Bob Marley News
Bob Marley was born in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica; on February 6, 1945.
Bob Marley Stood for One Love
Bob Marley was more than the brightest reggae star. His message was unity, democratic reform, and equal opportunity for all people.
Jamaican politicians tried to use him. He refused. When one of the political parties had him shot, Marley let it go – even though he knew who did it.
Then he brought the parties together on stage. What a great man.
Marley’s reggae influenced many who came after. His music will live forever. But what he stood for was bigger than the man or his music.
Key Albums
One Love (1965) established Marley as a rising reggae star.
“No Woman, No Cry” from Live! was Marley’s international breakout.
Rastaman Vibration (1976) was his U.S. breakthrough.
Legend (1984) is the all-time best-selling reggae album.
For those who think reggae isn’t Latin, okay. But reggae has silent clave in it, the core rhythm of Cuban rumba, and the root of a lot of Latin music. Jamaica is a small island, but a big cultural influencer. Reggae influenced rock, punk, and reggaeton.
For those who think Jamaica isn’t Latin, okay. But Indigenous Jamaicans were early Caribbean peoples since around 4,000-1,000 BC, “Redware people” from around 600 AD, and Indigenous Taíno since around 800 AD. Spanish colonizers took over from 1509-1655. Then the English came. Colonizers steal everything, including our culture and identity.
Jamaica got free in 1962, but underneath all that Colonial mess, we are Indigenous and Afro Caribbean people mixed with Europeans. To escape the colonizers, we ran away to the countryside where we mixed together. As Marley taught, we are one love.
Reggae is the root of reggaeton. This urban blend of Jamaican and Latin traditions, was brought to Panama by Jamaicans who finished the Panama Canal. Drivers of local buses (Wawas) used reggae as pregones (selling songs). Panamanians brought that to New York. El General (Tu Pum Pum) noticed that audiences got more excited when he sang in Spanish, than Jamaican patois. Puerto Ricans brought that to the caserios (public housing) in Puerto Rico where it developed on mixtapes. Reggaeton then spread around the Caribbean, including to Medellin, Colombia. It’s Latin reggae.
Latin reggae music | Jamaican