Bob Marley
From a Trench Town government yard to the first global superstar out of the developing world.
Bob Marley was born in 1945 in Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica. Bob Marley's background is described as Jamaican; Black Jamaican mother, white English-descended father. Growing up, the family was in poverty — his plantation-overseer father was absent and died when Bob was 10; his teenage mother moved them to Kingston's Trench Town. From a Trench Town government yard to the first global superstar out of the developing world.
- Born
- 1945 · Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica
- Roots
- Jamaican; Black Jamaican mother, white English-descended father
- Family
- Poverty
- His plantation-overseer father was absent and died when Bob was 10; his teenage mother moved them to Kingston's Trench Town.
- Education
- Left school in his mid-teens for music and a welder's apprenticeship
- Started with
- A Trench Town yard
- Government-yard jam sessions in Kingston, with singer Joe Higgs coaching the neighborhood boys for free.
- Affiliations & societies
- Rastafari movementDocumented
- Converted around 1966; central to his music and public life.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1963 · age 18The Wailers form
With Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh; "Simmer Down" tops the Jamaican chart within a year.
- 1966 · age 21Rastafari
Converts after Haile Selassie's visit to Jamaica.
- 1972 · age 27Island Records£4,000
Chris Blackwell advances the band money to record like a rock act.
- 1976 · age 31Shot before Smile Jamaica
Wounded two days before the concert; performs anyway, then leaves for London.
- 1977 · age 32Exodus
Recorded in exile; named album of the century by Time in 1999.
- 1978 · age 33One Love Peace Concert
Joins the hands of Jamaica's rival party leaders on stage.
- 1981 · age 36Dies of melanoma
The posthumous Legend compilation becomes the best-selling reggae album ever.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Bob Marley from?
Bob Marley was born in 1945 in Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica. Their background is described as Jamaican; Black Jamaican mother, white English-descended father.
When was Bob Marley born?
Bob Marley was born in 1945, in Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica.
What is Bob Marley's background or ethnicity?
Bob Marley's roots are described as Jamaican; Black Jamaican mother, white English-descended father. These are broad categories drawn from public sources, not statements about how the person identifies.
Where did Bob Marley go to school?
Bob Marley's education: Left school in his mid-teens for music and a welder's apprenticeship.
What was Bob Marley's family background growing up?
At birth the family was in poverty. His plantation-overseer father was absent and died when Bob was 10; his teenage mother moved them to Kingston's Trench Town.
How did Bob Marley get started?
Bob Marley started with a Trench Town yard. Government-yard jam sessions in Kingston, with singer Joe Higgs coaching the neighborhood boys for free.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.