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Bob Marley: The Untold Story
What was it about Bob Marley that made him so popular in a world dominated by rock ’n’ roll? How is it that he not only has remained the single most successful reggae artist ever, but also has become a shining beacon of radicalism and peace to generation after generation of fans? Chris Salewicz, the bestselling author of Redemption Song , the classic biography of Joe Strummer, interviewed Marley in Jamaica in 1979. Now, for the first time, in this thorough, detailed account of Marley’s life and the world in which he grew up, Salewicz illuminates everything from the Rastafari religion and the musical scene in Jamaica to the spirit of the man himself. Interviews with dozens of people who knew Marley and have never spoken before are woven through the narrative as Salewicz seeks to explain why Marley has become such an enigmatic and heroic figure, loved by millions all over the world.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Chris Salewicz
47 books35 followersChris Salewicz's writing on music and popular culture has appeared in publications around the globe. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
September 12, 2011
The book was an insightful depiction of a reggae legend who journeyed from "Trench Town" to inspiring millions. The author Chris Salewicz has created a no hold barred window into the world of Bob Marley - half caste, son, father, womaniser, musician, soccer player, man, jamaican and ultimately a legend!
"My music will go on forever. Maybe it's a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever."
— Bob Marley
"My music will go on forever. Maybe it's a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever."
— Bob Marley
January 18, 2013
i rarely ever sit down and read a 400 page book cover to cover, but that's exactly what happened last night between the hours of 10pm and 3am. i suppose it's a credit to the pacing of the book...and i am still not sure which of the two bios i liked better, this or 'catch a fire'...i will say that this one seemed decidedly less 'woo woo' and decidedly more british. both books compliment and inform each other nicely, although i realize as i write this that 'the untold story' seems more like a companion piece to 'catch a fire', rather than the other way around. for me personally it was cool to read about bob's influence and interaction with personalities i admire greatly such as burning spear and linton kwesi johnson. (although i swear to god if don letts turns up in another book or movie i pick up i am going to start to think that there is some sort of conspiracy going. or perhaps that he has a really great agent.)it also details more explicitly bob's more thuggish side and his dealings with jamaican gunmen, gangsters, and 'badmen' like his good buddy the pro footballer and exiled race fixer allan 'skill' cole. the lowest part of the read was a passage devoted to a furtive glance shared between bob and prince charles...they once locked eyes through a window we are told...though we are not told why in the hell we should care. i suppose if i was british or maybe even canadian the significance would be as plain as the nose on my face. as it was i was left wondering why the author devoted almost 4 pages to a sidelong glance between a talented and deeply flawed jamaican pop star and a blue blooded wanker. like the other book, this one does a fantastic job of apologizing for and rationalizing bob's numerous romantic transgressions and marital infedelities - to which i say, resoundingly: who cares?
August 9, 2014
An important book if you have been touched by the music of Bob Marley, especially those songs that you could feel arose not only from a spiritual well-spring, but from the ghettos of Jamaica and experiences that were authentically in solidarity with the Third World and those in poverty. The book goes into much detail into his life and work, and, if one has listened to all of Bob's albums and felt that different things were going on historically and musically, this read will help you truly sort them out. I read the book hoping to understand more of the social justice aspect of his work, and I feel that it helped me to do that, though it also helped me to revisit so much that I love about the art of Bob Marley and the Wailers. Much about Peter Tosh in the book as well, an artist who helped to shape my political consciousness at a young age like no other back in the 1980's. I found the evidence that the CIA sponsored the assassination attempt on Marley very important, and some other material of this sort was included, but I wish that there was more.
