Bob Marley and Caribbean Music - Essay Example

Caribbean Mosaic – Bob Marley The topic of this paper is based on a significant tenet of Caribbean culture. Hence the focus has been kept on music and a famous singer from Jamaica, Bob Marley has been discussed. The reason for doing so is the fact that Bob Marley is considered as one of the most phenomenal singers of his epoch and his memory lingers on in the minds and hearts of his followers worldwide. He has created a unique sense of attachment with his personality through his music and it would be very difficult to forget what Bob Marley essentially comprised of. It was more than his music. His personality was such that people were enthralled by whatever he did in his social and personal life. Bob Marley’s other names are Robert Nesta Marley and Tuff Gong. He was indeed a legendary singer, guitarist and a songwriter of the Reggae music genre. He worked in the field of music in an active fashion from 1962 to 1981. He was born on 6 February 1945. His family belonged to Jamaica and hence his ancestral basis belonged to Jamaica as well. It is a fact that the role of Bob Marley within the Caribbean music and indeed the culture is a quintessential one. One must understand that when it comes to Reggae music, he is without a doubt one of the most well-renowned names in the music industry. It is a fact that a number of his fans worldwide claim that he should be remembered as the prophet of the Rastafarian religion as he was a devout Rastafarian (Barrett Sr. 1997). It is a fact that Caribbean music is a mix of sorts. It is comprised of different singers and musicians who hail from different countries in the Caribbean, all of whom have a single reason to be together – to make music that is worthwhile for the fans far and wide. One can see that there are quite a few musical genres widespread within Caribbean. Soca, Pan music and Calypso are famous in Antigua and Barbuda while Junkanoo, Goombay and Rake and Scrape are well-known within The Bahamas. When it comes to Barbados, we can find Calypso, Calypso jazz, Tuk, Ringbang, Soca, Pan music and Spouge as the different music genres. Bele, Soca, Jing-Ping, Cadence-lypso and Bouyon music are considered the definitive music genres in Dominica while Jamaica comprises of Dancehall, Soca, Dub, Nyabinghi, Reggae, Roots reggae, Rocksteady, Lovers rock, Kumina, Ska and Mento as the most significant music genres. Lastly, Trinidad and Tobago appreciates the musical genres that include Chutney, Yahdees, Parang, Reggae, Calypso, Pan music, Rapso, Soca, Steel Pan, Extempo, Gospelypso and Pichakaree. Caribbean music has other influences from St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Curacao, Cuba, Belize and Colombia (Alleyne 2000). This makes for an interesting experience of understanding the diversity within the Caribbean music and it gives the fans the world over quite a good amount of variety to listen and enjoy music which is considered world class in every right of its own. The cultural origins of Reggae music belongs to Kingston, Jamaica in the late 1960s. Its stylistic origins come from R&B, Jazz, Blues, Calypso, Mento, Rocksteady and Ska. The typical instruments that are used in Reggae include the drums, the guitar, bass, brass instrument, organ and melodica. The mainstream popularity for Reggae increased after the 1970s as its derivative forms included the Dancehall and the Dub. Reggae also includes the subgenres of Roots reggae and Lovers rock. However its fusion genres comprise of Reggae fusion, 2 Tone, Seggae and Reggaeton. Reggae is a popular form of music genre within Africa, Australia, Panama, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Nigeria and the Philippines. Within the Caribbean music, the place of Bob Marley is steady as he is still considered one of the most sought after names in the Reggae genre. The music of Jamaica has included the folk music as well as the already mentioned genres. Jamaica’s music centers on the fusion that comes from different elements of the United States which might comprise of the rhythm, blues, rock and roll, etc. Also the inspiration comes from Africa as well as the neighboring Caribbean islands, especially from Trinidad and Tobago. The British genres that include Lovers rock and jungle music are directly influenced by the music that comes from the folds of Jamaica. Coming back to Bob Marley, his parents came from Sussex. Bob;’s father was a Marine officer. Bob married a black Jamaican and he made sure that he remained abreast of the financial needs of his wife as well as the kid. He