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A recital is a musical (vocal or instrumental) performance. It can highlight a single performer, sometimes accompanied by piano, or a performance of the works of a single composer.

The invention of the solo piano recital has been attributed to Franz Liszt.^{[citation needed]}

Also, a recital may have many participants, as for a dance recital. A dance recital is a presentation of choreographed moves for an audience, usually in an established performing arts venue, possibly competitively. Some dance recitals are seasonal.

See also[link]

• Organ recital

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Gustavo Cerati
Background information
Birth name	Gustavo Adrián Cerati Clark
Born	(1959-08-11) August 11, 1959 (age 52) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Genres	Rock, alternative rock, electronic rock, experimental rock, neo-psychedelia, art rock, post-punk, New Wave, electronic music, pop rock, indie rock
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, composer, producer
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, bass, keyboards, synthesizer, sampler
Years active	1982–2010.
Labels	Sony Music
Associated acts	Soda Stereo, Tweety González, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Roger Waters, Andy Summers, Shakira
Website	www.cerati.com
Notable instruments
PRS Custom G&L Legacy HB Gibson ES-335 Jackson Soloist

Gustavo Cerati^[1] (Born Gustavo Adrián Cerati Clark on August 11, 1959),^[2] is a singer-songwriter, composer, and rock producer. He is primarily known as the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Soda Stereo (1982–1997), considered by many to be one of the most important and influential bands of Latin Rock.^[3] His work inside and outside of Soda Stereo makes him one of the most recognizable figures in Ibero-American rock.^[4][5] His solo career began in the early 1990s when on hiatus from Soda Stereo Cerati recorded his first solo album Amor Amarillo (Yellow Love).

Cerati has experimented with various musical genres, including electronic music (Plan V) and symphonic music. Throughout his career Cerati has been nominated for various Grammy, MTV, and Gardel awards. In 2007, Cerati reunited with Soda Stereo for a reunion tour Me Veras Volver Tour. On the 15th of May 2010 Cerati suffered a cerebral stroke after a show in Venezuela. Since then he remains in a coma under respiratory aide.^[6]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Cerati was born on the 11th of August 1959 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the oldest son of the engineer and accountant Juan José Cerati, and Lilian Clark.^[7] From an early age Cerati showed an interest in music. His first incursion into music was a broomstick band that he formed in elementary school. Besides music, Cerati enjoyed drawing. He would spend long hours drawing superheroes such as “Superbrain" (similar to Superman, minus the predilection to kryptonite). He was an able athlete who practiced swimming and athletics. He won second place in a competition for the Billiken magazine after running 100 meters in an intercollegiate competition. One of Cerati’s main activities during his youth was directing the choir for the College, where he was suspended for burping during mass (he was later pardoned after winning a singing competition). As a teenager he worked as a medical assistant at the Boehringer laboratory in Argentina in 1981. A few years later he served in the Argentinian military.

His first musical influences were groups like The Police –Cerati recorded “Bring on the Night” for a tribute album featuring Andy Summers on guitar and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums. Queen, (whom he covered with Soda Stereo), The Cure, David Bowie, Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple.

In High School Cerati won a Christmas themed songwriting contest sponsored by Channel 9 (Argentina). He played in different bands including, "Savage," a rock and blues group, "Vozarron," a fusion band, and a trio called "Triciclo" (tricycle). "Savage" was made up of two British singers who would also perform at a cabaret in front of Parque Centenario (Centennial Park).^[8]

Soda Stereo[link]

Cerati performing live with Soda Stereo in 2007.

Main article: Soda Stereo

In 1982 Cerati established a close relationship with Héctor "Zeta" Bosio, which was to prove decisive in the future of both. They knew each other from the advertising major at the University of Salvador in Buenos Aires. Their relationship was cemented in the summer of 1982 in Punta del Este, Uruguay where they were playing with their respective bands. They decided to return to Buenos Aires to form a band. Zeta and Gustavo shared the same musical tastes and had the same aspirations. They wanted to integrate the new wave sound of The Police (which had toured Argentina earlier that year), with their own sound. And they wanted to sing in Spanish. Charly Alberti was recruited as drummer and they formed Los Estereotipos. After a brief period in which various configurations were tested, including one with Daniel Melero, Richard Coleman, and others, they decided to remain as a trio and changed their name to Soda Stereo.

From the beginning the group worked on building their image, aided by Alfredo Lois (college roommate), who took care of the aesthetic details; makeup, hairstyles, and so forth. The first concerts were held in July of 1983 at the disco Airport and at Stud Free Pub. Following those early shows Soda toured the pub circuit with obligatory stops at Cafe Einstein and Zero, which at the time, represented the less commercial scene of the moment.

Along with Soda Stereo Gustavo Cerati recorded seven studio albums: Soda Stereo (1984), Nada Personal (1985), Signos (1986), Doble Vida (1988), Canción Animal (1990), Dynamo (1992), Sueño Stereo (1995).

