Marley was a symbol of human rights that, through his music, decried the injustices of all people and fought for social equality with zealous determination. His songs of faith, devotion and revolution created a legacy, which continues to live on today. He is an artist who has inspired a legion of political leaders, musicians, songwriters and music fans.
In 1963, Marley teamed up with Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingstone, Junior Braithwaite, Beverly Kelso and Cherry Smith for a band they eventually called, The Wailers. Island Records and Palm Pictures Founder, Chris Blackwell signed Marley to Island and released Catch a Fire in 1973, which became the Wailers first album released outside Jamaica and earned him worldwide acclaim and stardom. Marley proceed to release more than 16 albums that included hits like “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Jammin,” “Waiting in Vain,” “One Love/People Get Ready,” “No Woman No Cry,” “Get Up Stand Up,” “Redemption Song,” among many others and has sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
Rebel Music: The Bob Marley Story, which was released on June 26, 2001, is available on DVD and VHS (Palm Pictures) and tells the fascinating and heart-wrenching story of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Rebel Music was directed and produced by Jeremy Marre and contains unheard recordings, news footage and live performances and contains features, exclusive interviews by his wife, Rita Marley, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Chris Blackwell and original members of the Wailers. “It’s extraordinary that Bob Marley has never been nominated for a Grammy(R) until now. I am happy that his legend continues to grow,” quotes Blackwell. At the height of his popularity and in the midst of a prolific and brilliant career, Marley’s life was claimed by cancer on May 11, 1981 at age 36. On February 6, Marley would have been 57 years old. Bob Marley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award by NARAS in 2001. Until now, none of Bob Marley’s recordings/ projects have been recognized by NARAS with a Grammy(R) nomination.