Bob Marley Biography

Source:
Robert Nesta Marley
BORN: February 6, 1945, St. Ann, Jamaica
DIED: May 11, 1981, Miami, FL

In the year 1944, Captain Norval Marley married a young Jamaican girl named Cedalla Booker. On February 6, 1945 at two thirty in the morning their son, Robert Nesta Marley was born in his grandfather's house. Soon after Bob was born his father left his mother. He did however give financial support and occasionally returned to see his son.

It was now the late fifties, jobs were scarce in Jamaica, so Bob followed his mother from their home in St. Ann to Trenchtown (West Kingston) to seek employment in the big city. Trenchtown got it's name because it was built over a ditch which drained the sewage of old Kingston. In Trenchtown Bob spent a lot of his time with his good friend Neville Livingstone who people called by his nickname, Bunny. Also in the big city Bob was more exposed to the music which he had loved, including such greats as Fats Domino and Ray Charles. Bob and Bunny attended a music class together which was held by the famous Jamaican singer Joe Higgs. In that class they met Peter Macintosh and soon became good friends.

In the meantime Jamaican music evolving and became very popular throughout the Caribbean due to it's invention of Ska music. When Bob was 16, he started to follow his dream of becoming a musician. Music to many young Jamaicans was an escape from the harshness of everyday life. One of those kids was Jimmy Cliff who at the age of 14 had already recorded a couple of hits. After meeting Bob, Jimmy introduced him to Leslie Kong, a local record producer. Bob followed his advice and auditioned for Leslie Kong. Bob's musical talents shone much more brightly then anyone else that day and found himself in the studio recording his first single "Judge Not". Unfortunately neither "Judge Not" nor his 1962 single "One more cup of Coffee" did very well. Bob soon left Kong after she failed to give him his pay.

The following year Bob, Bunny and some other friends formed the Wailing Wailers. The didn't get off to a great start, after just a couple recording sessions two members, Cherry and Junior Braithwait left the band. The band continued on and were introduced to Clemet Dodd, a producer of the record company Coxsone. It was here where the Wailing Wailers recorded the first song "Simmer Down" which did quite well in Jamaica. To help with the recording of their songs the studio provided several talented Ska musicians. The Wailing Wailers consisting now of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny were starting to become quite popular locally. Their audiences rapidly grew and they recorded several more songs on the Coxsone label which included "It Hurts to be Alone" and "Rule the Roadie" Bob soon took on the role of the leader, being the main songwriter and all.

Bob's life continued to look more bright on February 10, 1966 when Bob Marley married girlfriend Rita Anderson. The next day Bob left for the United States to visit his mother who lived in Delaware. While in the US he worked to better finance his music and soon returned home. When Bob Marley returned the Wailing Wailers' music evolved from Ska to Rock Steady. This evolution conflicted with Coxsone who wanted a Ska band. So the newly Wailing Wailers left Coxsone to form and renamed themselves the Wailers. Instead of looking around for a new label the Wailers decided to form their own which they called Wail 'N' Soul. This coincided with the birth of the Marley's first born who they named Cedalla. They released a couple signals on their label such as "Bend down low" and "Mellow Mood" before it folded the very same year.

The ending of their label affected the band greatly, it wasn't until they met Lee Perry that they got back on track. With the help of Lee Perry the Wailers produced such great tracks as "Duppy Conquerer", "Soul Rebel", "400 Years" and "Small Axe".

1970 saw the Wailers family grow with the addition of Aston "Family Man" Barret and his brother Carleton. The Wailers were now quite popular throughout the Caribbean but still internationally unknown. With this popularity a second more successful label was formed by the Wailers called Tuff Gong after a nickname of Bob Marley. The Wailers met Johnny Nash and soon Bob accompanied Nash to Sweden and London. When in London, Bob recorded "Reggae on Broadway" which was released by CBS. After this the rest of the Wailers arrived in London to help promote the single only to find that there were out of money and stranded there. With little options available, Bob went into the Island Records Basing Street Studios and asked to speak to the boss, Chris Blackwell with hopes of a possible record deal.

Mr. Blackwell had already heard of the Wailers and signed them on the spot. He advanced them eight thousand pounds so that they could fly back home and record their first album for Island. This was a massive deal, for the first time a reggae band would have access to the finest recording facilities. The album they released was "Catch a Fire", it was very well received by critics and was one of the first reggae albums. Before the Wailers reggae was sold on signals or compilation albums.

