Bob Marley: His Music, His Words, His Legacy

The 70's - musically, culturally, and politically - was a transitional phase, and a

emotional link between two very infamous periods. This decade was also the recess from

reality, in which people used music to escape from the real world leaving behind all their

worries. People were consumed by appetites, addicted to their guilty pleasures, and soon

there would be a price to pay.

During the late 60's and early 70‘s, reggae music was created by combining the

characteristics of the North American rock and African Jamaican music. This new style

had a lot of influence from rhythm, the blues, and some jazz. Though the textbook

"America's Musical Landscape" the author Jean Ferris states that, "the polyrhythms are

more complex, the bass lines are stronger, and the tempos more relaxed" (Ferris p.

207). Reggae music gives a very soulful and religious feel to its listeners because of the

close relation it has to the religious movement known as Rastafarianism, and because so

much of this genre has religious connotations explaining the singers beliefs and views on

situations from a Rastafarian perspective.

The Rastafarian religion, the heart of reggae music, based itself in belief of "Jah"

which was a metaphor for a god of goodness and love. Jah was the force fighting against

the oppression from "Babylon" which meant the destructive force. Metaphors of

oppression and freedom, explain the social problems and ways of liberation. Many of Bob

Marley's lyrics delivered this kind of message and as a result his music was accepted by

many people that shared or at least agreed with his point of view. It is said that when

Marley spoke of things that were accepted by h...

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...f "Time

Magazine's Album of the Century." Almost every one of his songs is a classic, from the

message of love to the anthem of revolution. But even more than that, his music is a

political and cultural combination, that was inspired by a third world country, and now

reaches people around the whole world.

Ferris, Jean. America's Musical Landscape, Third Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997.

White, Timothy. Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley. New York: Henry Holt, 2000.

Gilmore, Mikal "The Life and Times of Bob Marley" Rolling Stone Magazine. March 10, 2005.

White, Timothy. "The Origin of Reggae" September,1996

URL: http://www.bobmarley.com/life/musicalinfluences/reggae/index.html

Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers. DVD Producer Jeff Fura. 3rd Sector Entertainment Inc. & Island Def Jam Music Group, 2003.