This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve it by adding citations to reliable sources. Tagged since April 2012. The notability of this article's subject is in question. If notability cannot be established, it may be listed for deletion or removed. Tagged since June 2009.

The dice bob was a hairstyle that first started at Dimaggio's Hair Studio in New York's Tribeca district in the early 1980s. It was primarily popular among lesbians at the time.

A variant of the classic bob, the dice bob was said to be "6-sided", in that the hair would be shaped with various flat planes.

Hats were often worn to accentuate the style, however only light hats could be worn to ensure the style was not damaged. If worn with hats, the style would often require a lot of hair spray to remain in shape.

Lesbians at the time were moving towards male hairstyles, with butch fashion. The dice bob was a way for lesbians to remain feminine but still belong to a subculture.

It was considered fashionable at the time to go to dice bob parties and clubs where a dice bob style was required for entry. CBGBs, the classic club, often had Dice Bob nights in the early 80s.

As attitudes became more moderate, many lesbians felt it was no longer necessary to belong to a subculture and felt that this further differentiated them from non-lesbians, so the style waned in the late 80s. A resurgence was felt in the early 2000s however.

Four coloured dice showing all six possible sides (on a right-handed, 6-sided die with pips)

A die (plural dice, from Old French dé, from Latin datum "something which is given or played")^[1] is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers. This makes dice suitable as gambling devices for games like craps, or for use in non-gambling tabletop games.

A traditional die is an often rounded cube, with each of its six faces showing a different number (pips) from 1–6. The design as a whole is aimed at the die providing a randomly determined integer from one to six, each of those values being equally likely. A variety of similar devices are also described as dice; such specialized dice may have polyhedral or irregular shapes and may have faces marked with symbols instead of numbers. They may be used to produce results other than one through six. Loaded and crooked dice are designed to favor some results over others for purposes of cheating or amusement.

History[link]

Bone die found at Cantonment Clinch (1823–1834), an American fort used in the American Civil War by both Confederate and Union forces at separate times.

Dice have been used throughout Asia since before recorded history; the oldest known dice were excavated as part of a 5000-year-old backgammon set at the Burnt City, an archeological site in south-eastern Iran.^[2] Other excavations from ancient tombs in the Indus Valley civilization indicate a South Asian origin.^[3] Dicing is mentioned as an Indian game in the Rigveda, Atharvaveda and Buddha games list;^[4] it also plays a critical role in the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, where Yudhisthira plays a game of dice against the Kauravas for the northern kingdom of Hastinapura, which becomes the trigger for a war. There are several biblical references to "casting lots", as in Psalm 22, indicating that dicing was commonplace in the region during King David's reign. Knucklebones was a skill game played by women and children; a derivative form had the four sides of the bone receive different values and count as modern dice. Gambling with two or three dice was a very popular form of amusement in Greece, especially with the upper classes, and an invariable accompaniment to symposia.

Knucklebones die, made of steatite.

Dice were originally made from the talus of hoofed animals, colloquially known as "knucklebones". These are approximately tetrahedral, giving the term "bones" used for dice. Modern Mongolians still use such bones as shagai, for games and fortunetelling. Besides bone, materials like ivory, wood and recently plastics like cellulose acetate have been used. Dice are hard to differentiate from knucklebones because ancient writers confused the two, but both were used in prehistoric times.

The Romans were passionate gamblers, especially at the peak of the Roman Empire, and dicing was common though forbidden except during the Saturnalia. Horace derided what he thought as a typical youth of the period, who wasted time on dicing instead of horse-chasing. Throwing dice for money was the cause of many special laws in Rome; one of these stated that no lawsuit could be filed by a person who allowed gambling in his house, even if he had been cheated or assaulted. Professional gamblers were common; some of their loaded dice are preserved in museums. The public houses were the resorts of gamblers, and frescos exist showing two quarrelling dicers being ejected by the host. Twenty-sided dice date back to the 2nd century AD.^[5]

A collection of historical dice from Asia.

Tacitus stated that the Germans were passionately fond of dicing, so much that they would stake their personal liberty when bankrupt. During the Middle Ages, dicing became the favorite pastime of the knights, with dicing schools and guilds. After the downfall of feudalism, the landsknechts established a reputation as the most notorious dicing gamblers of their time; many of the dice then were curiously carved in the images of men and beasts. In France, dicing was played by both knights and ladies, despite repeated legislation, including interdictions on the part of St. Louis in 1254 and 1256. The markings on Chinese dominoes evolved from the markings on dice.