had little time for his family as he was mostly away on foreign trips. Bob experienced sheer racial prejudice from a very young age. His racial identity was mixed as his father belonged to the white community while his mother was a black. Bob Marley became friends with Bunny Wailer who used to be his partner in playing music. He played music in his leisure time with Bunny Wailer and Joe Higgs. Joe was a singer of local origins as well as a devoted Rastafari, just like Bob Marley. Joe Higgs has been seen as a mentor of Bob Marley as history has revealed as such. There was a good amount of musical inspiration from Higgs as he taught Bob Marley the essentials of music. Later on, Bob Marley met Peter Tosh who was very ambitions, much like Bob Marley himself and this accounted for perfect chemistry between the two. Bob Marley’s musical career started in 1962 when he recorded a couple of songs, ‘Judge Not’ and ‘One Cup of Coffee’ with Leslie Kong, who was a producer. These songs were not successful as they had little impact. After some time, these songs were re-released on the album Songs of ‘Freedom’ which comprised of a posthumous collection related with Bob Marley’s singles. 1963 was a hit for Boy Marley as he teamed up with Wailer, Junior Braithwaite, Peter Tosh, Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith to form a Rocksteady and Ska musical group. ‘The Teenagers’ was the group’s name but it was soon after changed to ‘The Wailing Rudeboys’. Later on, it changed again to ‘The Wailing Wailers’ and then again to ‘The Wailers’ (Gibson 2002). Junior Braithwaite, Cheery Smith and Beverley Kelso left the group after three years and thus Bob Marley, Wailer and Peter Tosh continued to make music within the group after the former left. Jamaican music saw Bob Marley coming out as a singer, songwriter and a leader for The Wailers. Their debut single was ‘Simmer Down’, produced by Coxsone Dodd. ‘Simmer Down’ made it into a hit within the Jamaican Charts in 1964. This song laid the basis for instituting the success domains of The Wailers being the most renowned bands of the time in the country. Other songs like ‘400 Years’ and ‘Soul Rebel’ were also famous within The Wailers’ work and hence made their mark within Bob Marley’s musical realms. He became an active Rastafarian when he returned to Jamaica. He started donning his trademark dreadlocks which in essence were a representation of his shift towards this movement. Bob Marley grouped up with Lee Scratch Perry and his band ‘The Upsetters’, however it was not a success at all and the group disbanded in a year’s time. However Bob Marley recalled that his work with Perry was indeed one of the best ones that he did during his musical career. However the two of them decided to remain friends and think about working together again in the future. It is important to understand here that the role of Bob Marley in the Caribbean music and indeed the culture is an immense one. I am of the view that no one can deny Bob Marley the right to feel as the number one entertainer within the entire Caribbean if not the whole world. Bob Marley attained international recognition in 1975 with his single ‘No Woman, No Cry’ which was an instant hit the world over. His journey towards success started with this single after which he released the album ‘Natty Dread’ (Hebdige 1990). His albums were on the top of the Billboard Charts Top Ten for a considerable amount of time. He performed at a number of different political concerts which were arranged in order to ease off the tension within the different parts of Jamaica as well as the other neighboring areas. His other albums included ‘Survival’ and ‘Uprising’. Unfortunately he lost the battle of his life when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1977. He refused getting amputated as this would have affected the way he used to dance on the stage. He believed that his body must remain as a whole, as is taught by the Rastafarian school of thought. He eventually died in the year 1981 thus closing the chapter on the Reggae music. However his inspiration has lived ever since and the same will be the case in the times to come, at least as far as Caribbean music is concerned. Works Cited Alleyne, Mike. White Reggae: Cultural Dilution in the Record Industry. Popular Music and Society, Vol. 24, 2000 Barrett Sr., Leonard E. The Rastafarians. Beacon Press, 1997 Gibson, Chris. Sound Tracks: Popular Music, Identity, and Place. Routledge, 2002 Hebdige, Dick. Cut 'n' Mix: Culture, Identity, and Caribbean Music. Routledge, 1990 Word Count: 1,512 Read More