Solo career[link]

Cerati recorded two solo albums while playing with Soda Stereo. These albums are:

• Colores Santos (1991) A project with Daniel Melero. Notable songs from the álbum include "Vuelta por el Universo", "Tu Medicina" and "Colores Santos".
• Amor Amarillo (1994) Cerati’s very first solo album which included Hector (Zeta) Bosio, ex-bass player for Soda Stereo, contributing bass on the song "Amor Amarillo" ("Yellow Love"). Notable singles from the album include "Lisa", "Te llevo para que me lleves", "Pulsar" and "Bajan".

Cerati's solo albums since the breakup of Soda Stereo are:

• Bocanada (1999) Considered his first official solo album, Bocanada is marked by heavy use of electronic samples and beats. Some outstanding songs from this album include "Engaña", "Río Babel", "Bocanada", "Puente" and "Paseo Inmoral". During an interview, Cerati said that he would like to name this album "Cerati Iluminado" in regards of the lyrics and music they arranged for the records.
• +Bien (2001) Soundtrack of the movie of the same name, directed by Eduardo Capilla, in which he also stars and makes his acting debut. Another soundtrack he produced was for the movie "Solo Por Hoy".
• 11 Episodios Sinfónicos (2001) A live recording of Cerati singing with a classic orchestra performing some of the most popular songs from his own catalog and that of Soda Stereo.
• Siempre es Hoy (2002) The third non-instrumental album of his solo career, it marks a new perspective for his music and sound. Some highlights include "Karaoke", "Cosas Imposibles" and "Artefacto".
• Siempre es Hoy / Reversiones (2003) A compilation of remixes from the album "Siempre es hoy" performed by several artists of the ambient electronica around the world.
• Ahí vamos (2006) Probably his most rock-oriented album to date, Ahí vamos is an album that combines Cerati's guitar roots and a melodic style. It includes songs such as "Un lago en el cielo", "Crimen", "La excepcion", "Uno entre mil", "Adios", "Me quedo aqui" and "Medium". Hector Castillo and Tweety Gonzalez were responsible for the sound engineering of the album.
• Fuerza Natural (2009) Released on September 1, 2009, the album is Cerati’s fifth solo album and features a folk sound with acoustic guitars and presence of mandolins. The first single from the album was "Déjà vu". It also includes songs such as "Fuerza Natural", "Rapto", "Magia".

Cerati is known for his lead and rhythm guitar talents and for his ability to play intricate lead solos on guitar while singing in key. In his album Ahí vamos his guitar playing is featured prominently as opposed to the heavy use of electronic samplers as in Bocanada. Ahí Vamos was certified platinum in Argentina in only one day.

Cerati has several electronic music alter egos as well, namely Plan V, Ocio and Roken. He has produced albums for other artists, most notably Sueños en Tránsito for Nicole and Mar for Leo García as well as for the band Friccion. He is a contributing artist on several albums for artists such as Caifanes, Los Calzones, and Shakira.

Despite stating that the Grammys do not matter to him. He attended the Latin Grammys ceremony on November 2, 2006 where he won for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song.^[9]

On March 10, 2007 Cerati played a free concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The show was held in a popular square and main streets were closed. The concert was the closure of the Summer Programme of the city government. The government estimated that between 150,000^[10] and 200,000^[11] people attended.

On July 7, 2007 he performed at Live Earth with Shakira in Germany.

Gustavo Cerati won Best Rock Album for Fuerza Natural and Best Rock Song for Deja Vu during the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards.^[12]

Personal life[link]

Cerati was married to Chilean model Cecilia Amenábar from 1992 until 2002. They had two children: Lisa and Benito. Amenábar contributed vocals and double bass to Cerati's first solo album, Amor Amarillo.

Stroke[link]

On May 15, 2010, Cerati suffered a stroke^[13] due to a decompensation after his performance in Caracas, Venezuela. He was hospitalized in Centro Médico La Trinidad in Caracas under medical surveillance. Three days later, according to the Venezuelan media,^[14] Cerati underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain due to the ischemic stroke he suffered.

On June 7, 2010, Cerati was finally transferred to Argentina and hospitalized in the FLENI Neurological Institute in Buenos Aires.^[15] Doctors there began treatment with antibiotics due to a respiratory tract infection.^[16] The following day, doctors reported extensive brain damage due to the stroke, according to the Agence France-Presse.^[17] Cerati currently remains in a coma.