Construction[link]

Western, Asian and casino dice.

Common dice are small cubes most commonly 1.6 cm across, whose faces are numbered from one to six, usually by patterns of round dots called pips. (While the use of Hindu-Arabic numerals is occasionally seen, such as in the game Pop-O-Matic Trouble, the ambigrammatic properties of the digits (for instance, 6 can look like a 9 upside down) make such dice uncommon.) Traditionally, opposite sides of a die add up to seven, implying that the 1, 2 and 3 faces share a vertex;^[6] these faces may be placed clockwise or counterclockwise about this vertex. If the 1, 2 and 3 faces run counterclockwise, the die is called right-handed and vice versa. Western dice are normally right-handed and Chinese dice are normally left-handed.^[7]

Typical facets of an Asian-style (top) and a Western-style die (bottom). The pips on the Asian-style facets are arranged more compactly than the Western-style facets.

The pips on dice are arranged in specific patterns as shown in the picture to the left. Asian style dice bear similar patterns to Western ones, but the pips are closer to the centre of the face; the one's pip is larger than the others, with that and the four's pips coloured red. In some older sets, the "one" pip is a colorless depression. It is suggested^[who?] that an entirely black and white color combination on the one's and four's sides would be unlucky; red, a lucky color in Chinese culture, would counteract this. The word for four in Chinese is a homophone of the word for death and is considered unlucky; it is probable that red fours are of Indian origin.^[7][8]

The result of a die roll is determined by the way it is thrown, according to the laws of classical mechanics; they are made random by uncertainty due to factors like movements in the thrower's hand. Thus, they are a type of hardware random number generator. Some people^[who?] claim that the pips on the faces of certain styles of dice cause a small bias, but there is no research to support this claim; this is reduced somewhat in the Asian die with its oversized single pip.^{[citation needed]} Casino dice have flush markings, offering the assurance that this brings them very close to providing true uniformly distributed random numbers.^{[citation needed]}

Dice are thrown, singly or in groups, from the hand or from a container designed for this, onto a flat surface; the face of the die that is uppermost when it comes to rest provides the value of the throw. A typical dice game today is craps, where two dice are thrown at a time and wagers are made on the total value of the two dice. Dice are frequently used to randomize moves in board games, usually by deciding the distance through which a piece will move along the board; examples of this are backgammon and Monopoly.

Clones of board games must use computer generated dice; the values are usually determined by a pseudorandom number generator, then displayed as a visual representation of a die. The reverse is also possible, with bar coded dice shuffling as a source of true random data for computers.^[9]

Manufacturing[link]

Non-precision dice are manufactured via the plastic injection molding process. The pips or numbers on the dice are a part of the mold. The coloring for numbering is achieved by submersing the dice entirely in paint, which is allowed to dry and then polished via a tumble finishing process, similar to rock polishing. The abrasive agent scrapes off all of the paint except for the indents of the numbering. A finer abrasive is then used to polish the die. This process also creates the smoother, rounded edges on the dice.^[10]

Precision dice[link]

Precision casino dice may have a polished or sand finish, making them transparent or translucent respectively. Casino dice have their pips drilled, then filled flush with a paint of the same density as the material used for the dice, such that the dice are as close to perfectly cubical as possible. All such dice are stamped with a serial number to prevent potential cheaters from substituting a die.^{[citation needed]} Precision backgammon dice are made the same way; they tend to be slightly smaller and have rounded corners and edges, to allow better movement inside the dice cup and stop forceful rolls from damaging the playing surface.

Terms[link]

While the terms ace, deuce, trey, cater, cinque and sice have been made obsolete by one to six, they are still used by some professional gamblers to designate different sides of the dice. Ace is from the Latin as, meaning "a unit";^[11] the others are 2 to 6 in old French.