In the Spring of 1973 the Wailers arrived back in London to kick off their three month tour of Britain. At the conclusion of the tour they returned back to Jamaica where Bunny decided to quit touring. He was replaced by Joe Higgs. The Wailers along with Higgs travelled to the US were they were scheduled to open 17 shows for the number one black act in the States, Sly and the Family Stone. The Wailers were fired after 4 shows because they were more popular then they band the opened for, the crowd often chanted "Wail-ers" well into the Sly and the Family Stone set. Also they opened a couple dates for Bruce Springsteen. After Sly and the Family Stone axed the Wailers they found themselves once again without money and stranded, this time in Las Vegas. Somehow they found their way to San Fransico. While there they did a live concert broadcast for the radio station KSAN-FM. The whole experience boosted their popularity in North America.

With 1973 winding down the Wailers released the much anticipated follow up album to "Catch a Fire" called "Burnin". On this album many Wailer classics appear such as "I shot the Sheriff" and "Get Up Stand Up". The Wailers popularity in North America grew even more when Eric Clapton re-recorded "I Shot the Sheriff", becoming a number one hit on the US singles charts.

1975 saw the release of the Wailers's third album, "Natty Dread" with such great tracks as "Talking Blues", "No Woman No Cry" and "Revolution". On the down side though two thirds of the original Wailing Wailers, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer quit the band to pursue solo careers. This caused the band to change their name again. This time to Bob Marley and the Wailers. The departure of the two members created a hole in the backing vocal section, this hole was filled and then some by the I-Threes (Rita Marley, Judy Mowatts and Marcia Grittiths). That summer the band started a new European tour. Two of those shows were at the Lyceum Ballroom, both shows were considered among the top of the decade.

Both shows were recorded and made the album "Live!" which included the unforgettable live version "No Woman No Cry" which was a world wide hit. The band underwent more changes with the addition of Al Anderson and Bernard Harvey who were later replaced by Junior Marvin and Tyrone Downie. The last time the original Wailers ever played together was at a Stevie Wonder concert for the Jamaican Institute for the blind. Bob Marley and the Wailers continued their roll releasing the incredible album "Rasta man Vibration" in 1976. This capped off a type of Reggae-Mania happening in the states. Rolling Stone named them band of the year. On the Rasta man Vibration album was the powerful track "War" which lyrics came from a speech given by Emperor Haile Selassie. Bob Marley decided to play a free concert at Kingston's National Heroes Park on December 5, 1976.

The idea behind the concert was a peaceful message against the ghetto wars happening in Trenchtown at the time. Tragedy struck two days before that he get on stage, gunmen broke into the Marley home and shot at Bob, Rita, and two friends. Luckily no one was killed. Despite this Bob Marley went on to put on a memorable show two days later at the Smile Jamaica concert. Following the show the band left for the UK. While they were there they recorded 1977's "Exodus". Possibly their best album to date, it solidified the band's international stardom. It went number one in many countries including England and Germany. It was also one of the top albums of the year.

During their European tour, the band did a week of shows at the Rainbow Theatre in London. It was at the start of the tour when Bob injured his toe playing football. It was later diagnosed as cancerous. Also during this tour Bob received a very important ring, who's previous owner was the Ethiopian Emperor. In May Bob was informed of his cancer. His cancer would most certainly be taken care of by amputating the toe but Bob refused. To do so would be against his Rastafarian faith. With this news the remainder of the Exodus tour was cancelled. His illness didn't prevent him from recording music though, 1978 saw the release of "Kaya" which had a much more mellow sound then previous albums. Bob was accused of selling out because many of the songs were love songs or tributes to ganja (marijuana). Rastafarians believed the smoking the holy herb would bring them closer to Jah (god).

In April 1978, Bob returned to Jamaica to play the One Love Peace Concert. In attendance was Jamaican President Michael Manley and the leader of the Opposition Edward Seaga. It was Bob who got them on stage and even got them to shake hands. On June 15 he was awarded the Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations. For the first time he visited Africa going to Kenya and Ethiopia. On this trip he started to work on the song "Zimbabwe". The band also released their second live album "Babylon by Bus" with was recorded in Paris. The album which followed it was Survival in 1978. Throughout the album the theme of black survival was evident.

The Seventies were now coming to a close, Bob Marley and the Wailers were the most popular band on the road breaking many festival records. In 1980 the band found themselves in Gabon to perform in Africa for the first time. Here Bob Marley discovered that there manager had defrauded the band, Bob gave him a beating and fired him. The Zimbabwean government invited the whole band to perform at the countries Independence Ceremony in April. Bob later said of the invitation to be the biggest honour of his life.

