Jamaica: se cumplen 35 años del fallecimiento de Bob Marley
On the 35th anniversary of the death of Bob Marley, one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time with over 75 million records sold, and an international symbol of resistance to oppression, religious dedication, and peace, it’s hard to reconcile a Snapchat filter where you can adopt his face as your own on 4/20, a day that is dubbed “Weed Day”, as part of his legacy.
As the last song in his final show on stage, he performed «Get Up, Stand Up,» on September 23rd, 1980, at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He played from a stool. Cancer had spread to his brain, but he performed a 20-song set.
He collapsed and died soon after the show. He had written the song as a call to action against oppression, after leaving Haiti, and being moved by the spirit of the people and the poverty that he witnessed.
Although, he has become an iconic symbol for peace, many of his songs were far more critical of oppressors and what he believed would be their ultimate retribution. His message resonated with people from all walks of life. The CIA kept a close watch on him in the last years of his life and files on him remained classified.
«One Love,» is an interpretation of The Impressions’ «People Get Ready”: There ain’t no room for the hopeless sinner/Who would hurt all mankind just to save his own, believe me now/have pity on those whose chances grow thinner.
Curtis Mayfield was credited as a co-author with Marley when it was released on the Exodus album in 1977.
In writing “I Shot the Sherriff,” Marley said: «I want to say, ‘I shot the police’ but the government would have made a fuss, so I said, ‘I shot the sherriff’ instead…but it’s the same idea: justice.'»
When Prime Minister Michael Manley asked the Wailers to perform at a concert in December of 1976, Marley agreed, despite political turmoil. Prime Minister Manley’s People’s National Party, affiliated with the socialism of Cuba and Russia, and the Jamaican Labour Party, headed by Edward Seaga, allegedly supported by America’s CIA, were scrambling to get an endorsement from Marley, but he remained impartial.
On December 3rd, 1976, an assassination attempt was made at his home where Marley was shot in the arm and below the heart. His wife Rita was shot in the back of the head and his manager, Don Taylor, was shot five times. They all survived.
On December 5th, despite their injuries, they all performed at the concert and performed the song “War” with fiery rebellion. The song’s lyrics were taken from a speech by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, who spoke to the U.N. in 1963 about disarming nuclear weapons and ending the international exploitation of Africa.
He became one of the most prolific musicians of our generation and fathered at least seven children. But less is known about his obsession with soccer, a game he played from sunup to sundown in the dirt of the government yards in Trenchtown. There were no soccer fields to play in poor areas. He played so much that his mother would beat him because he would ruin his shoes playing.
Marley was known by many names, including Tuff Gong, Donald Marley and he recorded his early single, «One Cup of Coffee,» under the pseudonym Bobby Martell. But only his closest friends knew him by the name of «Skipper.»
His soccer teammates referred to him as «Skipper» because of his ball handling skills and his ability to control the ball.
His three loves, he said, in order were: music, women and soccer.
Famed Jamaican soccer player Allan «Skill» Cole, one of the greatest players in Jamaican history became his tour manager. On tour, Marley and the Wailers were playing soccer at sound check, in hotel rooms, parking lots and in between sessions in the studio. He required journalists to play soccer with him if they wanted to interview him. He incorporated soccer into his day-to-day routines.
Soccer, or football in the rest of the world, was brought to Jamaica by British colonialism. Jamaicans made it their own with a new style that incorporated speed, flair and flamboyance. It was a departure from a methodical and formulaic game. Amidst political turmoil in Jamaica, the game was a form of expression for the voiceless and a celebration of beauty.
An informal soccer game against a group of French journalists in Paris in May 1977, led him to discover that he had skin cancer. In between the time that it took for the cancer to spread, a little over three years, he recorded ferociously, sometimes for 12 hours at a time. Sometimes all night.
Despite the watered-down version of his legacy, his music endures. Jimmy Cliff once said that: “What I know now is that Bob finished all he had to do on this earth.”
Publicado en The Shadow League
Notas sobre el tema
Remembering Bob Marley: 10 Facts About The Reggae Legend
REGGAE LEGEND Bob Marley left us on May 11 in 1981. His songs have since united people from across the world. World peace was his favourite theme.
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of Bob Marley’s death, The Voice has gathered some interesting facts about the iconic reggae singer.
Did you know…?
1. He was actually born Nesta Robert Marley but his first and middle names were swapped around after a comment was made that Nesta was seen as a girl’s name.
2. As a child, he practiced palm reading.
3. At 21, he lived in Delaware with his mother for several months where he worked the night shift at a Chrysler plant.
4. His band, The Wailers, was originally named The Teenagers. Bob and the band were once fired from a tour because they were more popular than the act they opened for.
5.The royalties from No Woman, No Cry are sent directly to a soup kitchen in Jamaica.
6. Despite sellout world tours and multi-platinum albums, he never won a Grammy while alive.
7. In 2001 Bob Marley received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
8. His album Legend has remained on the Billboard charts for the second longest charting of all time. It’s the 17th album to exceed 10 million sales.
9. Bob performed a free concert for 80,000 attendees in Jamaica days after he was shot. He survived the armed assassination and took to the stage two days later where he proclaimed: “The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?”
10. A 1977 football injury led doctors to discover a malignant melanoma in Marley’s toe. They recommended amputation, but he refused for religious reasons. The tumour then spread, which ultimately caused his death.
Publicado en Voice Online
Africa: Rastafarians Celebrate Bob Marley Birthday
Thirty five years after the legendary reggae singer Bob Marley passed on, his legacy still lives on, thanks largely to the messages of love and unity that his music espoused.
In memory of this outstanding legacy, birthday anniversary celebrations in honour of the reggae legend have been held across the globe every May 11, the date on which he died in 1981.