"...Bob's true rebel spirit lies in his devastatingly accurate depictions of ghetto life and official oppression and corruption. The pain of 'Slave Driver; the anger of 'Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)', 'The Belly Full (But We Hungry)', and 'Rat Race'; the inspired vision of recording Haile Selassie's speech to the United Nation as 'War'; in his raising aloft the arms of Prime Minister Michael Manley and opposition leader Edward Seaga in an effort at unity; in his forming relationships with Kingston's gang leaders in an effort to cool them out; in his dispensing thousands of dollars at a time to penniless mothers; in his efforts to bestride the racial and economic barriers inherent in Jamaica and throughout Babylon; in his establishing the concept of 'Babylon' in our culture and souls. And isn't it curious that Bob Marley is seen as a rebel because he had a genuine belief in peace and an end to oppression?" (411)
"...Bob's true rebel spirit lies in his devastatingly accurate depictions of ghetto life and official oppression and corruption. The pain of 'Slave Driver; the anger of 'Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)', 'The Belly Full (But We Hungry)', and 'Rat Race'; the inspired vision of recording Haile Selassie's speech to the United Nation as 'War'; in his raising aloft the arms of Prime Minister Michael Manley and opposition leader Edward Seaga in an effort at unity; in his forming relationships with Kingston's gang leaders in an effort to cool them out; in his dispensing thousands of dollars at a time to penniless mothers; in his efforts to bestride the racial and economic barriers inherent in Jamaica and throughout Babylon; in his establishing the concept of 'Babylon' in our culture and souls. And isn't it curious that Bob Marley is seen as a rebel because he had a genuine belief in peace and an end to oppression?" (411)
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August 16, 2012I’m not a fan of reggae music ... there, I admit it. So shoot me. Thus the prospect of reading an ebook about “reggae’s only superstar” was not a particularly exciting one despite experiencing a barrage of jealous huffs from my fellow EQA-ers.
The biography begins with a portrait of Marley’s days as a young lad and finishes with his untimely death in 1981. The introduction is packed full of detail with poignant analysis of the origins of both Rastas and Bob Marley - and their interlinking paths. It makes for fascinating reading and Salewicz’s writing style of ‘I’m such a cool guy’ makes you feel like you’re right there, chilling with the man himself.
The most surprising aspect to this biography is that it really helped me understand Jamaican lifestyle - a culture that couldn’t be more unfamiliar to me. It is quite fascinating to see how Marley slowly but powerfully introduced various different styles of music into Jamaican culture and, most importantly, provided the link to which different cultures could communicate on a musical level without any politics or prejudice getting in the way.
Read more here...
The Never-Ending Library is run by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd employees about the HarperCollins Publishers Ltd books that we have read and love.
The biography begins with a portrait of Marley’s days as a young lad and finishes with his untimely death in 1981. The introduction is packed full of detail with poignant analysis of the origins of both Rastas and Bob Marley - and their interlinking paths. It makes for fascinating reading and Salewicz’s writing style of ‘I’m such a cool guy’ makes you feel like you’re right there, chilling with the man himself.
The most surprising aspect to this biography is that it really helped me understand Jamaican lifestyle - a culture that couldn’t be more unfamiliar to me. It is quite fascinating to see how Marley slowly but powerfully introduced various different styles of music into Jamaican culture and, most importantly, provided the link to which different cultures could communicate on a musical level without any politics or prejudice getting in the way.
Read more here...
The Never-Ending Library is run by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd employees about the HarperCollins Publishers Ltd books that we have read and love.
June 27, 2010
I struggled with this one at first. Stylistically, Salewicz writes consistently awkwardly, so much so in fact that, despite plenty intrinsic motivation, I could not even get a tenth of the way into his Strummer book. He also often strains too mightily to be a cool dude, also to awkward effect. BUT--these faults are minimized in this, the umpteenth bio of "The Tuff Gong." Salewicz adds his own privileged insights to the massive research his predecessors have done to give us a clearer, more balanced view of Marley's life, though he still trucks too much with mystical interpretations for a rationalist Babylonian like me. Also, he makes a lot of sense of the Marley discography, so be ready to make a to-hear list.
September 9, 2014
I am not sure how much of this was "untold", but all in all a steady biography. The writer presents a knowledgeable figure and allows the key figures to have important roles in the story. For me two things stand out. Firstly, why is he he so popular? Looking back at college his music was a good fallback. It seemed non-mainstream yet of course it was. But it has a happy thread running through it and maybe that is why. Secondly, how can someone so devoted be so sexist? I suppose in that he is a creature of his age in the same vein as Lennon.
August 1, 2018
This biography of Bob Marley, written by a NME magazine journalist starts with the author going to Bob Marley's Kingston home / headquarters in February of 1979 in order to interview Bob Marley. There are spliffs all around, for sure and it is surprising that the book doesn't have its own scratch and sniff page as the author keeps reminding us that everybody associated with Bob Marley is smoking herb all day every day.
Other than the weed (some might say, "aided by the weed") Bob Marley is a brilliant musician and this book describes his troubled life from birth through to his death in 1981. The author interviews many of the people who surrounded Bob Marley through the years. You can't fault the writer's research - he has talked to a lot of people and presents how various people saw Bob Marley. There is fairly good coverage of the careers of Peter Tosh and Bunny (Livingston) Wailer who played and sang in "the Wailers" from the start of the band and had careers of their own and many troubles.