Notation[link]

Using Unicode characters, the faces ⚀ ⚁ ⚂ ⚃ ⚄ ⚅, can be shown in text using the range U+2680–U+2685 or using decimal &9856;–&9861;.^[12]

In many gaming contexts, especially tabletop RPGs, the count and number of sides of dice to be rolled at any given time is reduced to a common set of notations; typically these involve the letter "d" for dice. Hence, 6d8 means six eight-sided dice and 2d6 two common dice. Various arithmetic operations are often added at the end; 3d6+4 is three six-sided dice plus four to the outcome.

Loaded dice[link]

A loaded, weighted or crooked die is one that has been tampered with to land with a specific side facing upwards more often than it normally would. There are several methods for creating loaded dice; these include round and off-square faces and (if not transparent) weights. Tappers have a mercury drop in a reservoir at the center, with a capillary tube leading to another reservoir at a side; the load is activated by tapping the die so that the mercury travels to the side.

Another type of loaded die is hollow with a small weight and a semi-solid substance inside whose melting point is just lower than the temperature of the human body, allowing the cheater to change the loading of the die by applying body heat, causing the semi-solid to melt and the weight to drift down, making the chosen opposite face more likely to land up. A less common type of loaded die can be made by inserting a magnet into the die and embedding a coil of wire in the game table; running current through the coil increases the likelihood of a certain side landing on the bottom, depending on the direction of the current. Transparent acetate dice, used in all reputable casinos, are harder to tamper with than other dice.

Shaved dice[link]

A Boggle game requires dice with letters on them to create a field for players to search for words.

A die may be shaved on one side, making it slightly shorter in one dimension, thus affecting its outcome. One countermeasure employed by casinos against shaved dice is to measure the dice with a micrometer before playing.^[13]

Variants[link]

Dice with faces other than digit sequences[link]

The faces of most dice are labelled using sequences of whole numbers, usually starting at one, expressed with either pips or digits. However, there are some applications that require results other than numbers. Examples include letters for Boggle, directions for Warhammer Fantasy Battle, and instructions for sexual acts using sex dice.

Non-cubic dice[link]

A Platonic solids set of five dice.

10-sided dice are used for games requiring percentages.

Seven- and eight-sided dice are stated in the 13th century Libro de los juegos to have been invented by Alfonso X in order to speed up play in chess variants.^[14][15] Around the early 1950s,^{[citation needed]} such non-cubical dice became popular among players of wargames, and since have been employed extensively in RPGs and TCGs. Although these are relative novelties now, ancient cultures appear to have used them in games, as evidenced by the discovery of two icosahedral dice dating from ancient Rome, currently on display in the British Museum. Reciprocally symmetric numerals are distinguished with a dot or by being underlined.

The Platonic solids are the most common non-cubical dice; these can make for 4, 8, 12, and 20 faces. The only other common non-cubical die is the 10-sided die. More uncommon dice include 3, 5, 7, 14, 16, 18, 24, 30, 50, and the 100 sided Zocchihedron. Using these dice in various ways, like 10-sided dice in pairs to produce a uniform distribution of random percentages and summing multiple dice to produce approximations to normal distributions, games can closely approximate the real probability distributions of the events they simulate.

The tetrahedral die can be marked in one of two ways – either the numbers are printed around the points, so that when it settles, the numbers at the vertex pointing up are the same and the one counted; or, the numbers can be placed at the middle of the edges, in which case the numbers around the base are read.

A die can be constructed in the shape of a sphere, with the addition of an internal cavity in the shape of the dual polygon of the desired die shape and an internal weight. The weight will settle in one of the points of the internal cavity, causing it to settle with one of the numbers uppermost. For instance, a sphere with an octahedral cavity and a small internal weight will settle with one of the 6 points of the cavity held downwards by the weight.

Standard variations[link]

Dice are often sold in sets, matching in color, of five or six different shapes: the five Platonic solids, whose faces are regular polygons, and optionally the pentagonal trapezohedron, whose faces are ten kites, each with two different edge lengths and three different angles; the die's vertices also are of two different kinds.

Normally, the faces on a die will be numbered sequentially beginning with 1, and opposite faces will thus add up to one more than the number of faces (but in the case of the d4 and dice with an odd-number of faces, this is simply not possible). Some dice, such as d10, are usually numbered sequentially beginning with 0, in which case the opposite faces will add to one less than the number of faces.

