artists like the amazing pianist Ray Charles, the smooth jazz sounds of Nat King Cole as well as Fats Domino's rock 'n' roll. Bob started off practicing his vocals with friends Neville O'Riley Livingston better known as Bunny Wailer and Peter McIntosh, the three would later form a group by the name is "The Wailing Wailers." Although Bob was highly influenced by the American rhythm and blues his true love was for the spunky back beat music of ska. Bob traveled to America to further peruse his career in music but soon found himself back in Jamaica with a new slower tempo called "rock steady." The true positive beat and rhythm of reggae music came together during Bob's homecoming after joining back up with band mates Bunny and Peter. They found themselves later in Britain where fame and fortune would come knocking at the rarely heard reggae music door. Here the three wrote there first album "Catch a Fire." Marley's hit "I shot the sheriff" got lots of American support when Eric Clapton covered the song to make it a number one single on the U.S charts. By 1975 Bunny and peter left the group but where replaced by the beautiful smooth vocals of the "I-three", three female backup vocalists which included Bob's wife Rita. In 1976 Bob played a free concert in Kingston, Jamaica to help preach peace and unity between the people but lead to a horrible shooting in Marleys home. Mentally and physically wounded Bob left Jamaica and went to London where he wrote another hit album titled "Exodus”. In 1978 Bob returned to Jamaica to play the "One love peace concert" in front of Prime Minister Michael Manley and the Leader of the Opposition Edward Seaga. Together they all three stood on stage with hands held up high for peace. He was then invited to the United Nations in New York to receive the organization’s Medal of Peace. Marley played shows which gathered crowds of 100,000 people in hope of spreading love and prosperity through his musical talent with his amazing guitar and vocal talents. His songs which told stories of struggle and survival like "So much trouble in the world" and "War" as well as love and redemption like "Africa unite" and "Sun is shining." Bob passed away in 1981 at the age of 36 years old after battling with cancer in his foot. Bob Marley's positive vibration still lives on and influences reggae music in the songs of many reggae artists today.