One of the interesting things that this book had was how the Island Records Bob Marley "Legend" album came about in 1984. The tracks of this album are, 'Is This Love', 'No Woman, No Cry', 'Could You Be Loved?', 'Three Little Birds', 'Buffalo Soldier', 'Get Up. Stand Up', 'Stir It Up', 'One Love / People Get Ready', 'I Shot the Sheriff', 'Waiting in Vain', 'Satisfy My Soul', 'Exodus' and 'Jammin'. Of the 13 tracks I could hum or sing the tunes to all but 2. [When I looked up the lyrics to Three Little Birds, "Don't worry about a thing..." and Waiting in Vain, "I don't want to wait in vain for your love" I realized that these are also hugely well known. So this is an album that I don't own, but have heard so many times in Jamaica & elsewhere that I am familiar with ALL the songs]. The book describes these as Bob Marley Lite - and the market surveys that Island Records did before putting out the record suggested that this was what people wanted - nothing too political. If I can sing this album it is because this is the Bob Marley that is heard playing up and down the beach everywhere where tourists are likely to venture in Jamaica. Presumably, in Kingston they still play all the other Bob Marley songs, but don't ask this tourist if he knows ANY of them. He doesn't. Read this book especially if you want to get the grit of all the rest of the career of Bob Marley that we tourists never knew.
I don't want to give the impression that this is a well-written book. I would rate the writing as 1 star and the subject matter as 4 star (interesting) so I'm giving the book a 2 star rating.
Other than the weed (some might say, "aided by the weed") Bob Marley is a brilliant musician and this book describes his troubled life from birth through to his death in 1981. The author interviews many of the people who surrounded Bob Marley through the years. You can't fault the writer's research - he has talked to a lot of people and presents how various people saw Bob Marley. There is fairly good coverage of the careers of Peter Tosh and Bunny (Livingston) Wailer who played and sang in "the Wailers" from the start of the band and had careers of their own and many troubles.
One of the interesting things that this book had was how the Island Records Bob Marley "Legend" album came about in 1984. The tracks of this album are, 'Is This Love', 'No Woman, No Cry', 'Could You Be Loved?', 'Three Little Birds', 'Buffalo Soldier', 'Get Up. Stand Up', 'Stir It Up', 'One Love / People Get Ready', 'I Shot the Sheriff', 'Waiting in Vain', 'Satisfy My Soul', 'Exodus' and 'Jammin'. Of the 13 tracks I could hum or sing the tunes to all but 2. [When I looked up the lyrics to Three Little Birds, "Don't worry about a thing..." and Waiting in Vain, "I don't want to wait in vain for your love" I realized that these are also hugely well known. So this is an album that I don't own, but have heard so many times in Jamaica & elsewhere that I am familiar with ALL the songs]. The book describes these as Bob Marley Lite - and the market surveys that Island Records did before putting out the record suggested that this was what people wanted - nothing too political. If I can sing this album it is because this is the Bob Marley that is heard playing up and down the beach everywhere where tourists are likely to venture in Jamaica. Presumably, in Kingston they still play all the other Bob Marley songs, but don't ask this tourist if he knows ANY of them. He doesn't. Read this book especially if you want to get the grit of all the rest of the career of Bob Marley that we tourists never knew.
I don't want to give the impression that this is a well-written book. I would rate the writing as 1 star and the subject matter as 4 star (interesting) so I'm giving the book a 2 star rating.
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April 22, 2015“The Untold Story Bob Marley” by Chris Salewicz is a bunch of never before published interviews with Robert Nesta Marley, or also known as Bob Marley. The book starts at when he was born and goes all the way through his life to his death.
The book is about Bob Marley. It talks about some of his childhood, but not much. It mainly focuses on when he met the Wailers and started producing music with them. Also it focuses on how much he struggled before he became a well known and very good reggae singer.
The ending of this book was just about when he was in his prime how much of a legend he became. How reggae in Jamaica started to become very popular and made its mark are a new sound.
This book has very uplifting parts in it. For example on page 57 it said “Bob had to put up with a lot of resistance. If he wasn’t that strong in himself he wouldn’t be what he became. He would be downtrodden and seen as another half-caste who would never make it.” This quote is very uplifting because it’s his own mother saying that she noticed this his son’s life and the way he worked.
