Had he lived, reggae legend Bob Marley would have turned 60 on Sunday. But sadly, a brain tumour took him too soon, back in 1981.
Here's one BBC article on Marley. And here's another on the Sunday concert in Ethiopia that celebrated his birthday.
'My memories of Marley...' | |||
Partridge worked with Marley from 1977 until the Jamaican musician's death in 1981. How they met: "I joined Island Records in 1977 and the first week I was there I worked on his show at the Rainbow Theatre. It was one of the last dates he did in London." The height of Marley's fame: The album Exodus came out in 1977 and that provided five hits and confirmed his global superstar status. "By 1979 he was the biggest touring attraction in the world. I remember going to see dates in Milan and Turin and they were enormous concerts."
What he was like: Bob was one of the most mesmeric people I've ever had the privilege to work with. "He must have had an iron will to succeed. Bob was a very driven individual. You realised from the start there was a manifest destiny within him that he believed in. He didn't suffer fools gladly. At the risk of stating the obvious, he was an extraordinary song writer and his stage act was perhaps the greatest I've ever seen. I saw him many times." Zimbabwe gained its independence from Rhodesia in April 1980. I remember his performance (which I saw on TV at some point) as being overpowering. If you want to read the lyrics to the song Zimbabwe, click here. This is a Wednesday Associated Press article from the Toronto Star entitled Marley Month Shakes Up Ethiopa: |
His stage act was perhaps the greatest I've ever seen. I saw him many times 
Throughout his life, Bob Marley looked to Ethiopia as the spiritual home of his Rastafarian faith.
But as Ethiopia welcomes hundreds of thousands of revellers for a month of festivities starting yesterday in honour of the Jamaican reggae legend, many here view Rastafarians — some of whom settled in Ethiopia because they could worship the nation's last emperor — with deep suspicion.
At best, the tiny Rastafarian community is tolerated as an oddity in the deeply traditional and overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian country on the Horn of Africa. At worst, they are accused of spreading drugs and crime — claims they dismiss as springing from prejudice.
Organizers of this month's celebrations hope music will melt away tensions.
Marley's widow, Rita, together with the African Union and UNICEF, is organizing the $1 million (U.S.) extravaganza, dubbed "Africa Unite," in honour of one of his most famous songs. The highlight is Ethiopia's largest-ever concert, coming on Sunday, Marley's birthday, in the capital, Addis Ababa.
For brevity's sake, here's just some links:
National Public Radio: A basement full of Bob Marley
Hardbeat.com: Will Bob Marley get hero status in Jamaica?
News.designerz.com: Bob Marley: king of reggae, champion of the oppressed
Jamaica Gleaner: Trench Town celebrates Marley
AllAfrica.com: 'Africans Unite' for Bob Marley