Starting out in 1963 with the group Bob Marley & The Wailers, he forged a distinctive song-writing and vocal style that would later resonate with audiences worldwide.
The Wailers would go on to release some of the earliest reggae records with producer Lee Scratch Perry.
After The Wailers disbanded in 1974, Marley pursued a solo career which culminated in the release of the album Exodus in 1977 which established his worldwide reputation and became one of the world's best-selling artists of all time, with sales of more than 75 million albums and singles.
Bob Marley was a member of this Rastafari movement, whose culture was a key element in the development of reggae. Bob Marley became the leading proponent of the Rastafari, taking their music out of socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene.
Now considered a "Rasta" prophet, Marley's adoption of the characteristic Rastafarian dreadlocks and famous use of marijuana as a sacred sacrament in the late sixties were an integral part of his persona. He is said to have entered every performance proclaiming the divinity of Jah Rastafari.
A few months before his death, Marley was baptised into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and took the name Berhane Selassie (meaning the Light of the Holy Trinity in Amharic).
His best known songs are a mixture of reggae, Roots Reggae, and rhythm and blues, which include:
I Shot the Sheriff
Exodus
Could You Be Loved
Redemption Song
No Woman, No Cry
Three Little Birds
Buffalo Soldier
Is This Love
One Love
Stir It Up
Jammin'
Get Up, Stand Up
His posthumous album Legend (1984) became the best-selling reggae album ever, with sales of more than 12 million copies.
Bob Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; in December 1999, his album “Exodus” (1977) was named Album of the Century by Time Magazine and his song “One Love” was designated Song of the Millennium by the BBC.
Awards and Honors:
1976 - Rolling Stone Magazine's "Band of the Year"
1978 - United Nations' Peace Medal of the Third World
1981 - Jamaican Order of Merit
1994 - The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
1999 - Time Magazine's Best Album of the Century
2001 - Star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame
2001- GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award
2004 - Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time (#11)
2006 - The United Kingdom's "Blue Plaque"
2006 - Bob Marley Boulevard named in Brooklyn, New York
2010 - GRAMMY Hall Of Fame (Catch A Fire)
2012 - August the 7th, proclamed Bob Marley Day (Los Angeles)
2013 - GRAMMY Tribute Performance
Marley tragically died of cancer at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, Florida on May 11, 1981.
Religion:
Bob Marley was a member of the Rastafari movement, (not rastafaranism as that is seen as a derogortory term as Rasta's don't like being refered to as an ism) whose culture was a key element in the development of reggae music in Jamaica. Rastas belive they are outcast from their native Zion and looked on Ethiopia as their real home and Tafarai Makonnen, who took the title Haile Sellasie I(Power of the Holy Trinity in Amharic), after he became the emperor of Ethiopia, as their leader. Rastas belive H.I.M. is Jesus in flesh. Rastas are considered to be black Jews.
Rastas claim their root from King Solomon and Abbysinian queen of Sheba, through lineage of their son Menelik, emperor of Abbysinia. H.I.M. is said to be a direct decendant of Menelik. 'Ras' means Head and 'Tafarai" means Creator. 'Jah' is the shortened form of the Hebrew word Jehovah. Rastas belive in one truth and that is the truth of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Sellasie I, King of kings, Lord of lords, conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah, two hundred and twenty-fifth ruler of the three thousand year old Ethiopian empire, elect of Jah, Light of the world. Jah Rastafari live out. Rastas preach a non-materialistic, egalitarian way of life. Bob Marley became a leading proponent of the Rastafari, taking their music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene. Bob Marley was baptized by the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church in Kingston, Jamaica on November 4, 1980.
Diet:
Marley's diet was ital; fruit, vegetables and fish; which is food approved by the Rastafari movement.
Family:
Bob Marley had 13 children: three with his wife Rita Marley, two adopted from Rita's previous relationships, and the remaining eight with separate women.
His children are, in order of birth:
Imani Carole, born May 22, 1963, to Cheryl Murray;
Sharon, born November 23, 1964, to Rita in previous relationship;
Cedella born August 23, 1967, to Rita;
David "Ziggy Marley", born October 17, 1968, to Rita;
Stephen Marley, born April 20, 1972, to Rita;
Robert "Robbie", born May 16, 1972, to Pat Williams;
Rohan, born May 19, 1972, to Janet Hunt;
Karen, born 1973 to Janet Bowen;
Stephanie, born August 17, 1974; according to Cedella Booker she was the daughter of Rita and a man called Ital with whom Rita had an affair; nonetheless she was acknowledged as Bob's daughter;
Julian Marley, born June 4, 1975, to Lucy Pounder;
Ky-Mani Marley, born February 26, 1976, to Anita Belnavis;
Damian Marley, born July 21, 1978, to Cindy Breakspeare;
Makeda, born May 30, 1981, to Yvette Crichton.