After the amazing honour and experience Bob Marley continue to record, "Uprising" was released in 1980. Everything was looking bright, the band was planning an American tour with Stevie Wonder for that winter. Bob's health was deteriorating, but he still got clearance from a doctor to go on the road. The tour started with Boston, followed by New York. During the New York show Bob's looked very sick and he almost fainted. The next morning on Sept. 21 while jogging through Central, Bob collapsed and was brought to the hospital. There a brain tumour was discovered and doctors gave him a month to live. Rita Marley wanted the tour cancelled but Bob wanted to continue on. He played an unforgettable show in Pittsburgh but was too ill to continue so the tour was finally cancelled.

It would be the last show he ever performed. Treatment prolonged his life somewhat but the inevitable was soon to happening. Bob was transported to a Miami hospital where he was baptized Berhane Selassie in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on November 4. In a final attempt to save his life he underwent a controversial treatment in Germany. While in Germany he celebrated his 36th and final birthday. Ultimately the treatment didn't work. Bob wanted to die at home so he was flown back. Unfortunately he didn't finish the trip, he died on May 11, 1981 in a Miami hospital. He was internationally mourned for and thousands showed up at his May 21 funeral to show their respects. In attendance wereboth the Jamaican President and the Leader of the Opposition. Bob Marley now rests in a mausoleum at his birthplace.

After his death he was awarded Jamaica's Order of Merit. The Prophet Gad insisted on becoming the owner of Bob's ring. However, amazingly the ring the disappeared and still has yet to be found. Bob's mother said that the ring was returned to it's place of origin.

Bob Marley knew of his fate. Being a visionary he foresaw this, his words will forever be immortalized in the lyrics in which he wrote.

"One bright morning when my work is over I will fly away home"

Jimi Hendrix

Mountain chopping, island building, sky kissing Jimi Hendrix is one of the few undisputed demigods of rock.

It has been said that more superlatives have been bestowed upon Hendrix than any other rock guitarist, and that's no exaggeration.

Considered to be the most influential guitarist in modern music, Jimi Hendrix perfected the deliberate use of distortion and feedback, using it to complement his natural virtuoso ability. He exuded charisma, raw talent, and creativity to excess - delivering some of the most revolutionary music of the 20th century.

A self-taught left-handed guitarist, Jimi played with a right handed Fender Stratocaster - upside down and re-strung. His use of the Strat's tremelo bar was one of the signature elements of his blues influenced style of rock music. In addition to his songwriting and playing ability, Jimi Hendrix was also a pioneer in using the recording studio as an "instrument".

Born in Seattle, Washington in 1942, Jimi Hendrix did not initially find success in his home country. He left for England in September 1966, invited there by The Animal's bass player Chas Chandler. Chas saw Jimi play at The Wha? in Greenich Village and convinced him to go to London, where the audience might be more receptive to his style.

After just a few weeks, "The Jimi Hendrix Experience" trio was founded with Noel Redding on bass and John "Mitch" Mitchell playing drums. In the months that followed they played a string on club venues and released their first UK single - "Hey Joe". The blistering "Purple Haze" came next, and eventually the debut album - "Are You Experienced?" was released to rapidly growing fanbase.

In 1967 his popularity was rising, and Jimi returned to America to play at the Monterey Pop Festival. He delivered a legendary set that he ended by setting fire to his guitar - one of the defining moments in rock history.

His trip to Britan had given his music a springboard to the United States and in the years that followed, Jimi Hendrix rocketed to become an international success. His untimely demise in 1970 was a sudden and grievous shock to the those who had come to know Jimi Hendrix and his music.

The History of Elvis: 1955

History:

By 1955 Elvis Presley had achieved his dream of being a professional singer, even if he was mostly uncategorizable and already engendering controversy for his wild onstage movements and unbelievable charisma. But the records show that Elvis' path to stardom, while quick, was not without a ton of work on his part -- having found a musical home at Sun and a touring band that understood his mix of country, blues, R&B, and pop, Presley spent almost every single day of the year working it, touring from New Mexico to Cleveland to the Florida Everglades and performing anywhere that would have him.

For someone whose previous stage experience consisted mainly of finishing second place at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show at the age of ten by singing "Old Shep," he learned quickly; the kid often billed with some combination of the words "hillbilly" and "bop" began 1955 running third or fourth on the bill, sometimes even in his adopted hometown of Memphis, but by March, he was headlining. By May, his shows were literally creating a riot. By June, he'd outgrown his manager. By July, he'd hit the national charts. By October, he'd outgrown his label. And by the end of the year, he was ready for the big time.

