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View Full Version : Who is Bob Marley?

Gordon Smith
10-26-2006, 10:21 PM
Recently, the name of Bob Marley was brought to my attention as someone with a rich history in music, his style of music being, I think, reggae. Well, the name meant nothing to me, so I'd thought I'd ask about him down here. Who is Bob Marley, why is he important and why should I be interested in him? I'm hoping your answers will fill in the gaps of my near-total ignorance about the dude.
Adam Crocker
10-26-2006, 10:55 PM
Bob Marley is the musician most people think about when they think about reggae. If someone has at least one reggae album in their collection there's a 99.9% certainty that it's his Legend compilation (a favourite for stoned frat boys when they want to chill out after listening to Hendrix).

Granted it helps that he was a great singer and a great song-writer who could craft some of the most memorable reggae songs (and really, even if it is overplayed, isn't "No Woman No Cry" a great soul song?) of all time and was the only one who acheived international super-star status. (Oh yeah and Eric Clapton murder...I mean covered his "I Shot the Sheriff" thus bringing reggae to a mainstream white audience. And yes, the original is superior.) That and his staunch spiritual and political idealism that wasn't the product of muddle-headed sixties idealism. (*COUGH*COUGH*John Lennon*COUGH*COUGH*)

That's all that I think of right now. If you want some basic biographical and discographical details his entry on All Music Guide (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:78qag4gttvnz) should prove helpful.
Gordon Smith
10-26-2006, 11:01 PM
Thanks for the informative reply, Adam. So, Eric Clapton did a version of ''Who Shot the Sherrif''? If he did, would that version be better known, or perhaps played more often?
rick
10-26-2006, 11:03 PM
Marley wrote some of the most smooth and beautiful reggae ever. It's really some good stuff and well worth a listen.
Gordon Smith
10-26-2006, 11:13 PM
Marley wrote some of the most smooth and beautiful reggae ever. It's really some good stuff and well worth a listen.

So people keep telling me. I'll definitely have to look into it.
Sanagi
10-26-2006, 11:51 PM
Yeah, Legend is one of those albums that pretty much everyone has to admit is just plain good stuff.
Hiromi
10-27-2006, 12:08 AM
If you watched television or movies at all in the last 15 or so years you've heard his music at some point.
Patient Boy
10-27-2006, 03:22 AM
No disrespect, but I find it difficult to believe that there's anybody with access to the radio/television/internet who's not only never heard Bob Marley's music, but never heard of Bob Marley either.
scratchie
10-27-2006, 07:21 AM
Check out the albums Legend and/or African Herbsman and report back here when you're done.
Valmore
10-27-2006, 07:55 AM
Bob Marley is the person who wrote reggae music I'd listen to if I even remotely liked reggae. Which I don't, so I don't listen to it.
scratchie
10-27-2006, 08:00 AM
Bob Marley is the person who wrote reggae music I'd listen to if I even remotely liked reggae. Which I don't, so I don't listen to it.Maybe you'd like reggae music if you heard some other reggae besides Bob Marley. In spite of what you might read in the mainstream press, he was never the be-all and end-all of reggae. He was great, no question, but there are hundreds of other artists out there with their own distinct styles.
Valmore
10-27-2006, 08:04 AM
Maybe you'd like reggae music if you heard some other reggae besides Bob Marley. In spite of what you might read in the mainstream press, he was never the be-all and end-all of reggae. He was great, no question, but there are hundreds of other artists out there with their own distinct styles.

I've heard reggae, and as background music it's okay. But I can't see myself listening to it on a regular basis.
KenK
10-27-2006, 08:11 AM
No disrespect, but I find it difficult to believe that there's anybody with access to the radio/television/internet who's not only never heard Bob Marley's music, but never heard of Bob Marley either.

Yeah, that's just . . . odd to me.
Adam Crocker
10-27-2006, 05:20 PM
Thanks for the informative reply, Adam. So, Eric Clapton did a version of ''Who Shot the Sherrif''? If he did, would that version be better known, or perhaps played more often?

Yeah the Clapton version is generally more played and better known.
Erebus
10-29-2006, 03:37 PM
The greatest music artist of all time.
Stellar
10-30-2006, 11:15 AM
No disrespect, but I find it difficult to believe that there's anybody with access to the radio/television/internet who's not only never heard Bob Marley's music, but never heard of Bob Marley either.

I had to read the post twice to believe it myself.

And I am willing to argue that he is, in fact, one of the greatest musical artists ever.
G. Boney
11-08-2006, 03:23 AM
Yeah the Clapton version is generally more played and better known.

Funny...I didn't even know about the Clapton version. Everyone knows that's a Bob Marley song (at least I thought so).
The Mirrorball Man
11-08-2006, 09:47 AM
Bob Marley is Damian Marley's father.
Jonathan Bogart
11-08-2006, 12:32 PM
Also Ziggy Marley's.
Ontir
11-08-2006, 03:02 PM
I remember the movie Passed Away, in which grown children return home for their father's funeral. Bob Hoskins, as the eldest son, is telling his siblings that Mom (Maureen Stapleton) is getting weird, and that she's started listening to reggae. In the limo, going to the cemetery, she says to the kids, "I don't understand, if he shot the Sherif; but not the Deputy, who did?!?"
Slade.
11-08-2006, 03:07 PM
WOA @ you not knowing who Bob is.

I'm not trying to be funny but it's kinda shocking. It's like never hearing of Elvis or Beatles.

Anyways get his Legend cd. It's like the best of. It's a good start for a new fan.
Ontir
11-08-2006, 03:26 PM
What does "WOA @" mean?
The Mirrorball Man
11-08-2006, 07:20 PM
Also Ziggy Marley's.
That's not something to boast about.
glue
11-08-2006, 07:57 PM
What does "WOA @" mean?


Woah at. As in he's shocked that the thread starter has never heard of Bob Marley.
Adam Crocker
11-08-2006, 09:06 PM
Funny...I didn't even know about the Clapton version. Everyone knows that's a Bob Marley song (at least I thought so).

Well I didn't for awhile. And I think that many people didn't either for awhile. Clapton's version was hit on its release and as I heard it did a lot to help propagate reggae outside of Jamaica. (Yes it's a disturbing thought people, but can't have Clapton done at least some good after 1970?)
scratchie
11-09-2006, 09:40 AM
Well I didn't for awhile. And I think that many people didn't either for awhile. Clapton's version was hit on its release and as I heard it did a lot to help propagate reggae outside of Jamaica. (Yes it's a disturbing thought people, but can't have Clapton done at least some good after 1970?)Yeah, ditto. I have to say that when I was a lad of 9 or 10, and I heard Bob Marley's version, I thought (no joke) "Who is doing this awful version of that Eric Clapton song??" My, how times have changed.