There is a very short list of artists, alive or dead, that may be mentioned with the same reverence and esteem as Bob Marley. To my mind the only comparable artists are people like Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Robert Plant. Musicians who brought music to the masses, artists that reached great heights in their all-too-short careers and lives.
'Why on earth would he be posting an article on a reggae artist?’ you may ask. At its core, reggae is struggle music, rebellious music - a theme shared by rock and metal. And with the 30th anniversary of his death passing by (relatively unnoticed) last week, who better to pay tribute to than reggae's best-know and most successful artist of all time?
There is no use in denying that Marley's music was defiant and politically motivated. Songs like "Zimbabwe" and "War", and his performance at the Amandla Festival in Boston, July 1976 showing his opposition to Apartheid, stand testament to this. Sadly though, Marley's success was also his downfall. The potency of his message has eroded over the years, with emotionally fuelled songs being played equally at Saturday afternoon braai's and up-market night-clubs. As Richard Poplack said: "Marley’s message would have meant nothing if no one had heard him; it means nothing because everyone has heard him..."
The posthumous Legend album (released in 1984, 3 years after his death) has reached platinum status ten times over. With a 13 studio-album discography, there is no use in denying the colossal impact Bob Marley & The Wailers had in the world of popular music.
Some awards include: Band of the Year (1976: Rolling Stone), The Jamaican order of Merit (1981), Album of the Century for Exodus (1999: Time Magazine), Lifetime Achievement Award (2001: Grammy's) and an induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Bob Marley was laid to rest in a chapel close to his birthplace with his red Gibson Les Paul.
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| Bob Marley and his solid body Les Paul Special in 1982 |
30 years after his death, everybody remembers the lyrics to Buffalo Soldier. It is very sad though, that no one remembers the Buffalo Soldiers he was paying homage to.
