Bob Marley's Birthday
Next: February 6, 2027
One love, one heart.
The story
Where it comes from
Bob Marley was born Robert Nesta Marley in the village of Nine Miles, in the parish of St Ann, Jamaica, on 6 February 1945, and this Story marks his birthday. He grew up partly in Trench Town, a poor district of Kingston, where he formed the Wailers with friends later known as Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. Blending ska, rock steady and reggae into a sound of his own, he became an international star in the 1970s with songs such as 'No Woman No Cry', 'Exodus', 'Jamming' and 'Redemption Song'.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal worldwide observance, but his birthday is easy to mark: put on Legend or Exodus, learn the words to 'One Love', or share a favourite song with someone who has never heard it. Decades after his death in 1981, his music is better known than it was in his lifetime, so there is always someone new to pass it on to.
Did you know
- The trio called themselves the Wailers because, as Marley said, 'We started out crying'.
- Catch a Fire, their first album for the Island label, was the first reggae album conceived as more than a collection of singles.
- Legend, a collection released in 1984, became the best-selling reggae album ever, with more than 12 million copies sold around the world.
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