Robert Nesta Marley was born in Nine Miles, in the parish of St. Anns, Jamaica on Feburary 6th, 1945. Cedilla Booker his teen mother became pregnant by Norvell Marley a white English plantation supervisor. Marley never knew his father.

Marley moved to the infamous Kingston inner city called Trenchtown in his very early teens. During his teens Marley met with Junior Brathwaite,Winston Mcintosh (Peter Tosh) and Bunny Livingston (Bunny Wailer.) They would practice singing and playing instruments together emulating the sounds of American R&B coming from the radio. They turned to Joe Higgs for musical tuition.

In 1962 Marley auditioned for local music entrepreneur Leslie Kong who released Marley’s first record "Judge Not", on Kong’s Beverley's label. The group then auditioned for famed Jamaican producer Coxone Dodd's and he recorded their "I'm Still Waiting" and "It Hurts to Be Alone" for his Studio One label with now World-renown guitarist Ernie Ranglin as arranger. Junior Brathwaite the original lead vocalist immigrated to Chicago, and in 1963 Marley sang lead on their first number 1 record "Simmer Down".

Other hits would follow, but Marley decided to join his mother in Delaware so that he could work and earn money to begin a record label. Before he left Marley married Rita Anderson on February 10, 1966. On his return to Jamaica Bob was introduced to the Rastafari. Bob regrouped the Wailers and they started ‘Wail-N-Soul’ records.

The label folded shortly after in 1967 and Marley began writing for American singer Johnny Nash. Nash who hit big with Marley’s “Stir it Up” took the group to Sweden in 1971. They recorded “Reggae Broadway” for CBS records. Another singer, Eric Clapton would also enjoy success from a Marley penned song with “I shot the Sheriff” hitting #1 on the U.S. charts.

In 1971 the group signed to Chris Blackwell’s Island Records. Blackwell advanced the group advanced £4000 to record their first album “Catch A Fire.” By 1973 the group began touring the U.S. and Britain. They would continue to record several albums and tour the World spreading the message of Rastafari.

On May 11th, 1981 Marley passed away from cancer in a Miami hospital. He lays at rest in a Mausoleum in Nine Miles with his guitar in one hand and a bible in the other. His residence 53 Hope Road is now a museum. He is survived by 12 children from 8 different mothers. Several continue his musical works and two, Ziggy & The Melody Makers, and Damian Marley recieved Grammy awards.

One of the most recognizable faces on the planet, Marley is loved by people of diverse backgrounds and is regarded by many as a musical prophet. He was given a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a star on Hollywood Boulevard's walk of fame and a lifetime achievement Grammy award. His album Exodus was named by Time Magazine as the Album of the 20th Century, and the BBC called One Love the song of the Century.
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In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Livingston, Peter McIntosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith formed a ska and rocksteady group, calling themselves "The Teenagers". They later changed their name to "The Wailing Rudeboys", then to "The Wailing Wailers", and finally to "The Wailers". By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh.

Marley took on the role of leader, singer, and main songwriter. Much of The Wailers' early work, including their first single Simmer Down, was produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One. Simmer Down topped Jamaican Charts in 1964 and established The Wailers as one of the hottest groups in the country. They followed up with songs such as "Soul Rebel" and "400 Years".

In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's residence in Wilmington, Delaware for a few months. Upon returning to Jamaica, Marley became a member of the Rastafari movement, and started to wear his trademark dreadlocks (see the religion section for more on Marley's religious views).

After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, The Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider The Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, but they would remain friends and work together again.

Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter McIntosh and Bunny Livingston recut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and London in an attempt to commercialize The Wailers' sound. Livingston later asserted that these songs "should never be released on an album... they were just demos for record companies to listen to".

The Wailers' first album, Catch A Fire, was released worldwide in 1973, and sold well. It was followed a year later by Burnin', which included the songs "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.

The Wailers broke up in 1974 with each of the three main members going on to pursue solo careers. The reason for the breakup is shrouded in conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements amongst Livingston, McIntosh, and Marley concerning performances, while others claim that Livingston and McIntosh simply preferred solo work. McIntosh began recording under the name Peter Tosh, and Livingston continued on as Bunny Wailer.

Bob Marley & The Wailers

Despite the breakup, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The "I Threes", consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita, performed backup vocals.

In 1975, Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, "No Woman, No Cry" from the Natty Dread album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the US, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which spent four weeks on the Billboard charts Top Ten.

In December 1976, two days before "Smile Jamaica", a free concert organized by Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley in an attempt to ease tension between two warring political groups, Marley, his wife, and manager Don Taylor were wounded in an assault by unknown gunmen inside Marley's home. Taylor and Marley's wife sustained serious injuries, but later made full recoveries. Bob Marley received only minor injuries in the chest and arm. The shooting was thought to have been politically motivated, as many felt the concert was really a support rally for Manley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled.

Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976 for England, where he r

Bob Marley (born Nesta Robert Marley) was born in the small village of Nine Miles in Saint Ann, Jamaica. His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a white Jamaican born in 1895 to British parents from Sussex. Norval was a Marine officer and captain. He was a plantation overseer when he married Cedella Booker, an eighteen-year-old black Jamaican – Bob Marley's mother. Norval provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on trips. Bob Marley was ten years old when Norval Marley died of a heart attack in 1955 at age 60.

Being of mixed race Bob Marley suffered from racial prejudice as a youth[3] and faced questions about his own racial identity throughout his life. Regarding his mixed race, Bob Marley once reflected: "I don't have prejudice against myself. 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." Marley and his mother moved to Kingston's Trenchtown slum after Norval's death. He was forced to learn self-defense, as he became the target of bullying because of his racial makeup and small stature (he was 5'4" (163 cm) tall). He gained a reputation for his physical strength, which earned him the nickname "Tuff Gong".

Marley became friends with Neville "Bunny" Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer), with whom he started to play music. He left school at the age of 14 and started as an apprentice at a local welder's shop. In his free time, he and Livingston made music with Joe Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafari who is regarded by many as Marley's mentor. It was at a jam session with Higgs and Livingston that Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh), who had similar musical ambitions.

In 1962, Marley recorded his first two singles, "Judge Not" and "One Cup of Coffee", with local music producer Leslie Kong. These songs, released on the Beverley's label under the pseudonym of Bobby Martell[4], attracted little attention. The songs were later re-released on the album Songs of Freedom, a posthumous collection of Bob Marley's songs.