Event

Bob Marley & the Wailers

Bob Marley's legacy as not only reggae music's most influential artist but as a galvanizing force for combating injustice and oppression is incalculable. His musical talent, political and social activism and death in 1981 at such a young age (36) make him an iconic figure. His most important legacy, though, is the music he left behind. Along with Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston, he formed the original Wailers, who released their debut album The Wailing Wailers in 1965. Their sound was ska, the precursor to reggae. The band would eventually morph into Bob Marley & the Wailers and record, as reggae music artists, the albums that would put reggae music on the map. These nine albums were released on Chris Blackwell's Island Records, beginning with Catch A Fire in 1973 and including such classic reggae albums as Burnin', Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibration, and Exodus. Marley's songs such as "Stir It Up" for Johnny Nash and "I Shot the Sheriff" for Eric Clapton became international hits, and his songs have been covered by countless artists. The group's "One Love" is practically the Jamaican national anthem. The group launched the solo careers of Tosh, Livingston, Junior Marvin, Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife Rita. Bill Shelley will present clips from rare concert footage from Germany, Jamaica, Boston, Los Angeles, and Marley's famed London concerts, along with performances from studio rehearsals and television footage. Some of the songs included are "Jammin,'" "I Shot the Sheriff," "No Woman, No Cry," "Could You Be Loved," "Redemption Song," "Get Up, Stand Up" and more! (Approx: 100 min.). -Description by Steve Matteo, author of Dylan and Let It Be, and writer for such publications as Rolling Stone, Newsday, and the New York Times.