While performing at Rock in Rio Madrid on June 5, 2010, Colombian singer Shakira, a close friend of Cerati, debuted a new song, the title track from her upcoming Spanish album "Sale el Sol" (The Sun Comes Out), dedicated to Gustavo Cerati. The song states that the sun will rise even after the storm and that there is light at the end of the tunnel.^[18]

A month after the stroke, Claudio E. Pensa M.D., medical director of the FLENI Neurological Institute, issued a statement to the press stating that Cerati's medical condition remained unchanged and that he would only provide new information if changes were to occur.^[19]

Viejas Locas singer Cristian “Pity” Alvarez, during a performance in Cordoba on June 20, 2010, claimed that Cerati was already dead, but his decease was withheld due to financial issues.^[20] On June 21, Álvarez and the rest of Viejas Locas issued a statement expressing their wishes for Cerati's full recovery.^[21]

On Cerati's official webpage his family issued two statements, with the first on June 20, 2010 thanking and acknowledging the medical staff in Venezuela for their work, as well as the efforts of the personnel of Evenpro and Cerati's roadies and musicians.^[22] On June 27, 2010 the family's second statement was released, which affirmed that Cerati is receiving good medical care and asked fans to disregard any malicious rumors related to his health.^[19]

On December 2, 2010 a statement was issued by ALCLA Clinic's medical director stating that, neurologically, Cerati is reacting to thermal stimuli.^[23]

The Irish rock band U2 remembered Gustavo Cerati in one of their concerts in La Plata, Argentina, on March 2011 during the intro of their song "Moment of Surrender". Bono said "We would like you to think about Gustavo Cerati. We send him our love and respect, and he will hear our voices tonight", earning a standing ovation from 60,000 fans at the Único Stadium.^[24]

Guitars[link]

Cerati with his PRS Custom.

Gustavo has an extensive collection of guitars. The guitar he uses most is the PRS Custom Multifoil, which he has used for more than 20 years and is his characteristic guitar, but unlike other musicians that only use one or just a few guitars, he uses several, varying them depending on the song that he's playing in order to achieve the right sound. The guitars he most uses are:

• PRS Custom Multifoil
• G&L Legacy HB, Black finish
• Gibson ES-335, Cherry finish
• Fender Telecaster, Cherry finish
• G&L ASAT Classic, Cherry finish
• Jackson Soloist, Blue finish
• Fender Electric XII, Sunburst finish
• Gibson Les Paul, White / Black finish
• Gibson Chet Atkins SST
• Parker Fly Deluxe
• Pensa Custom MK1, Black quilt finish

Discography[link]

Gustavo Cerati has released five solo albums and with Soda Stereo he released seven studio albums and three live albums.

Solo releases[link]

• Amor Amarillo (1993)^[25]
• Bocanada (1999)
• Siempre es Hoy (2002)
• Ahí vamos (2006)
• Fuerza Natural (2009)

Soda Stereo[link]

LPs

• Soda Stereo (1984)
• Nada Personal (1985)
• Signos (1986)
• Doble Vida (1988)
• Canción Animal (1990)
• Dynamo (1992)
• Sueño Stereo (1995)

EPs, remixes

• Languis (1989)
• Rex Mix (1991)
• Zona de Promesas (1993)

Live

• Comfort y Música Para Volar (1996)
• El Último Concierto (1997)
• Gira Me Verás Volver (2008)

Other albums[link]

• Colores Santos (featuring the Argentine musician Daniel Melero) (1991)
• +Bien (Movie Soundtrack) (2001)
• 11 Episodios Sinfónicos (Live with Symphonic Orchestra) (2001)

Compilations[link]

• Chau Soda (1997)
• Siempre es Hoy: Reversiones (2003) (Double CD- Remixes Compilation)
• Canciones Elegidas 93-04 (2004) (European edition)
• Canciones Elegidas 93-04 (2004) (American edition) (CD + DVD)
• Me Verás Volver (2007)

Other projects[link]

• Fricción (with Richard Coleman) (1985)
• Colores Santos (with Daniel Melero) (1992)
• Colores Santos, the Remixes (1995)
• Plan V (with Andrés Bucci, Guillermo Ugarte, Christian Powditch, and Hugo Chávez) (1996)
• Plan Black V Dog (with Black Dog) (1998)
• Ocio - Medida Universal (with Flavius E.) (1999)
• Ocio - Insular (2000)
• Roken (with Flavius E., Leandro Fresco) (only live presentations, no album or record was done) (2004)
• Nicole - Sueños en tránsito (Producer) (1997)
• Leo García- Mar (Producer) (2000)

Collaborations[link]

Cerati Gustavo has done a lot of collaborations with other artists, some of the highlights are:

• The Child Will Fly - Roger Waters, Shakira, Eric Clapton, Pedro Aznar and Gustavo Cerati. In March 2008, Gustavo Cerati reunited with Roger Waters in New York to collaborate on a track to benefit the Alas Foundation. The session took place in the Looking Glass studio belonging to the renowned minimalist composer Philip Glass. There, Gustavo Cerati and Roger Waters worked under the command of Hector Castillo, recording engineer Here we go. Filming for the music video has begun.^[26]
• Outlandos D'Americas - Tribute to The Police, with Andy Summers, song "Tráeme la noche" ("Bring on the Night")
• Tribute to Queen (Soda Stereo, song "Algún Día" ("Some Day One Day")
• Los Durabeat (Beatles Tribute)
• Shakira - Fijación Oral Vol. 1 + 2 ("Día Especial", "No"), Sale el Sol ("Mariposas" "Devoción" "Tu Boca")
• No lo Soporto - Avión, song "Nunca Iré"
• Plasticos from Los Calzones-tribute to Argentine rock songs made in ska version (en la ciudad de la furia)
• Bajofondo - Mar Dulce, song "El Mareo"
• "Savage" guitar solo on Los Brujos debut LP's song "Fin de Semana Salvaje". He also co-produced this album with Daniel Melero.
• "Caifanes Vol. 1" - Guitar on "la Bestia Humana".