Sides	Shape		Notes
4	tetrahedron		Each face has three numbers: they are arranged such that the upright number (which counts) is the same on all three visible faces. Alternatively, all of the sides have the same number in the lowest edge and no number on the top. This die does not roll well and thus it is usually thrown into the air instead.
6	cube		A common die. The sum of the numbers on opposite faces is seven.
8	octahedron		Each face is triangular; looks like two square pyramids attached base-to-base. Usually, the sum of the opposite faces is 9.
10	pentagonal trapezohedron		Each face is a kite. The die has two sharp corners, where five kites meet, and ten blunter corners, where three kites meet. The ten faces usually bear numbers from zero to nine, rather than one to ten (zero being read as "ten" in many applications). Often all odd numbered faces converge at one sharp corner, and the even ones at the other. The sum of the numbers on opposite faces is usually 9 (numbered 0–9) or 11 (number 1–10).
12	dodecahedron		Each face is a regular pentagon. The sum of the numbers on opposite faces is usually 13.
20	icosahedron		Faces are equilateral triangles. A 2nd century AD Roman icosahedron die is in the collection of the British Museum, though the game for which it was used is not known.[16] These are sometimes numbered 0–9 twice as an alternative to 10-sided dice. The sum of the numbers on opposite faces is 21 if numbered 1–20.

Rarer variations[link]

The full geometric set of "uniform fair dice" (face-transitive) are:

• Platonic solids, the five regular polyhedra: 4, 6, 8, 12, 20 sides
• Catalan solids, the duals of the 13 Archimedean solids: 12, 24, 30, 48, 60, 120 sides
• Bipyramids, the duals of the infinite set of prism, with triangle faces: any even number above 4
• Trapezohedrons, the duals of the infinite set of antiprisms, with kite faces: any even number above 4
• Disphenoids, an infinite set of tetrahedra made from congruent non-regular triangles: 4 sides
• "Rolling-pin style dice" are the only way to make dice with an odd number of flat faces.^[17] They are based on an infinite set of prisms. All the (rectangular) faces they may actually land on are congruent, so they are equally fair. (The other 2 sides of the prism are rounded or capped with a pyramid, designed so that the die never actually rests on those faces.)

Probability[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Probability density function, p(S), for the sum of two fair six-sided dice, S.

For a single roll of a fair s-sided die, the probability of rolling each value is exactly ¹/_s; this is an example of a discrete uniform distribution. For n multiple rolls, with a s-sided die the possibility space is equal to sⁿ. So, for n rolls of an s-sided die the probability of any result is ¹/_sⁿ.

However, if we are rolling two dice and adding the result together, as in the game craps, the total is distributed in a triangular curve; the case for common dice follows:

Comparison of probability density functions, p(k) for the sum of n fair 6-sided dice to show their convergence to a normal distribution with increasing n, in accordance to the central limit theorem. In the bottom-right graph, smoothed profiles of the previous graphs are rescaled, superimposed and compared with a normal distribution (black curve).

As the number of dice increases, the distribution of the sum of all numbers tends to normal distribution by the central limit theorem; the exact value Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): F_{s,n}(k)

of a sum of n s-sided dice, k, is

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): F_{s,n}(k) = \sum_{i=1}^{k-n+1} {F_{s,1}(i) F_{s,n-1}(k - i)} \,

where F_s,1(k) = 1/s for 1 ≤ k ≤ s and 0 otherwise.

A faster algorithm would adapt the exponentiation by squaring algorithm:

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): F_{s,x+y}(k) = \sum_i {F_{s,x}(i) F_{s,y}(k - i)} \, .

In the triangular curve described above,

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \begin{align} F_{6,2}(6) & =\sum_n {F_{6,1}(n) F_{6,1}(6 - n)} \\ & =F_{6,1}(1) F_{6,1}(5) + F_{6,1}(2) F_{6,1}(4) + \\ & \qquad \cdots + F_{6,1}(5) F_{6,1}(1) \\[6pt] & = 5\cdot\frac{1}{6}\cdot\frac{1}{6}=\frac{5}{36}\approx0.14 \end{align}

Equivalently, the probability can be calculated using combinations:

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): F_{s,n}(k)=\frac{1}{s^n}\sum_{i=0}^{\left \lfloor \frac{k-n}{s} \right \rfloor} (-1)^i {n \choose i} {k-si-1 \choose n-1}

where Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \lfloor {x} \rfloor

is the floor function. The probability of rolling an exact sequence of numbers is 1/sn.