Much of this had to do with his constant appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show out of Shreveport, LA, but in order to grasp the full extent of the Presley hysteria, you had to have visuals. In 1956, Elvis would meet television. And both would be changed irrevocably.

Recording:

January 6: "Fool, Fool, Fool," "Shake, Rattle And Roll" (Cotton Club, Lubbock, TN)
February 1: "Baby, Let's Play House" (Sun Studios, Memphis, TN)
March 5: "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" (Sun Studios, Memphis, TN)
July 11: "I Forgot To Remember To Forget," "Mystery Train," "Tryin' To Get To You" (Sun Studios, Memphis, TN)
October 30: "When It Rains, It Really Pours" (Sun Studios, Memphis, TN)

Singles:

January 29: "Milkcow Blues Boogie" b/w "You're A Heartbreaker" (SUN 215)
May 14: "Baby Let's Play House" b/w "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" (SUN 217)
August 20: "Mystery Train" b/w "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" (SUN 223)

Gambang Kromong, the beats of Betawi jazz

Ida Indawati Khouw, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

At weekends, rumah kawin (wedding halls) lining the roads in the Chinese peranakan areas of Tangerang (peranakan being the offspring of marriages between ethnic Chinese and those from other ethnic groups), such as Sewan, Kampung Melayu and Rawa Kucing, are filled with the music of energetic orchestras.

The music can be heard from quite a distance, thanks to the powerful sound systems, even though the halls are usually hidden behind houses or found in an open space covered with coarse grass, far from the main roads.

Only a few people will immediately recognize the sound of gambang kromong, a traditional Betawi music ensemble. The orchestra consists of the gambang (a xylophone-like instrument), kromong (a set of small gongs), tehyan (a Chinese string instrument), flute, a percussion set, gongs and kecrek (a metal string instrument). Western instruments including electric guitar, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, electric keyboard and Hawaiian guitar are also played.

The singers, mostly female, perform pantun (lyrics written in Betawi dialects) with their shrill voices. They sing lagu sayur, the modern repertoire of gambang kromong.

Welcome to the jazz band of Betawi!

Members of the audience are allowed to dance with cokek dancers, and can also embrace and even kiss them.

Ethnomusicologist Philip Yampolsky said the texture of gambang kromong was similar to that of Javanese and Sundanese gamelan orchestras and also had echoes of the ""small-band jazz"" music popular in America and Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, not to mention the strong influence of Chinese music.

""Most lagu sayur were composed before World War Two. Jazz bands in Batavia (old Jakarta) were very popular on the radio and in recordings at that time,"" he said, adding that the older repertoire, the so-called lagu lama (old songs) in which the lyrics are written in Chinese, was now on the brink of extinction.

Yampolsky considers gambang kromong to be unique, because it reflects the mixture of the various ethnic groups in Batavia.

""It is a reflection of the 400 year-long melting of the Chinese, Sundanese and Batavian cultures,"" said Yampolsky, who conducted research on Betawi music between 1990 and 1999. The results of his research were recorded and released on compact disc.

Yampolsky, who is the program officer for media, the arts and culture at the Ford Foundation, said the gambang kromong first emerged in the 18th century, where it began as an ensemble for Chinese peranakan (from the Fujian area of China) in Batavia.

It is difficult to uncover the music's history as the oldest surviving information is contained in an article written by Phoa Kian Sioe in 1949 in Pantja Warna magazine.

Phoa, who said the ensemble was established in 1743, was unsure of the history himself -- as he put it ""the older generations once heard the story from their ancestors"". During those years, performances of the music were hosted by various Chinese kapitant (a leader of an ethnic group in Batavia).

History records that the ensembles then consisted of a combination of Chinese and Sundanese instruments including gambang. Therefore they were called orkes gambang (gambang orchestra).

""The term gambang kromong was introduced in 1880 after the emergence of new repertoires for the ensembles, using Sundanese instruments like the kromong, a small drum and gong,"" Yampolsky said.

Since then lagu sayur have become more and more popular, pushing aside lagu lama which are no longer considered a proper accompaniment for dancing. Another factor was the anti-Chinese sentiment during the rule of former president Soeharto.

Now, there are only two singers still able to perform the old repertoires. They are Ibu Masnah and Ncim Ating.

As part of its efforts to preserve the culture, starting last July the Ford Foundation began supporting the preservation of lagu lama through a training program led by the two elderly singers.

""Without this program, lagu lama would disappear following the deaths of the singers,"" Yampolsky said.