References[link]

External links[link]

• Gustavo Cerati's official website
• Soda Stereo official website
• 2006 Interview with Cerati by Patrick Ambrose at The Morning News

Corrado Guzzanti
Born	May 17, 1965 Rome
Nationality	Italian
Occupation	Actor, director, writer and satirist

Guzzanti and the cast of Fascisti su marte.

Corrado Guzzanti (born May 17, 1965) is an Italian actor, director, writer and satirist. He has been described as "the most interesting satirical author and actor today"^[1] and "among the comedians best loved by the Italian public."^[2]

Biography[link]

Born in Rome, he is the son of journalist and Senator Paolo Guzzanti, great-nephew of former Minister of Health Elio Guzzanti, and brother of Sabina and Caterina, both also Italian television personalities and satirical actresses.

After beginning his career as writer for his sister Sabina, he debuted with roles for himself in Avanzi, hosted by Serena Dandini, with whom he collaborated in almost all his subsequent TV shows. These include Tunnel, Maddecheaò, Pippo Chennedy Show and L'ottavo nano.

He is famous for his corrosive imitations of Italian politicians and personalities: an incomplete list include Emilio Fede, Antonello Venditti, Francesco Rutelli, Romano Prodi, Fausto Bertinotti, Gianfranco Funari, Gianni Baget Bozzo, Giulio Tremonti and many others. He has also notoriously sent up Berlusconi's lauding of "freedom," which he and other critics of the Prime Minister view cynically, in a sketch in which he urinated on a couch.^[3][4]

Guzzanti has also created characters of his own, including avantgarde cinema director Rokko Smithersons (who appeared more like a leather-clad biker); Quelo, a comedic version of a new age guru with a number of catchphrases; Vulvia, the linkwoman of the Discovery Channel-like Re-Educational Channel; Lorenzo, a spoof of the "typical" late 1980s teenager, obsessed with Mtv, heavy metal, playing football and getting stoned; and the poet Brunello Robertetti, a satire of a typical Italian selfish and pseudo-profound intellectual. His latest character is Don Florestano Pizzarro, a powerful priest, in 2008.

In 2006 he debuted as movie director with Fascisti su Marte ("Fascists on Mars"), which features an anachronistic and heavily satirical plot about a group of Fascist militiamen attempting to colonize Mars (the red Bolshevik planet) during the Fascist era.

References[link]

External links[link]

Media related to Corrado Guzzanti at Wikimedia Commons

• Homepage (Currently offline)
• Fascisti su Marte at the Internet Movie Database

Bob Marley
Bob Marley performing in concert, circa 1980.
Background information
Birth name	Robert Nesta Marley
Also known as	Tuff Gong
Born	(1945-02-06)6 February 1945 Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica
Died	11 May 1981(1981-05-11) (aged 36) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Reggae, ska, rocksteady
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, saxophone, harmonica, percussion
Years active	1962–1981
Labels	Studio One, Upsetter, Tuff Gong
Associated acts	Bob Marley & The Wailers, Wailers Band, The Upsetters, I Threes
Website	bobmarley.com

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers (1963–1981). Marley remains the most widely known and revered performer of reggae music, and is credited with helping spread both Jamaican music and the Rastafari movement to a worldwide audience.^[1]

Marley's music was heavily influenced by the social issues of his homeland, and he is considered to have given voice to the specific political and cultural nexus of Jamaica.^[2] His best-known hits include "I Shot the Sheriff", "No Woman, No Cry", "Could You Be Loved", "Stir It Up", "Get Up Stand Up", "Jamming", "Redemption Song", "One Love" and, "Three Little Birds",^[3] as well as the posthumous releases "Buffalo Soldier" and "Iron Lion Zion". The compilation album Legend (1984), released three years after his death, is reggae's best-selling album, going ten times Platinum which is also known as one Diamond in the U.S.,^[4] and selling 25 million copies worldwide.^[5][6]

Early life and career[link]

Bob Marley was born in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica as Nesta Robert Marley.^[7] A Jamaican passport official would later swap his first and middle names.^[8] His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a white Jamaican of mixed and English descent whose family came from Sussex, England. Norval was a captain in the Royal Marines,^{[citation needed]} as well as a plantation overseer, when he married Cedella Booker, an Afro-Jamaican then 18 years old.^[9] Norval provided financial support for his wife and child, but seldom saw them, as he was often away on trips. In 1955, when Bob Marley was 10 years old, his father died of a heart attack at age 70.^[10] Marley faced questions about his own racial identity throughout his life. He once reflected:

I don't have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't deh pon nobody's side. Me don't deh pon the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me deh pon God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white.^[11]

The Bob Marley House in Nine Mile is a home that he shared with his mother during his youth

Although Marley recognised his mixed ancestry, throughout his life and because of his beliefs, he self-identified as a black African, following the ideas of Pan-African leaders. Marley stated that his two biggest influences were the African-centered Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie. A central theme in Bob Marley's message was the repatriation of black people to Zion, which in his view was Ethiopia, or more generally, Africa.^[12] In songs such as "Black Survivor", "Babylon System", and "Blackman Redemption", Marley sings about the struggles of blacks and Africans against oppression from the West or "Babylon".^[13]

Marley and his step brother Bunny Wailer (Bob's mother had a daughter with Bunny's father, younger sister to both of them) started to play music while he was still at school, which he left at the age of 14 to make music with Joe Higgs, a local singer and devout Rastafari. At a jam session with Higgs and Livingston, Marley met Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh), who had similar musical ambitions.^[14] In 1962, Marley recorded his first two singles, "Judge Not" and "One Cup of Coffee", with local music producer Leslie Kong. These songs, released on the Beverley's label under the pseudonym of Bobby Martell,^[15] attracted little attention. The songs were later re-released on the box set Songs of Freedom, a posthumous collection of Marley's work. Marley was also known to use an Epiphone guitar for much of his career.

Bob Marley Epiphone guitar at his birthplace in Nine Mile, Jamaica.

Bob Marley & The Wailers[link]

1963–1974[link]

Marley in concert in 1980, Zurich, Switzerland

In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith formed a ska and rocksteady group, calling themselves "The Teenagers". They later changed their name to "The Wailing Rudeboys", then to "The Wailing Wailers", at which point they were discovered by record producer Coxsone Dodd, and finally to "The Wailers". By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso, and Smith had left The Wailers, leaving the core trio of Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh.^[16]

In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother's residence in Wilmington, Delaware in the United States for a short time, during which he worked as a DuPont lab assistant and on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant, under the alias Donald Marley.^[17]

Though raised in the Catholic tradition, Marley became captivated by Rastafarian beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother's influence.^[18] Formally converted to Rastafari after returning to Jamaica, Marley began to wear his trademark dreadlocks (see the religion section for more on Marley's religious views). After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, The Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider The Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute regarding the assignment of recording rights, but they would remain friends and work together again.

Bob Marley's flat in 1972 at 34 Ridgmount Gardens, Bloomsbury, London, his first UK address.^[19][20]

Between 1968 and 1972, Bob and Rita Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer re-cut some old tracks with JAD Records in Kingston and London in an attempt to commercialise The Wailers' sound. Bunny later asserted that these songs "should never be released on an album ... they were just demos for record companies to listen to". Also in 1968, Bob and Rita visited the Bronx to see Johnny Nash's songwriter Jimmy Norman.^[21] A three-day jam session with Norman and others, including Norman's co-writer Al Pyfrom, resulted in a 24-minute tape of Marley performing several of his own and Norman-Pyfrom's compositions. This tape is, according to Reggae archivist Roger Steffens, rare in that it was influenced by pop rather than reggae, as part of an effort to break Marley into the American charts.^[21] According to an article in The New York Times, Marley experimented on the tape with different sounds, adopting a doo-wop style on "Stay With Me" and "the slow love song style of 1960's artists" on "Splish for My Splash".^[21] An artist yet to establish himself outside his native Jamaica, Marley lived in Ridgmount Gardens, Bloomsbury, London during 1972.^[19][20]

In 1972, the Wailers entered into an ill-fated deal with CBS Records and embarked on a tour with American soul singer Johnny Nash. Broke, the Wailers became stranded in London. Marley turned up at Island Records founder and producer Chris Blackwell's London office, and asked him to advance the cost of a new single. Since Jimmy Cliff, Island's top reggae star, had recently left the label, Blackwell was primed for a replacement. In Marley, Blackwell recognized the elements needed to snare the rock audience: "I was dealing with rock music, which was really rebel music. I felt that would really be the way to break Jamaican music. But you needed someone who could be that image. When Bob walked in he really was that image."^[22] Blackwell told Marley he wanted The Wailers to record a complete album (essentially unheard of at the time). When Marley told him it would take between £3,000 and £4,000, Blackwell trusted him with the greater sum. Despite their "rude boy" reputation, the Wailers returned to Kingston and honored the deal, delivering the album Catch A Fire.