Application in role-playing games[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Typical role-playing dice, showing a variety of colors and styles. Note the older hand-inked green 12-sided die (showing an 11), manufactured before pre-inked dice were common. Many players collect or acquire a large number of mixed and unmatching dice.

The fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is largely credited with popularizing dice in such games. Some games use only one type, like Exalted which uses only ten-sided dice. Others use numerous types for different game purposes, such as D&D, which makes use of all common polyhedral dice.

Dice are used to determine the outcome of events; such usage is called a check. Games typically determine results either as a total on one or more dice above or below a fixed number, or a certain number of rolls above a certain number on one or more dice. Due to circumstances or character skill, the initial roll may have a number added to or subtracted from the final result, or have the player roll extra or fewer dice. To keep track of rolls easily, dice notation is frequently used.

A common special case is percentile rolls, referred to as 1d100 or 1d%. Since actual hundred-sided dice are large, almost spherical, and difficult to read, percentile rolls are instead handled by rolling two ten-sided dice together, using one as the "tens" and the other as the "units". A roll of ten or zero on either die is taken as a zero, unless both are zeros or tens, in which case this is 100. Some sets of percentile dice explicitly mark one die in tens and the other in units to avoid ambiguity.

Dice for role-playing games are usually plastic; early polyhedral dice from the 1970s and 1980s were made of a soft plastic that would easily wear as the die was used, and wear would gradually render the die unusable. Many early dice were unmarked, and players took great care in painting them. Some twenty-sided dice then were numbered zero through nine twice; half of the numbers had to be painted a contrasting color to differentiate faces. These could double as a ten-sided die by ignoring the distinguishing coloring.

Application in divination[link]

Dice can be used for divination; using dice for such a purpose is called cleromancy. A pair of common dice is usual, though other forms of polyhedra can be used. Tibetan Buddhists sometimes use this method of divination. It is highly likely that the Pythagoreans used the Platonic solids as dice;^{[citation needed]} they referred to such dice as "the dice of the gods" and they sought to understand the universe through an understanding of geometry in polyhedra.^[18]

Astrological dice are a specialized set of three 12-sided dice for divination; the first die represents planets, the Sun, the Moon, and the nodes of the Moon; the second die represents the 12 zodiac signs; and the third represents the 12 houses. An icosahedron provides the answers of the Magic 8-Ball, conventionally used to provide advice on yes-or-no questions.

See also[link]

• Barrel die
• Crown and Anchor
• d20 system
• Dreidel
• Fuzzy dice
• Nontransitive dice
• Sicherman dice
• Teetotum
• Urim and Thummim

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Persi Diaconis and Joseph B. Keller. "Fair Dice". The American Mathematical Monthly, 96(4):337–339, 1989. (Discussion of dice that are fair "by symmetry" and "by continuity".)
• Bias and Runs in Dice Throwing and Recording: A Few Million Throws. G. R. Iverson. W. H. Longcour, and others. Psychometrika, Vol. 36, No. 1, March 1971
• Knizia, Reiner (1999). Dice Games Properly Explained. Elliot Right Way Books. ISBN 0-7160-2112-9.

External links[link]

Look up dice in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dice

Look up dice in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Weisstein, Eric W., "Dice" from MathWorld. Analysis of dice probabilities, also features Uspenski's work on rolling multiple dice.
• Mathematically "Fair Dice"
  • "Fair Dice" is an illustrated Math Games column about all the possible fair dice, and the mathematical reasons why other shapes are not fair.
  • A complete list of all possible Fair Dice which has nice illustrations
• Animation clearly demonstrating the probability space of dice
• World's Largest Dice Collection Links, Photos, Information about dice
• Computer Simulation of Irregular Dice
• "A Pair of Dice Which Never Roll 7"
• The oldest backgammon set found in Iran
• "A Brief History of Dice" (in Dungeons & Dragons games)
• "How do you make loaded dice?", The Straight Dope, July 14, 2009
• A discussion linking dice and Tarot cards
• "Why Dice Behave the Way They Do", Popular Science July 1945
• Dice size chart shows common dice dimensions
• "Dice – A Dicey Love Affair" A list of board games with special dice

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Look up Bob, bob, or BOB in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Bob is a common nickname for the given name Robert.