I, personally, don’t know if I liked this book. There were some parts in it that I really liked, like when the author talked about how much Bob MArley struggled to get to where he was in the music industry. However, there were parts in this book that made me not really like it, like when he started talking about Jamaica. I didn’t think that it really fit with the story.
The book is about Bob Marley. It talks about some of his childhood, but not much. It mainly focuses on when he met the Wailers and started producing music with them. Also it focuses on how much he struggled before he became a well known and very good reggae singer.
The ending of this book was just about when he was in his prime how much of a legend he became. How reggae in Jamaica started to become very popular and made its mark are a new sound.
This book has very uplifting parts in it. For example on page 57 it said “Bob had to put up with a lot of resistance. If he wasn’t that strong in himself he wouldn’t be what he became. He would be downtrodden and seen as another half-caste who would never make it.” This quote is very uplifting because it’s his own mother saying that she noticed this his son’s life and the way he worked.
I, personally, don’t know if I liked this book. There were some parts in it that I really liked, like when the author talked about how much Bob MArley struggled to get to where he was in the music industry. However, there were parts in this book that made me not really like it, like when he started talking about Jamaica. I didn’t think that it really fit with the story.
November 15, 2013
I love Bob Marley's music and have been to Jamaica four times, so know that even today his life has made a significant difference in his native country. In fact, his life has made a difference all over the world, as he was the first Third World Superstar.
Bob is characterized as shy, unless he is on stage. He married Rita young, but was a womanizer and had 7 more children with other women besides the 4 he had with her. Yet he still trusted her, and she him, in a lot of matters.
His love of nature, and habit of getting up at 5AM and showering in a waterfall shouldn't have surprised me, but he is often characterized as a ganja smoking person and rather lazy. He comes off as thoughtful and respectful to anyone he has dealings with. Politicians used him and hurt him, but he still wanted to see people unite.
I also didn't know how much psychic ability Bob had. He knew he "would only be on this Earth for 36 years" and that turned out to be true. Soccer is popular in Jamaica, and he kept hurting one toe over and over throughout his life. Finally it got cancerous, and spread. Rastafarians have issues with the body, and Bob didn't want to amputate the toe, though finally he had to if he wanted to continue what would be his last tour. A great book, about a great person. Why is it always the peacemakers who die young?
Bob is characterized as shy, unless he is on stage. He married Rita young, but was a womanizer and had 7 more children with other women besides the 4 he had with her. Yet he still trusted her, and she him, in a lot of matters.
His love of nature, and habit of getting up at 5AM and showering in a waterfall shouldn't have surprised me, but he is often characterized as a ganja smoking person and rather lazy. He comes off as thoughtful and respectful to anyone he has dealings with. Politicians used him and hurt him, but he still wanted to see people unite.
I also didn't know how much psychic ability Bob had. He knew he "would only be on this Earth for 36 years" and that turned out to be true. Soccer is popular in Jamaica, and he kept hurting one toe over and over throughout his life. Finally it got cancerous, and spread. Rastafarians have issues with the body, and Bob didn't want to amputate the toe, though finally he had to if he wanted to continue what would be his last tour. A great book, about a great person. Why is it always the peacemakers who die young?
March 19, 2013
Bob Marley: The Untold Story is an interesting read if read in conjunction with other books on Bob or Reggae or the Rastafarian movement. The book doesn't really get into Bob's head or explore the music as much as it paints a picture with broad strokes of the music scene and life in Jamaica during Bob's rise to fame. More than discussing life in Jamaica at the time of Bob's career rise this book seems to give us the viewpoints of those around Bob and the historical movements of others around him without focusing on Bob and his music. About 3/4 of the way through this book I started to loose interest as I wasn't learning enough about Bob Marley but a lot about his wife and band members. The writer also didn't paint Marley as a very likable character so I had no sympathetic feelings for Bob as the protagonist of his own journey. I think consuming this book after reading the Timothy White Marley book would be more satisfying. I also feel that using the information in this book as background for my own personal research on Bob Marley and the times in which he lived would be more fulfilling than taking this book at face value as a true picture of who Bob Marley was. A decent read but not a definitive one.
June 16, 2015
As a Marley fan, digging into his life was (of course) a big interest to me.