Primarily recorded on eight-track at Harry J's in Kingston, Catch A Fire marked the first time a reggae band had access to a state-of-the-art studio and were accorded the same care as their rock'n'roll peers.^[22] Blackwell desired to create "more of a drifting, hypnotic-type feel than a reggae rhythm",^[23] and restructured Marley's mixes and arrangements. Marley travelled to London to supervise Blackwell's overdubbing of the album, which included tempering the mix from the bass-heavy sound of Jamaican music, and omitting two tracks.^[22]

The Wailers' first major label album, Catch a Fire was released worldwide in April 1973, packaged like a rock record with a unique Zippo lighter lift-top. Initially selling 14,000 units, it didn't make Marley a star, but received a positive critical reception.^[22] It was followed later that year by Burnin', which included the standout songs "Get Up, Stand Up", and "I Shot the Sheriff", which appealed to the ear of Eric Clapton. He recorded a cover of the track in 1974 which became a huge American hit, raising Marley's international profile.^[24] Many Jamaicans were not keen on the new "improved" reggae sound on Catch A Fire, but the Trenchtown style of Burnin' found fans across both reggae and rock audiences.^[22]

During this period, Blackwell gifted his Kingston residence and company headquarters at 56 Hope Road (then known as Island House) to Marley. Housing Tuff Gong Studios, the property became not only Marley's office, but also his home.^[22]

The Wailers were scheduled to open 17 shows for the number one black act in the States, Sly and the Family Stone. After 4 shows, the band was fired because they were more popular than the acts they were opening for.^[25] The Wailers broke up in 1974 with each of the three main members pursuing solo careers. The reason for the breakup is shrouded in conjecture; some believe that there were disagreements amongst Bunny, Peter, and Bob concerning performances, while others claim that Bunny and Peter simply preferred solo work.

1974–1981[link]

Bob Marley & The Wailers live at Crystal Palace Park during the Uprising Tour

Despite the break-up, Marley continued recording as "Bob Marley & The Wailers". His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The "I Threes", consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita, provided backing vocals. In 1975, Marley had his international breakthrough with his first hit outside Jamaica, "No Woman, No Cry", from the Natty Dread album. This was followed by his breakthrough album in the United States, Rastaman Vibration (1976), which spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.^[26] On 3 December 1976, two days before "Smile Jamaica", a free concert organised by the Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley in an attempt to ease tension between two warring political groups, Marley, his wife, and manager Don Taylor were wounded in an assault by unknown gunmen inside Marley's home. Taylor and Marley's wife sustained serious injuries, but later made full recoveries. Bob Marley received minor wounds in the chest and arm.^[27] The shooting was thought to have been politically motivated, as many felt the concert was really a support rally for Manley. Nonetheless, the concert proceeded, and an injured Marley performed as scheduled, two days after the attempt. When asked why, Marley responded, "The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?" The members of the group Zap Pow, which had no radical religious or political beliefs, played as Bob Marley's backup band before a festival crowd of 80,000 while members of The Wailers were still missing or in hiding.^[28][29]

Marley left Jamaica at the end of 1976, and after a month-long "recovery and writing" sojourn at the site of Chris Blackwell's Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, arrived in England, where he spent two years in self-imposed exile. Whilst there he recorded the albums Exodus and Kaya. Exodus stayed on the British album charts for 56 consecutive weeks. It included four UK hit singles: "Exodus", "Waiting in Vain", "Jamming", and "One Love" (a rendition of Curtis Mayfield's hit, "People Get Ready"). During his time in London, he was arrested and received a conviction for possession of a small quantity of cannabis.^[30] In 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica and performed at another political concert, the One Love Peace Concert, again in an effort to calm warring parties. Near the end of the performance, by Marley's request, Michael Manley (leader of then-ruling People's National Party) and his political rival Edward Seaga (leader of the opposing Jamaica Labour Party), joined each other on stage and shook hands.^[31]

Under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers eleven albums were released, four live albums and seven studio albums. The releases included Babylon by Bus, a double live album with thirteen tracks, were released in 1978 and received critical acclaim. This album, and specifically the final track "Jamming" with the audience in a frenzy, captured the intensity of Marley's live performances.^[32]

Survival, a defiant and politically charged album, was released in 1979. Tracks such as "Zimbabwe", "Africa Unite", "Wake Up and Live", and "Survival" reflected Marley's support for the struggles of Africans. His appearance at the Amandla Festival in Boston in July 1979 showed his strong opposition to South African apartheid, which he already had shown in his song "War" in 1976. In early 1980, he was invited to perform at the 17 April celebration of Zimbabwe's Independence Day. Uprising (1980) was Bob Marley's final studio album, and is one of his most religious productions; it includes "Redemption Song" and "Forever Loving Jah".^[34] Confrontation, released posthumously in 1983, contained unreleased material recorded during Marley's lifetime, including the hit "Buffalo Soldier" and new mixes of singles previously only available in Jamaica.^[35]

Personal life[link]

Religion[link]