Bob may also refer to:

Science and technology[link]

• Bob (physics), the weight at the end of a pendulum
• Hurricane Bob, first major hurricane of the 1991 Atlantic hurricane season
• Alice and Bob, placeholder characters in cryptography and physics problems
• Breakout box, a piece of electronics equipment used to split components or individual leads in a connector

Music[link]

• B.o.B, Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr., American rapper, guitarist and singer-songwriter
• BOB (band), a UK indie pop band
• "Bob" (song), a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album Poodle Hat
• "B.O.B." (song), a song by OutKast
• "Bob", a song by the Drive-By Truckers from the album Brighter Than Creation's Dark
• "Bob", a song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from the album One Hot Minute
• "Bob", a song by NOFX from the album White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean
• "Bob", a song by Primus from the album Pork Soda

Companies and organizations[link]

• Building Opportunities with Business, a community economic development non-profit based in Vancouver, Canada
• Bank of Baroda, in India
• Bank of Botswana, the central bank of Botswana
• Boys of Bangladesh, a network of gay men in Bangladesh

Video games and computers[link]

• B.O.B. (video game), a side-scrolling shooter by Electronic Arts
• Bob (Tekken), a character in the video game series Tekken
• Bob, the Jagex cat in RuneScape
• Evil Bob, a random event in RuneScape
• Bob, a character in Bubble Bobble
• Bob, a character in the video game Animal Crossing
• Microsoft Bob, a software product
• B.O.B. (Big-O-Blaster), a machine in the video game Banjo-Tooie
• Blitter object, a graphics construct
• Born on Board, the humans in the Marathon Trilogy computer games
• Bob Page, a character from the video game Deus Ex

Comics[link]

• Bob the Tomato, one of the principal characters in the VeggieTales video series
• Bob (First Comics), a "watchlizard" from the First Comics series GrimJack
• Bob, a character in Weebl and Bob
• Bob, an eponymous main character of the sprite comic Bob and George
• Bob, Agent of HYDRA, a Marvel Comics character
• Bob (comics), a name for several comics

Television[link]

• Killer BOB, a villain from the television series Twin Peaks
• Bob (Blackadder character), two characters in the television comedy Blackadder
• Bob (The Dresden Files), a character featured in the novels and TV show The Dresden Files
• Bob, one of the main characters in ReBoot
• Bob the Builder
• Bob the Killer Goldfish, a character in the Earthworm Jim universe
• Smilin' Bob, a character in commercials for Enzyte
• Bob, a character in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
• Sideshow Bob, a character in the television show The Simpsons
• Band of Brothers (TV miniseries)
• Bob (TV series), a television comedy starring Bob Newhart

Film[link]

• Silent Bob, a character in several Kevin Smith films, including Dogma and Chasing Amy
• B.O.B. (Benzoate Ostylezene Bicarbonate), gelatinous creature in the film Monsters vs Aliens
• Bob, title character in the movie What About Bob?
• Planet Bob, also known as New Earth, in the film Titan A.E.

Books[link]

• Almighty Bob, a fictional deity in Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams
• Bob, one of the human characters on Sesame Street

People[link]

• Brendan O'Brien, Irish journalist
• J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, figurehead of the satirical Church of the SubGenius
• Bob Olin, American world champion light heavyweight boxer
• Ioan Bob, Bishop of Făgăraş of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church from 1783 to 1830

Military[link]

• The Battle of Britain
• Berlin Operating Base, the CIA station in Berlin during the Cold War

Other uses[link]

• Bob cut, a hairstyle
• Bob, a slang term in Great Britain for the shilling
• Bob campaign, a campaign promoting designated driving
• Rob (disambiguation)
• BOB (psychedelic), a psychedelic drug
• Baby on Board
• Bank One Ballpark, now Chase Field
• Basketball Owl Band, pep band unit of the Rice University Marching Owl Band
• Battle of bands, a competition between multiple bands
• Bayerische Oberlandbahn, a private German railway
• Beast of burden (disambiguation)
• Beijing Olympic Broadcasting
• Bend Over Boyfriend, slang term for a sexual practice
• Berner Oberland Bahn, a mountain railway in Switzerland
• Best of Biotech, an international life science business plan competition organized by Austria Wirtschaftsservice
• Best of Breed, an award in dog shows and other settings
• Big Orange Ball, military slang for the Sun
• Body Opponent Bag, a punching bag shaped like a human head and torso
• BOB, ISO 4217 currency code for the Bolivian boliviano currency
• BOB, IATA code for Bora Bora Airport
• Bug-out bag, an emergency kit
• Buy on board

