Bob Marley
Robert Nesta Marley (1945–1981) was born in a small rural village known as Nine Miles, in St. Ann Parish, in northern Jamaica. His father was a former British soldier who was frequently absent and died when Marley was ten years old. After his death, Marley's mother, Cedella (Marley) Booker (1926–2008), moved the family to Kingston in hopes of a better life. By age fourteen, Marley had quit school and began to frequent recording studios and dancehalls with his friend Neville Livingston (aka Bunny Wailer). The two eventually teamed up with Winston McIntosh (aka Peter Tosh) to form the (Wailing) Wailers. Marley's solo work was influenced by American R&B music of the 1970s. His lyrics successfully blend Rastafari religious ideals of peace and unity with rude-boy social criticism of institutions that he viewed as oppressing the common man. References to his spiritual beliefs permeate the majority of his songs, though most listeners have little knowledge of the Rastafari movement and miss the connection. His rebuke of social injustice is equally important as a fundamental theme of his music, and many of his most successful songs, including "Exodus," "No Woman No Cry," and "Redemption Song," convey these intentions. Because his music covers such a varied array of emotional, intellectual, and spiritual content, it speaks to a wide audience.