Bob Marley was a member of the Rastafari movement, whose culture was a key element in the development of reggae. Bob Marley became an ardent proponent of Rastafari, taking their music out of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica and onto the international music scene. He once gave the following response, which was typical, to a question put to him during a recorded interview:

• Interviewer: "Can you tell the people what it means being a Rastafarian?"
• Bob: "I would say to the people, Be still, and know that His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is the Almighty. Now, the Bible seh so, Babylon newspaper seh so, and I and I the children seh so. Yunno? So I don't see how much more reveal our people want. Wha' dem want? a white God, well God come black. True true."^[36]

Observant of the Rastafari practice Ital, a diet that shuns meat, Marley was a vegetarian.^[37] According to his biographers, he affiliated with the Twelve Tribes Mansion. He was in the denomination known as "Tribe of Joseph", because he was born in February (each of the twelve sects being composed of members born in a different month). He signified this in his album liner notes, quoting the portion from Genesis that includes Jacob's blessing to his son Joseph. Marley was baptised by the Archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Kingston, Jamaica, on 4 November 1980.^[38][39]

Family[link]

Bob Marley had a number of children: three with his wife Rita, two adopted from Rita's previous relationships, and several others with different women. The Bob Marley official website acknowledges eleven children.

Those listed on the official site are:

1. Sharon, born 23 November 1964, to Rita in previous relationship
2. Cedella born 23 August 1967, to Rita
3. David "Ziggy", born 17 October 1968, to Rita
4. Stephen, born 20 April 1972, to Rita
5. Robert "Robbie", born 16 May 1972, to Pat Williams
6. Rohan, born 19 May 1972, to Janet Hunt
7. Karen, born 1973 to Janet Bowen
8. Stephanie, born 17 August 1974; according to Cedella Booker she was the daughter of Rita and a man called Ital with whom Rita had an affair; nonetheless she was acknowledged as Bob's daughter
9. Julian, born 4 June 1975, to Lucy Pounder
10. Ky-Mani, born 26 February 1976, to Anita Belnavis
11. Damian, born 21 July 1978, to Cindy Breakspeare

Makeda was born on 30 May 1981, to Yvette Crichton, after Marley's death.^[40] Meredith Dixon's book lists her as Marley's child, but she is not listed as such on the Bob Marley official website.

Various websites, for example,^[41] also list Imani Carole, born 22 May 1963 to Cheryl Murray; but she does not appear on the official Bob Marley website.^[40]

Final years and death[link]

Marley performing in Dalymount Park in the late 1970s

In July 1977, Marley was found to have a type of malignant melanoma under the nail of one of his toes. Contrary to urban legend, this lesion was not primarily caused by an injury during a football match in that year, but was instead a symptom of the already existing cancer. Marley turned down doctors' advice to have his toe amputated, citing his religious beliefs.^[42] Despite his illness, he continued touring and was in the process of scheduling a world tour in 1980. The intention was for Inner Circle to be his opening act on the tour but after their lead singer Jacob Miller died in Jamaica in March 1980 after returning from a scouting mission in Brazil this was no longer mentioned.^[43]

The album Uprising was released in May 1980 (produced by Chris Blackwell), on which "Redemption Song" is particularly considered to be about Marley coming to terms with his mortality.^{[citation needed]} The band completed a major tour of Europe, where they played their biggest concert, to a hundred thousand people in Milan. After the tour Marley went to America, where he performed two shows at Madison Square Garden as part of the Uprising Tour.

The final concert of Bob Marley's career was held 23 September 1980 at the Stanley Theater (now called The Benedum Center For The Performing Arts) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The audio recording of that concert is now available on CD, vinyl, and digital music services.

Shortly after, Marley's health deteriorated and he became very ill; the cancer had spread throughout his body. The rest of the tour was cancelled and Marley sought treatment at the Bavarian clinic of Josef Issels, where he received a controversial type of cancer therapy (Issels treatment) partly based on avoidance of certain foods, drinks, and other substances. After fighting the cancer without success for eight months, Marley boarded a plane for his home in Jamaica.^[44]

While flying home from Germany to Jamaica, Marley's vital functions worsened. After landing in Miami, Florida, he was taken to the hospital for immediate medical attention. He died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) on the morning of 11 May 1981, at the age of 36. The spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain caused his death. His final words to his son Ziggy were "Money can't buy life".^[45] Marley received a state funeral in Jamaica on 21 May 1981, which combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari tradition.^[46] He was buried in a chapel near his birthplace with his red Gibson Les Paul (some accounts say it was a Fender Stratocaster).^[47]

On 21 May 1981, Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga delivered the final funeral eulogy to Marley, declaring:

His voice was an omnipresent cry in our electronic world. His sharp features, majestic looks, and prancing style a vivid etching on the landscape of our minds. Bob Marley was never seen. He was an experience which left an indelible imprint with each encounter. Such a man cannot be erased from the mind. He is part of the collective consciousness of the nation.^[48]

Legacy[link]

Marley has remained popular for decades after his death—one of many memorials to him is this representation at Madame Tussaud Wax Museum in Amsterdam

Bob Marley was the Third World's first pop superstar. He was the man who introduced the world to the mystic power of reggae. He was a true rocker at heart, and as a songwriter, he brought the lyrical force of Bob Dylan, the personal charisma of John Lennon, and the essential vocal stylings of Smokey Robinson into one voice.