Even with that, I struggled a bit in the beginning of the book mostly because of the pace and style of the author.Once this was passed, I started to appreciate the deep context he used and also the details he brought it up from the amazing journey Marley went from his hometown in Jamaica to worldwide success.
If you saw the great Marley movie you will appreciate this book and, as others said, be ready to build it up a to-hear list since there are loads of references and mentions to Bob's songs.
And for the ones that think that Bob's rebellious image resides on weed-smoking, this book will help you to understand that "his true rebel spirit lies in his devastatingly accurate depictions of ghetto life, official oppression and corruption".
Cheers!
Even with that, I struggled a bit in the beginning of the book mostly because of the pace and style of the author.Once this was passed, I started to appreciate the deep context he used and also the details he brought it up from the amazing journey Marley went from his hometown in Jamaica to worldwide success.
If you saw the great Marley movie you will appreciate this book and, as others said, be ready to build it up a to-hear list since there are loads of references and mentions to Bob's songs.
And for the ones that think that Bob's rebellious image resides on weed-smoking, this book will help you to understand that "his true rebel spirit lies in his devastatingly accurate depictions of ghetto life, official oppression and corruption".
Cheers!
November 17, 2012
Not definitive but fairly comprehensive and certainly interesting. Mainly disappointed he didnt follow up on interesting points or people and the end feels rushed. Skill Cole is left in an uncomfortable position here, like Salewicz didn't know if he was to blame for some important decisions at the end of Bob's life, he just lightly paints him into a corner. Again the children get light treatment when they are an interesting part of the story. Still this does a good job of covering the bases and does have some insights.
April 25, 2024
I thought I knew a little about the work, life and struggle of this legendary character but this book helped me understand the reality in Jamaica and the depth of his work a few decades ago.
This compiles details on his very early work, how the Wailers were formed, their tours together and the tragic events on the deaths of Bob and Peter Tosh and some other band members(on different events of course).
Really good book.
This compiles details on his very early work, how the Wailers were formed, their tours together and the tragic events on the deaths of Bob and Peter Tosh and some other band members(on different events of course).
Really good book.
July 12, 2012
feels like a pop up book
November 28, 2013
amazing book, lots of details and events from Bob Marley's life!
July 5, 2018
Wow. What a read. Parts can be a little tricky to keep up with what’s being told as it’s a little jumpy time wise. But apart from that it is so informative. Amazing book
January 15, 2019
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain_ Bob Marley.
April 11, 2021
This biography of Bob Marley is subtitled the untold story but, upon reading it, I discovered that the 'untold' bit appears to be an aspect of Marley's life that Salewicz appears to have deliberately decided to suppress. Bob Marley was famous for his religion, as the most famous and visible proponent of Rastafarianism, and Salewicz covers that in some detail although little depth. However, Marley became very interested in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Now this is one of the two oldest Orthodox churches in the world (it contends with the Armenian Orthodox Church for the title of oldest) and it certainly dates to the fourth century and it possibly goes right back to apostolic times. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church famously claims to be the custodian of the Ark of the Covenant. Whatever the truth of this, the Church is a fiercely orthodox church that remained independent for centuries; being surrounded by Muslim kingdoms following the rise of Islam, it developed largely in isolation from European Christianity as an authentically Christian and African church. For Marley, searching for his spiritual homeland in Ethiopia, the discovery of the national church of that country as a church that remained defiant of Babylon throughout its history came as a major development. The problem, of course, was that for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church there was only one Son of God and His name was not Haile Selassie.
Then, late in 1980, Marley collapsed while jogging in Central Park. At the hospital he was told that cancer had spread throughout his body. The doctors gave him only weeks to live.
This is the part that Salewicz completely ignores in his book, as if embarrassed to admit it. Indeed, he shuffles Marley off this mortal coil in a matter of pages between finding out his diagnosis and his death. But it is clear, from other sources and my own research, that something extraordinary happened during those months. For in fact, Marley lived until until May the following year. On 4 November of 1980, Bob Marley, the prophet of Rastafarianism, was baptised into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, taking the baptismal name Berhane Selassie, by Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq. Lest that be thought an aberration, Marley's funeral, on 21 May 1981, was conducted by Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq. Marley, it is clear, died as a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, not as a Rastafarian.
You would not know that from this book. I would imagine that Salewicz knows this perfectly well: his decision to exclude must therefore be a deliberate omission. With such an omission, one wonders what else he has chosen to omit. While the rest of the book seems to be sound enough, it must therefore have this question mark as to its veracity hanging over it - and as the point of a biography is to tell the truth about a person, that is a very large question mark indeed and justifies the book's low rating.