In Rwanda, the celebrations have come to be synonymous with Mulindi Japan One Love, popularly known as Kwa Rasta in Kimihurura.
This year, the celebrations have been dubbed Bob Marley Festival, and for the first time, will run for three days, from May 11-13.
To headline this year’s event is the Lion Story reggae band from Burundi. The 10-member band first performed in Rwanda in 2012, at the KigaliUp Music Festival. They have since returned to Kigali for a few concerts, although it’s the first time they will be performing at the Bob Marley birthday celebrations in Kigali.
«This is a joint project between Mulindi-Japan One Love and Lion Story. We have known One Love before as a place that promotes peace and love, and the owner, Gatera Rudasingwa even has some charity projects he runs in Burundi. So we knew each other before,» explained Igirukwigomba Patience aka Passy, the band’s lead vocalist and percussionist.
Strong Voice is a family band that originally started out as Kidz Voice, and is made up of five siblings (three brothers and two sisters).
Amidst all hardships, the then kids’ band recorded a 14-song album titled, African Child at Dreamland Studios in Bujumbura, released in 2011.
In 2013, the siblings took a decision to change the name of the band from Kidz Voice to Strong Voice. Last year, the band performed at the DOADOA East African Performing Arts Market in Uganda.
Proceeds from the festival will go towards the Mulindi-Japan One Love Project, an initiative that provides artificial limbs and IT training to people with disabilities in Rwanda.
Other acts lined up for the celebrations are; Kwanda band (Rwanda), Ras Clan Entertainment (Uganda), and Dub Armada (Germany).
«It’s a pleasure to welcome our brothers and sisters from Lion Story to Rwanda. We have been busy preparing a surprise for our fans and on Wednesday we shall unveil it,» remarked Dusabimana Heritier, the leader of Strong Voice.
Publicado en AllaAfrica
5 bandas de reggae latinoamericano influenciadas por Bob Marley
Por Giovana Alcazar
Este 11 de mayo se cumplen 35 años de la muerte del gran Bob Marley, un músico que se convirtió en leyenda por ser considerado el ‘Padre del Reggae’ es por eso que son muchos los artistas que le siguen rindiendo tributo a su legado, tres de sus hijos: Demian, Kimany y Ziggy, continuaron con su tradición musical, pero la herencia del intérprete se ha propagado más allá.
El reggae infundido por Bob Marley y The Wailers, se convirtió en una base de los sonidos latinoamericanos, se salió de Jamaica y llegó a rincones como México, Puerto Rico, Argentina y muchos países más, de los cuales se han destacado propuestas influenciadas por el talento del compositor de ‘No Woman No Cry’.
1.- Gondwana – ‘Felicidad’
Esta agrupación chilena sonaba por allá de 2008 con Quique Neira como la voz de la agrupación, mientras lanzaban ‘Made in Jamaica’, un disco que abría con el tema ‘Felicidad’, unas de las canciones que se volvería uno de los referentes de la agrupación.
En este disco Gondwana hace un pequeño homenaje al compositor chileno Victor Jara que murió asesicado en 1979, al incluir el tema ‘Te Recuerdo Amanda’, pieza que fuera escrita como un tributo a la mujer. Gondwana hace una versión de reggae que deja a flor de piel las emociones que representa la canción.
2.- Cultura Profética – ‘De Antes’
Willy tiene sin lugar a dudas una de las voces con más sensibilidad en latinoamérica. Un concierto deCultura Profética siempre se convierte en una cátedra de sonidos y matices latinos que provocan toda una experiencia.
Originaria de Puerto Rico, esta banda se ha caracterizado por llevar los ritmos más puros del reggae con la inclusión de metakes profundos que le aportan carácter a cada una de las composiciones.
En 2004 lanzarn el disco ‘Diario’, en la que se incluye el tema ‘De Antes’, con el que se darían a conocer no sólo en su país, sino en otras regiones como México, Argentina, Colombia, Chile y muchos sitios más.
3.- Todos Tus Muertos – ‘Andate’
Promotores de los ritmos afrohispanoamericanos, los argentinos de Todos Tus Muertos mezclan punk, rock y reggae con la escencia más importante de la ideología rastafari; sus canciones involucraban sonidos muy diversos, como ‘Tu Alma Mía’ que inicia con el ritmo de una guitarra mexicana muy folclórica.
De esta agrupación surgieron dos de los grandes referentes del reggae latino: Fidel Nadal y Pablo Molina, ambos han seguido con su carrera solista en el mismo género y son de los músicos más respetados.
4.- Los Cafres – ‘Tus Ojos’
Unos de los más románticos de la escena de reggae latino, son Los Cafres. Originarios de Argentina, esta agrupación que lleva más de 25 años de carrera se destaca por sus canciones súper dulces y hechas para ser dedicadas.
Con temas como ‘Tus Ojos’, ‘Momento’, ‘Aire’ y muchos más, elloa brincaron sus barreras y llegaron a diversos lugares de Latinoamérica y Europa, a donde llegaron con su sonido y la voz particular de Guillermo Bonetto, que tiene un matiz dulce que lleva a la cadencia y el romance.
5.- La Celestina ‘Cuando Me Miras’
Una de las agrupaciones mexicanas más emblemáticas de reggae, es La Celestina. Originarios de la ciudad de Guadalajara, ellos se han distinguido por la creación de canciones cargadas de emotividad que llevan a los momentos más románticos, mientras que otras llevan un sentido de conciencia social.
Con su primer disco ‘Fiesta del Mundo’ surgió su canción más emblemática, ‘Par de Huaráches’, que es una balada con poderosos metales que habla de un amor que no puede ser por la diferencia de condiciones sociales. Otra de las particularidades que tiene esta agrupáción es el matiz que aporta Alfredo Luna, vocalista de la agrupación.