— Jann Wenner, at Marley’s 1994 posthumous introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame^[49]

In 1999 Time magazine chose Bob Marley & The Wailers' Exodus as the greatest album of the 20th century.^[50] In 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and 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.^[51] A statue was inaugurated, next to the national stadium on Arthur Wint Drive in Kingston to commemorate him. In 2006, the State of New York renamed a portion of Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to East 98th Street in the East Flatbush section of Brooklyn "Bob Marley Boulevard".^[52] In 2008, a statue of Marley was inaugurated in Banatski Sokolac, Serbia.^[53]

Internationally, Marley’s message also continues to reverberate amongst various indigenous communities. For instance, the Aboriginal people of Australia continue to burn a sacred flame to honor his memory in Sydney’s Victoria Park, while members of the Native American Hopi and Havasupai tribe revere his work.^[54] There are also many tributes to Bob Marley throughout India, including restaurants, hotels, and cultural festivals.^[55][56]

Marley has also evolved into a global symbol, which has been endlessly merchandised through a variety of mediums. In light of this, author Dave Thompson in his book Reggae and Caribbean Music, laments what he perceives to be the commercialized pacification of Marley's more militant edge, stating:

Bob Marley ranks among both the most popular and the most misunderstood figures in modern culture ... That the machine has utterly emasculated Marley is beyond doubt. Gone from the public record is the ghetto kid who dreamed of Che Guevara and the Black Panthers, and pinned their posters up in the Wailers Soul Shack record store; who believed in freedom; and the fighting which it necessitated, and dressed the part on an early album sleeve; whose heroes were James Brown and Muhammad Ali; whose God was Ras Tafari and whose sacrament was marijuana. Instead, the Bob Marley who surveys his kingdom today is smiling benevolence, a shining sun, a waving palm tree, and a string of hits which tumble out of polite radio like candy from a gumball machine. Of course it has assured his immortality. But it has also demeaned him beyond recognition. Bob Marley was worth far more.^[57]

Film adaptations[link]

In February 2008, director Martin Scorsese announced his intention to produce a documentary movie on Marley. The film was set to be released on 6 February 2010, on what would have been Marley's 65th birthday.^[58] However, Scorsese dropped out due to scheduling problems. He was replaced by Jonathan Demme,^[59] who dropped out due to creative differences with producer Steve Bing during the beginning of editing. Kevin Macdonald replaced Demme^[60] and the film, Marley, was released on 20 April 2012.

In March 2008, The Weinstein Company announced its plans to produce a biopic of Bob Marley, based on the book No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley by Rita Marley. Rudy Langlais will produce the script by Lizzie Borden and Rita Marley will be executive producer.^[61]

Ex-girlfriend and filmmaker Esther Anderson, along with Gian Godoy, made the documentary Bob Marley: The Making of a Legend, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2011.^[62]

Discography[link]

• The Wailing Wailers (1965)
• The Best of The Wailers (1970)
• Soul Rebels (1970)
• Soul Revolution (1971)
• Catch a Fire (1973)
• Burnin' (1973)
• Natty Dread (1974)
• Rastaman Vibration (1976)
• Exodus (1977)
• Kaya (1978)
• Survival (1979)
• Uprising (1980)
• Confrontation (1983)

Awards and honors[link]

Marley's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

• 1976: Band of the Year (Rolling Stone).
• June 1978: Awarded the Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations.^[54]
• February 1981: Awarded Jamaica's third highest honour, the Jamaican Order of Merit.
• March 1994: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• 1999: Album of the Century for Exodus by Time Magazine.
• February 2001: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• February 2001: Awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
• 2004: Rolling Stone ranked him No.11 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.^[63]
• "One Love" named song of the millennium by BBC.
• Voted as one of the greatest lyricists of all time by a BBC poll.^[64]
• 2006: A blue plaque was unveiled at his first UK residence in Ridgmount Gardens, London, dedicated to him by Nubian Jak community trust and supported by Her Majesty's Foreign Office.^[65]
• 2010: "Catch a Fire" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Reggae Album).^[66]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Biography portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bob Marley

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Bob Marley

• Official website
• Bob Marley at the Internet Movie Database
• The Bob Marley Foundation
• Online Home of the Marleys
• Bob Marley at Rolling Stone
• Marley Elected one of the Greatest Songwriters BBC News, 23 May 2001
• Showcase: Bob Marley by James Estrin, The New York Times, 18 May 2009
• Interview with Heather Marley in Bob Marley Magazine
• Extensive discography

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