Bob Marley...the king of reggae!!!!!

Who has'nt heard of the song 'Buffalo soldier' by Bob Marley??? I was just listening to this song yesterday & thought of maybe looking him up & finding out more about his work.What actually caught my attention was the life of a man who lived for a short while but achieved a lot in his lifetime.

Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer, songwriter & musician who became the face of reggae music & is credited with spreading both Jamaican music & the Rastafari movement worldwide.

He was a product of mixed racial parentage but always identified himself through his music & his beliefs as a black African. He was a part of the band 'Wailers' which produced some huge hits in the '60's such as "Get Up, Stand Up" and "I Shot the Sheriff". Eric Clapton made a hit cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1974, raising Marley's international profile. His first hit outside Jamaica was the song "No Woman, No Cry", from the Natty Dread album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

Throughout his life & career, Marley took an active effort in trying to bring about peace & harmony in his native country, Jamaica through his music.He was against aparthied & tried to ease political tensions & strife at the cost of his life. Even his family was not spared, they were attacked & threatened, to such an extent that he had to leave Jamaica & live in self-imposed exile in England!! This did not deter him though & through his performances which drove people into a frenzy, he was able to connect with them & send them the message he believed in.

His convictons were reflected in everything that he did, including his songs & the most profound of his words were that uttered to his son Ziggy, "Money can't buy life.". This short little sentence exemplifies his life & work & although he was not without his shortcomings, Bob Marley, despite his untimely & unlikely death will be someone who has shown that despite adversity, it is possible to succeed!!!!