See also[link]

• Robert (disambiguation)
• Bobby (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (July 2010)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2008)

Bob Schneider (born October 12, 1965) is an Austin, Texas–based musician and artist. He currently resides in Bee Cave, Texas.

Early career[link]

Bob was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, and raised in Munich, Germany. The son of an opera singer, he moved with his parents to Germany when he was two.^[1] He learned guitar and piano at an early age and made his first live appearances performing at his parents' parties.

He performed for years in various bands before embarking on a solo career. He dropped out of the University of Texas at El Paso where he studied art to front his first band, the funk-and-rap outfit Joe Rockhead. The band independently released three albums before disbanding immediately prior to signing with a major label.

A stint with a jamming outfit called the Ugly Americans followed, which experienced some success as an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band and H.O.R.D.E. festival.

In 1997, Schneider went on to co-found The Scabs, which later merged with the Ugly Americans. With The Scabs, Bob Schneider made a further name for himself as the front man.

None of these bands gained much national recognition, but built solid reputations on the road. They were also a fixture in the Austin live music culture.

Solo career[link]

In 1999, Schneider became a solo act, though performing at first under the band name Lonelyland (which he later dropped as a band name, but titled his first major-label album after). Schneider's musical approach as a solo artist has proven as eclectic as the diverse musical styles of his former bands: a little bit singer/songwriter, a whole lot of bits and pieces of funk, country, rock, and folk. Because of the sexual nature of some of his lyrics, Schneider's music has been labeled as "adult alternative" by some.

He went on to record the major-label solo albums Lonelyland (2001) and I'm Good Now (2004), which garnered him significantly more national attention and some critical acclaim. "Big Blue Sea" from the Lonelyland album received significant radio play, as did "Come With Me Tonight" from I'm Good Now. "Metal & Steel" from Lonelyland is, to date, Bob's most played song.^[2]

His contract with his labels (signed with Universal in 2001, and then with Vanguard in 2004) allowed him to release albums as "side projects" on his own label Shockorama Records. Among the albums that have been self-released are Galaxy Kings and I've Seen The End of the World and It Looks Like This. All of these side projects were re-released by Vanguard corresponding with the release of his 2006 album The Californian. Previously, these albums were of limited availability and only roughly 10,000 of the albums were printed. After releasing The Californian, he released Greatest Hits Live, recorded in Austin on July 17, 2006, on Shockorama Records, which was only available through his website.

Bob remains committed to playing smaller venues and thrives on the energy of the stage. He currently has a long-standing Monday night residency at the Saxon Pub, and plays the legendary Antone's in Austin, Texas, with both his band and, on occasion, the Scabs, all while maintaining a tireless touring schedule. Although he tours nationwide, he is still known best as a true Austin musician. His musical influences spread into the far reaches of musical culture—funk, soul, folk, lounge, rap, punk, even some melodic experimentalism.

He is also known for having dated Sandra Bullock. It is speculated that the breakup following their relationship became fodder for his music, although Schneider has been known to deny autobiographical content in his music.

Kirtland Records[link]

In 2009, Bob signed with Kirtland Records to release his critically praised album Lovely Creatures, released September 29, 2009. Lovely Creatures features the single "40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)", which has received significant national radio play – peaking at #14 on the AAA Radio Chart.^[3] The album and also features Patty Griffin on the track "Changing Your Mind." Bob released a second album under the label entitled "A Perfect Day" on April 19, 2011, featuring the single "Let The Light In."

