In April 2023, it was announced the movie, Bob Marley: One Love, was in production and would take theaters January 12th, 2024. This film is said to be about, evidently, Bob Marley and his life. The film will focus on his life after he faced an assassination attempt in 1976. It shared Marley’s life story highlighting his morales and how Marley worked to encourage his message of peace to everyone. The announcement of this movie sparked an interest into Bob Marley’s life and career all over social media and in society.
Robert Nesta Marley was born February 6th 1945 and died May 11th 1981 from a type of melanoma illness. Marley can be considered primarily a musician, but what he did through his lifetime is much more than that. Marley was a very successful man in the music industry, he was considered “a pioneer” of reggae music. The music that Marley created was largely and primarily impacted by his Jamaican culture. Deeper than the lyrics, the beats and rhythm Marley produced were created with other Jamaican influences. Marley began creating music with a group of his teenage friends in Jamaica, who would later become known as Bob Marley and The Wailers. Throughout the band’s career, Marley and the others had several large hits like, “Three Little Birds”, “Buffalo Soldier” and “Could You Be Loved”.
Today, Marley’s music is still admired greatly. Previously mentioned, his song “Three Little Birds,” is one of his most popular right now on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. This song has a message promoting a carefree and simple life. It features lyrics stating: “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright.” These lyrics are one of the best examples of Marley’s overall morales.
Marley’s main goal while songwriting and singing was to spread a positive message. Marley was not a stranger to violence and danger as growing up in Jamaica he was faced with many hard situations. For starters, Marley grew up without a father present most of the time as his dad was a part of the British army and living in poverty on his grandfather’s farm. As Marley became a teenager, he chose to move back in with his mom who was located in a worse area of Jamaica where they were exposed with disease and violence. This childhood, although awful, turned Marley into the influential person he would later become.
Although Marley had a childhood full of despair, one of the most prominent moments of his life which enabled him to become the person he was, was an attempted assassination on Marley in 1976. The incident happened while Marley and the rest of his band were back in Jamaica to perform the Smile Jamaica Concert where they would sing and spread their positive morales to a place so prone to violence. While the band was on a rehearsal break, Marley was shot twice while his wife Rita was shot once in her head. Despite being shot, Marley still performed at the concert. This instance truly showed what Marley lived for and the dedication he had to spreading peace and love to everyone.
From the start of his career to the day of his death, Marley made it his goal to be an influential figure and use his musical platform to make a change in the world. As an activist, Marley focused on making the world but Jamica specifically a safer and happier place. Apart from making a difference with his music, Marley took on many service projects to help communities across the world. He was able to support more than 6,000 people with food, housing and jobs all by himself.
Although Marley died in 1981, his legacy still remains to this day. The music that Marley produced is still extremely popular, as in the United States particularly, his songs are summertime staples. As long as his music is being listened to, his message continues to be spread. Marley’s support to charities and the creation of his own foundation keeps his life preserved. The Bob Marley Foundation in particular focuses on alleviating poverty from Jamaica and recognizing Marley for his actions and not just music.
Bob Marley is a figure that every person can learn from and appreciate. Marley’s positive outlook on life despite his challenging life and his determination to better the lives of people all over Jamaica and the world is what makes him so inspiring. His work in the music industry and beneficial changes will never be forgotten.