Gordang Sambilan, the Nine Great Drums of the Mandailing People

The Mandailing people is one of the ethnic group from the Province of North Sumatra. They have been mistaken for Bataks in Indonesia and as 'foreign Malays' in Malaysia. The homeland of the Mandailing are in the district (kapupaten) of Mandailing Natal (MADINA for short), the southernmost part of the North Sumatran province. The province of North Sumatra borders that of West Sumatra.

The Mandailing are a clan-based and an egalitarian society governed by an indigenous institution of governance called Na Mora Na Toras (the nobles and the elders). The Gordang Sambilan (the Nine Great Drums) of the Mandailing people forms a component of this system of governance and social interaction called Dalian na Tolu (the three threshold).

Gordang Sambilan is the cultural heritage of the Mandailing people, and there is nothing like it among the other ethnic groups in Malaysia as well as Indonesia. The sacred ceremonial music of the Gordang Sambilan has invincible powers by which the Mandailings call upon the ancestors to give assistance through a shaman called Sibaso.

In the past, Gordang Sambilan ensembles are found in each of the village republics of the Mandailing homeland. The sacred musical instruments were kept in the Sopo Godang, where the council meetings of the Na Mora Na Toras (the nobles and the elders) convened, or place in a special structure called Sopo Gordang (the drum's house) near the Bagas Godang (the Raja's/nobleman's dwelling). The Gordang Sambilan is only used for customary rites as well as to celebrate the Eidul Fitri, the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

The instrument of Gordang Sambilan comprised nine drums graded in size from large to small. The largest being about 1.8 meters long, 0.52 meters wide at the top end and 0.50 meters wide at the bottom end. The resonator is made of a whole tree trunk and covered with cow hide and tied with rattan. A stick is used to beat the drums. Each drum in the ensemble has its own name, but the names are not standardised throughout Mandailing. In keeping with the Mandailing tradition of 'democracy', each village republic has the freedom to name their drums differently.

The Gordang Sambilan ensemble is complemented by two big agung (gongs). The biggest gong is called ogung boru-boru (the female gong) and the smaller bong is called agung jantan (the male gong). Other smaller sets of gong also accompany the ensemble, one called doal dan three much smaller gongs called lemsapong or mong-mongan. Gordang Sambilan is also accompanied by a bamboo flute called sarune or saleot, and a pair of small symbols called tali sasayat.

During the period of animism, the Gordang Sambilan was employed to evoke the spirits of the Mandailing ancestors to come to the rescue of Mandailing society. The ceremony was called paturuan Sibaso (to call upon the spirits to put the Sibaso into trance). The purpose is to summon the ancestors to come to the assistance of the Mandailing people, when afflicted by a plague, for example. Gordang Sambilan was also employed to bring down the rain during drought and to stop the rain when bad weather caused hardship to people.

When the Gordang Sambilan is used in a wedding ceremony, it is called Orja Godang Markaroan Boru and in a burial ceremony, it is called Orja Mambulungi. Permission has to be obtained from the Na Mora Na Toras and from the Raja (the nobleman) as both these ceremonies are viewed as personal and private affairs. The petition is submitted before the audience of the Na Mora Na Toras, the Raja and the applicant. As a requirement, the applicant must also offer a male adult buffalo for slaughter. If these requirements are not met, the performance of the Gordang Sambilan will not be allowed.

For the burial ceremony (Orja Manbulungi), only two of the nine drums are used, and these drums are called Jangat. But in the context of the ceremony itself the drums are called Bombat.

The performance of the Gordang Sambilan in customary rites is accompanied by adat (customary) paraphernalia including flags called Tonggol, ceremonial umbrella called Payung Raranagan and an assortment of arms from swords to spears called Podang and Sijabut Tombak respectively.

Gordang Sambilan is also played to accompany the dance called Sarama. The dancer sometimes gets into a trance because the spirits of the ancestors enters the dancer. Similarly with the players of the Gordang Sambilan.

Of late, apart from using the Gordang Sambilan as a sacred musical instrument, the Mandailing people have started performing it as a traditional art form that is now popular in Indonesia. The Mandailing migrants to Malaysia have started playing Gordang Sambilan in social events. Gordang Sambilan was introduced into Europe and America when two Indonesian contingents promoting 'Indonesian' traditional art form performed the Gordang Sambilan in the two continents.

Seen as a traditional art form, Gordang Sambilan is now used outside the context of Mandailing adat (customs), and is employed to received dignitaries, celebrate national events, social gatherings and welcome Edul Fitri, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

Texts by Drs. Z. Pangaduan Lubis
Translation by Abdur-Razzaq Lubis
Edited by Khoo Salma Nasution