See here for comedian Bob Marley the comedian: Comedian Bob Marley
Adam and Eve
Bob Marley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To live a happy life.
In the garden of Eden,
But they disobeyed.
I wanna know,
Why they sin,
In the garden of Eden.
It's a devilman's affair,
In the shape of a serpent.
And they broke the fruit of life
And everyone of us is living in sin.
Any anywhere you go,
Woman is the root of all evil.
He was the first one to break a fruit
And everyone of us is living in sin.
The lord named Adam and Eve,
To live a happy life.
In the garden of Eden,
But they disobeyed.
I wanna know,
Why they sin,
In the garden of Eden.
It's a devilman's affair,
In the shape of a serpent.
And they broke the fruit of life
And everyone of us is living in sin.
Any anywhere you go,
Woman is the root of all evil.
Eve was the first one to break a fruit
And everyone of us is living in sin.
The lyrics of Bob Marley's song "Adam and Eve" refer to the biblical tale of Adam and Eve, the first humans created by God, who end up disobeying Him and eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the song, Marley reflects on the reasons that led Adam and Eve to sin and on the consequences of their actions. The chorus repeats the question "I wanna know why they sin in the garden of Eden", suggesting that Marley is searching for answers and trying to understand the human condition of sinfulness that originated from the biblical story.
The verses of the song mention different elements of the story, such as the serpent that tempts Eve into eating the fruit, the fruit of life that is broken and leads to the fall of humanity, and the role of women as the root of all evil. Interestingly, Marley uses both masculine and feminine pronouns in these verses, suggesting that he is not blaming either gender exclusively, but rather pointing to the flaws and weaknesses of humanity as a whole.
One interpretation of the song could be that Marley sees the story of Adam and Eve as a metaphor for the human struggle between good and evil. By focusing on the fall from grace and on the reasons behind it, he highlights the need for self-awareness and moral responsibility in every person's life. In that sense, the song can be seen as a call for repentance and redemption, as well as a reminder that we are all sinners in need of divine mercy and forgiveness.
Line by Line Meaning
The lord named Adam and Eve,
God created Adam and Eve
To live a happy life.
They were created to live a joyous life
In the garden of Eden,
They were placed in a paradise called Eden
But they disobeyed.
However, they chose to go against God's orders
I wanna know,
The artist wants to understand
Why they sin,
Why Adam and Eve committed the act of sin
In the garden of Eden.
While they were in the paradise that God created for them
It's a devilman's affair,
The presence of evil is attributed to the devil
In the shape of a serpent.
The devil appeared as a serpent
And they broke the fruit of life
Adam and Eve chose to go against God's commandment and eat the forbidden fruit
And everyone of us is living in sin.
This has led to the concept of the Original Sin, where humans are believed to be born with sin likely due to their ancestors' disobedience of God
Any anywhere you go,
Irrespective of which part of the world you are in,
Woman is the root of all evil.
Women are often blamed for causing trouble or being a source of temptation
Eve was the first one to break a fruit
Eve is responsible for being the first person to commit sin by breaking God's commandment
And everyone of us is living in sin.
This has led to a general belief that humans are imperfect beings and are prone to mistakes and sin
The lord named Adam and Eve,
Reiteration of the fact that God created Adam and Eve
To live a happy life.
They were created to be content and satisfied
In the garden of Eden,
Reiteration of the fact that they were in a paradise
But they disobeyed.
However, they went against God's word
I wanna know,
Repeated emphasis on wanting to understand more about the situation
Why they sin,
Wanting to comprehend the reasoning behind Adam and Eve's sinning
In the garden of Eden.
Reiteration of the fact that the act of disobedience took place in a paradise
It's a devilman's affair,
Attributing the presence of evil to the devil
In the shape of a serpent.
The devil took the form of a serpent
And they broke the fruit of life
Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit
And everyone of us is living in sin.
Resultant of which, humans are prone to sinning and imperfection
Any anywhere you go,
Reiteration of the concept that this applies everywhere
Woman is the root of all evil.
Blaming women for being the catalyst of evil or sin has been a deep-set belief in many cultures and societies
Eve was the first one to break a fruit
Reiteration of the fact that Eve is the one who initiated the act of sinning
And everyone of us is living in sin.
Highlighting how this has led to humans being born imperfect and prone to making mistakes
Contributed by Ellie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AP86777
I love the song and the Bible.
@gavas8769
Timeless master piece <3
@gillesthale8446
Thère super
@kmhkmh-mm2ix
Roots🔥
@kayodeadekola
Solution to the root of problem.
@giyuchris
death
@howatdsavage5988
Love this version.Better than The Bleechers.
@purelayermanplayer4062
Tune..ribbet
@racoonbear11
first comment ;)
@purelayermanplayer4062
Last comment 10 yrs later..great tune..ribbet