[edit] Soundtrack Contributions^[4]

• 2000 – "Blue Skies for Everyone" was played during the opening sequence of the movie "Gunshy," starring Liam Neeson.
• 2000 – "Bullets" was used in the movie "Miss Congeniality," starring Sandra Bullock.
• 2001 – "Bullets" also appeared on the "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back" soundtrack
• 2002 – "Big Blue Sea" was used in the movie "40 Days & 40 Nights," starring Josh Hartnett
• 2002 – "The World Exploded Into Love" appeared in the movie "Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood," starring Sandra Bullock
• 2006 – "The World Exploded Into Love" closed out the first episode of the television sitcom "Men in Trees," starring Anne Heche.
• 2009 – "Love Is Everywhere" is featured in the film and soundtrack of the movie "All About Steve," starring Sandra Bullock
• 2009 – "Changing Your Mind" is featured in the indie film "Harmony and Me," where he also has a role as a wedding singer

[edit] Bob Schneider's Austin Music Awards Highlights^[5]

Bob Schneider during live recording session at The Saint, May 2011

"

Not counting those awarded to The Scabs, Joe Rockhead and Ugly Americans, Bob Schneider has won 24 Austin Music Awards including:

• 2009–10: Band of the Year

• 2009–10: Musician of the Year

• 2009–10: Song of the Year, "40 Dogs (Like Romeo And Juliet)"

• 2009–10: Album of the Year, Lovely Creatures

• 2009–10: Male Vocalist of the Year

• 2009–10: Songwriter of the Year

• 2009–10: Producer of the Year, Dwight Baker for Bob Schneider's Lovely Creatures

• 2008–09: Best Male Vocals

• 2008–09: Best Blue Grass Band, Bob Schneider’s Texas Bluegrass Massacre

• 2008–09: Band of the Year, Lonelyland

• 2004–05: Album of the Year, I’m Good Now

• 2004–05: Song of the Year, “Cap’n Kirk”

• 2003–04: Musician of the Year

• 2001–02: Best Male Vocals

• 2001–02: Best Singer-Songwriter

• 2001–02: Musician of the Year

• 2000–01: Album of the Year, Lonelyland

• 2000–01: Best Male Vocals

• 2000–01: Best Singer-Songwriter

• 2000–01: Best Songwriter

• 2000–01: Musician of the Year

• 1999-00: Best Male Vocals

• 1999-00: Best Songwriter

• 1999-00: Musician of the Year

Discography[link]

Bob Schneider

• Songs Sung and Played on Guitar At the Same Time (1998)
• Lonelyland (2000-Shockorama) & (2001-Universal)
• Underneath The Onion Trees (with Mitch Watkins) (2000)
• The Galaxy Kings (2002)
• I Have Seen the End of the World and It Looks Like This (2003)
• I'm Good Now (2004)
• The Californian (2006)
• Greatest Hits Live (2006)
• Songs Sung And Played On Guitar With People In The Room (2007)
• When the Sun Breaks Down On the Moon (2007)
• Love Is Everywhere EP (2009)
• Lovely Creatures (2009)
• Live At The Paramount Theatre (2009)
• Christmastime (2009)
• A Perfect Day (2011)

The Scabs

• Freebird (1998)
• Bombtracks (1998)
• More Than a Feeling (1999)
• Destroyer (2000)

Ugly Americans

• Ugly Americans (1993)
• Ugly Americans (Live) (1994)
• Stereophonic Spanish Fly (1996)
• Boom Boom Baby (1998)

Joe Rockhead

• Party Till You're Dead (1991)
• Crazy (1992)
• No Going Back (1992)

Live shows[link]

Almost every one of Bob Schneider's live show are recorded and made available (generally sold as a double-disc set) to his audiences afterwards. These recordings are released under the label "Frunk". These recordings were rarely made available to the public, although Frunk recordings (and other bootlegs) were occasionally uploaded to the Live Music Archive, however Schneider began making this content available for download on his own website in early 2009, with content dating back to September 2007.

Books[link]

• Schneider, Bob (2003). I Have Seen the End of the World and It Looks Like This. Shockorama Books. 
• Schneider, Bob (2009). The Wild Melancholy. Shockorama Books. 

See also[link]

• Music of Austin

External links[link]

• Bob Schneider's official web page
• [1] — provides streaming audio (and some video) of live performances
• Archive.org Listing — Live performances available for download through archive.org
• AMG: Bob Schneider
• Bob Schneider at the Internet Movie Database

References[link]

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]