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Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Miles, Jamaica.

In the early 1950s, Cedella, Bobs mother, decided to move to Trenchtown, a place with

very poor conditions but also a very rich cultural center, where his natural musical talentwas nurtured. Uncertain about the prospects of a music career for her son, Cedella found

a position for Bob as a welders apprentice. When a small steel splinter entered Bobs

eye, he quit welding and decided to focus on his musical aspirations. His first singles

failed to connect with the public, and for them, Marley was paid a mere $20.00.

In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso,

and Cherry Smith were The Teenagers. They later changed to The Wailing Rudeboys,

then to The Wailing Wailers, and finally to The Wailers.While he was in America, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I visited

Jamaica from April 21-24, 1966, and his visit to Jamaica had a profound impact on Bob.

He adopted the Rastafarian way of life and began wearing his hair in dreadlocks.

On 3 December 1976, two days before "Smile Jamaica" , a free concert organised by

the Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, to which Marley agreed to join with the

intention of suppressing tensions between Jamaicas rival political parties, he and his

family were assaulted, an attempt to prevent his performance at the concert. Allhappened as planned, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled, two days after the

incident. When asked why, Marley responded, "The people who are trying to make this

world worse aren't taking a day off. How can I?. In recognition of his courageous

efforts to bring together the Jamaicas political system, Bob traveled to the United

Nations in New York where he received the organizations Medal of Peace on June 6,

1978. By the end of that same year, Bob visited Africa for the first time.

In 1977, he learned that the cancer he had in his big toe had spread to his body. He

fought the disease for eight months. While flying home from Germany to Jamaica, in

May, 1981, Marley's vital functions worsened and he was not able to complete the

journey.

In April 1981 Bob Marley was awarded Jamaicas third highest honor, the Order of

Merit, for his outstanding contribution to his countrys culture. Hundreds of thousands

of spectators lined the streets to observe the procession of cars that wound its way from

Kingston to Bobs final resting place, in his birthplace of Nine Miles. Bob Marley had a

number of children: three with his wife Rita, two adopted from Rita's previous

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Braithwaitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverley_Kelsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Smithhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smile_Jamaica_Concerthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Jamaicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Manleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Manleyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Jamaicahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smile_Jamaica_Concerthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_Smithhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverley_Kelsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junior_Braithwaite

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relationships, and several others with different women. The Bob Marley official website

acknowledges eleven children. A feature-length documentary about his life, Rebel

Music , won various awards at the Grammys. With contributions from Rita, The Wailers,

and Marley's lovers and children, it also tells much of the story in his own words.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award