Then, late in 1980, Marley collapsed while jogging in Central Park. At the hospital he was told that cancer had spread throughout his body. The doctors gave him only weeks to live.
This is the part that Salewicz completely ignores in his book, as if embarrassed to admit it. Indeed, he shuffles Marley off this mortal coil in a matter of pages between finding out his diagnosis and his death. But it is clear, from other sources and my own research, that something extraordinary happened during those months. For in fact, Marley lived until until May the following year. On 4 November of 1980, Bob Marley, the prophet of Rastafarianism, was baptised into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, taking the baptismal name Berhane Selassie, by Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq. Lest that be thought an aberration, Marley's funeral, on 21 May 1981, was conducted by Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq. Marley, it is clear, died as a member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, not as a Rastafarian.
You would not know that from this book. I would imagine that Salewicz knows this perfectly well: his decision to exclude must therefore be a deliberate omission. With such an omission, one wonders what else he has chosen to omit. While the rest of the book seems to be sound enough, it must therefore have this question mark as to its veracity hanging over it - and as the point of a biography is to tell the truth about a person, that is a very large question mark indeed and justifies the book's low rating.
January 21, 2025
A beautiful and inspiring journey through the life of one of the greatest music artists that ever lived.
Wonderfully written and captivating I didn’t want to put it down. As a fan of Marley I think this is an essential read for fellow fans or people just starting to learn about his music including a very informative deep dive into the religion of Rastafari. You learn so much about the man behind the music, why he was who he was and even get info into some deep-cut and unreleased songs you can find on YouTube!
Full of emotion, drama, love, social awareness and spirituality absolutely recommend 100%
Wonderfully written and captivating I didn’t want to put it down. As a fan of Marley I think this is an essential read for fellow fans or people just starting to learn about his music including a very informative deep dive into the religion of Rastafari. You learn so much about the man behind the music, why he was who he was and even get info into some deep-cut and unreleased songs you can find on YouTube!
Full of emotion, drama, love, social awareness and spirituality absolutely recommend 100%
September 9, 2011
Bob Marley was always a musical child. Leaving school at the age of 14, Marley began to combine music with what was his other great passion in life, Rastafarian culture. Marley's life and career was fascinating on many levels - musically he almost single-hand became known as the 'Third World rockstar, while in his personal life he was attacked and harassed by police, shot by persons unknown, caught in the eye of the political war that was in Jamaica in the late 1970s, and managed to find the time to father dozens of children. This book Managed to talk about Bob Marley and gave a lot of Jamaican history with it.
The Authors purpose in writing this text is to have readers learn more about the life of Bob and his beliefs, the culture of Jamaica and the history of it. Jamaica’s history, without a doubt had a big effect on the rest of the world. The culture and beliefs are really different from America's. Jamaicans have more of a Rebellious spirit. The religious beliefs and culture would be illegal in America. The government system is more corrupt then ours in America. The theme is about Bob Marley's life and the culture of Jamaica.
I would definitely Recommend this book to people if they wanted to know more about Bob Marley and Jamaica. It is a very long read and at times hard to get through. But it is very rich into detail of not just Bob Marley's life and music, but the Rastafarian movement and Jamaican history. This book has taught me a lot about the country of Jamaica and Bob Marley that I thought I wouldn't have ever learned. I do admit at times, there were more detail than necessary given, but it was a good read. Its one of the best biographies I've ever read.
The Authors purpose in writing this text is to have readers learn more about the life of Bob and his beliefs, the culture of Jamaica and the history of it. Jamaica’s history, without a doubt had a big effect on the rest of the world. The culture and beliefs are really different from America's. Jamaicans have more of a Rebellious spirit. The religious beliefs and culture would be illegal in America. The government system is more corrupt then ours in America. The theme is about Bob Marley's life and the culture of Jamaica.
I would definitely Recommend this book to people if they wanted to know more about Bob Marley and Jamaica. It is a very long read and at times hard to get through. But it is very rich into detail of not just Bob Marley's life and music, but the Rastafarian movement and Jamaican history. This book has taught me a lot about the country of Jamaica and Bob Marley that I thought I wouldn't have ever learned. I do admit at times, there were more detail than necessary given, but it was a good read. Its one of the best biographies I've ever read.
March 4, 2019
There did not seem too many bios on Marley so this was the only option and to be honest, having read some reviews, I did not expect a lot. Quite a number of reviews gave me the impression it was superficial and a cobbled together fanzine take on him. In my opinion, that could not be more wrong. The sheer breadth and scale of the research that Salewicz must have undertaken and skilfully weaves together is quite something. You are fully integrated into the Jamaican music scene, especially in Marley's early days and in his life. You really do feel as if though you are walking beside him. I found myself feeling utterly immersed in the culture, his culture for some time after putting the book down between readings. Yes, Salewicz does skate over some slightly unedifying facets of Marley's personality and is a bit too much of a fan at times when he should be a little more impartial but, it never impinges or becomes cringe-worthy, and clearly explains how he managed to produce such a definitive account of Marley. The only area I would have liked more on (but maybe there isn't), is Marley's relationships with his children, of which there are many. They are only really mentioned in passing and this is at odds with the ethos of the man. For some, the detail of the Jamaican music scene might be a bit dense, especially as all protagonists seem to have about five different monikers and Salewicz does alternate between nicknames for musicians so you can forget who some of the minor players are. But, if you are looking for a biography to take you on a fully immersive journey of Marley's life, culture and music then you've found it in this book.
February 6, 2011
Another great book on Chris Salewicz, the author of the Joe Strummer biography, Redemption Song. This book is about the king of reggae music, Bob Marley (duh). I basically knew nothing about his life, not even how he died, and that Peter Tosh was his friend and was also in the Wailers with Marley and Bunny Levingston. The research was great, but not overkill, and this book seemed easy to read. The perfect book for someone not too familiar with Marley's work to read. I went out and re-purchased his greatest hits, Legend, today. If I had actually known all Marley's songs, this book would have probably gotten a five-star rating. I could read this again in a few years and maybe I will. I recommend this to any fan of music, especially Bob Marley fans and fans of reggae music. Well done Mr. Salewicz. Can't wait for next book.
August 6, 2011
Quality read, great background on the music industry (if that is the right term) in Jamaica during the 60's and 70's. Not for the prudish, but if you like Sex, drugs and Rock 'n Roll, this might be fore you. Salewicz is a thorough journalist, almost to the point where his scrutiny of details becomes tedious; however, it is apparent in his writing he is a music writer and not a musician.
It made me like Peter and Bunny a lot more than I did, their contributions are vastly overlooked in the US.
It made me like Peter and Bunny a lot more than I did, their contributions are vastly overlooked in the US.
August 17, 2012
It's not the best biography I had ever read, but it's good, the facts about Bob are interesting. In the begging it's extremely hard to read this book, because of writing style perhaps.
No doubts Bob Marley is a legend, an interesting on. As he said Sleep is for fools, during the nights he was writing songs, during early mornings - running, swimming. Football was the music for him, he adore it and played it.
He was strong in his faith and never stop fighting for rights..
No doubts Bob Marley is a legend, an interesting on. As he said Sleep is for fools, during the nights he was writing songs, during early mornings - running, swimming. Football was the music for him, he adore it and played it.
He was strong in his faith and never stop fighting for rights..
August 21, 2011
I enjoyed learning about Bob Marley's life - I learned so many new things about him, but I feel like the author was overwhelmed with all the facts and details and couldn't present them in a normal way which made the book hard to follow.It made me want to listen to all of Bob's music again now that I understand more about his life.
December 6, 2012
Learned a lot about Marley that I would have never guessed. For example, after singing the praises of peace on stage, he would later beat up his estranged wife. Who knew? Much of the popular knowledge of Bob Marley is tinged with reverence, but this book does a nice job of (fairly) illustrating a deeply flawed man who happened to inspire millions with his music.
July 1, 2010
awesome account of how real and trying regae was from the ghetto to europe. wont spoil it for you but it is a very intense book for bob marley fans and regae a like. lots about the industry and producers as well as those fighting to snuff it out.
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March 19, 2016A revolutionary as a thinker, a fighter and a singer. Bob lived his life and loved life. Relationships with women and the children he fathered makes for interesting reflection on relationships, love and life.
April 21, 2016
This is a thorough look at Bob Marley's life that focuses a lot on his recording deals and the music industry. I'm glad I saw the documentary on Marley before I read the book so I could visualize a lot of the people mentioned in book.
September 12, 2014
Bob Marley true legend jah live
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