Bob Marley -Timeline

TIMELINE

February 6, 1945: Bob Marley is born in St. Ann’s Parish in Jamaica.

1962: Bob Marley records his first single, “Judge Not,” at Federal Studios in Kingston, Jamaica.

February 10, 1966: Bob Marley and Alpharita (“Rita”) Constantia Anderson get married.

October 24, 1966: After eight months spent living in America with his mother, Bob Marley returns to Jamaica.

August 23, 1970: The Wailers begin recording a series of classic recordings with producer Lee “Scratch” Perry in what would be a classic lineup: Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh and brothers Aston and Carlton Barrett.

December 30, 1971: Bob Marley visits Island Records’ head Chris Blackwell at his London office. The resulting association will make a superstar of Marley and establish Island as THE reggae label.

December 13, 1972: ‘Catch a Fire,’ by the Wailers, is released in the U.K. Heralded as “the first genuine reggae album in history,” it comes out in the U.S. the following year.

September 14, 1974: Eric Clapton’s version of the Wailers’ “I Shot the Sheriff,” written by head Wailer Bob Marley, hits #1 and helps generate interest in reggae.

May 10, 1975: Though Bob Marley has been recording prolifically in his native Jamaica since 1962, Natty Dread is the first album by Marley and the Wailers to make the U.S. charts, reaching #92.

July 18, 1975: Bob Marley and the Wailers perform at the Lyceum in London. The concert is released in Britain as the album ‘Live!.’ After selling briskly as an import, it is released in the U.S. in October 1976.

May 13, 1976: ‘Rastaman Vibration,’ by Bob Marley and the Wailers – and featuring an American, Don Kinsey, on lead guitar – is released. It becomes Marley’s highest-charting album, reaching #8 in the U.S. and #15 in the U.K.

December 3, 1976: Bob Marley and his entourage are attacked by gunman. A wounded but undeterred Marley electrifies a crowd two nights later at a free “Smile Jamaica” concert.

January 17, 1977: Bob Marley and the Wailers cut new material in London, marking the first time they’ve recorded outside of Jamaica in six years. Of more than 20 songs recorded, ten turn up on ‘Exodus’ (1977) and ten on ‘Kaya’ (1978).

April 12, 1978: Bob Marley orchestrates a Peace Concert in Jamaica that features key reggae acts, including the Wailers, in an attempt to cool down the violent conflicts that are tearing Jamaica apart.

October 8, 1979: ‘Survival,’ a militant new album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, is released as a 47-date tour kicks off at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre.

June 8, 1980: A month after the release of the African-themed ‘Uprising,’ Bob Marley and the Wailers kick off the Tuff Gong Uprising tour, during which they’ll perform for a million people in 12 countries.

September 20, 1980: Bob Marley suffers a stroke while jogging in Central Park. X-rays reveal a brain tumor.

September 21, 1980: Bob Marley performs the final show of his career, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The tour’s remaining dates are canceled as Marley seeks treatment for his spreading cancers.

October 4, 1980: Stevie Wonder’s tribute to Bob Marley, the reggaefied “Master Blaster (Jammin’),” enters the singles charts. It will top the R&B chart for seven weeks and peak at #5 on the pop chart.

May 11, 1981: Bob Marley dies of brain, lung and stomach cancer at 11:45 a.m. in Miami, Florida.

May 21, 1981: Bob Marley is given a state funeral in Jamaica and buried at Nine Miles in St. Ann’s Parish, beside the house in which he was born.

January 19, 1994: Bob Marley is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the ninth annual induction dinner. Bono of U2 is his presenter, and Rita Marley accepts the award on behalf of her late husband.

April 7, 1999: ‘Legend,’ Bob Marley and the Wailers’ greatest-hits collection, receives its 10th platinum certification, signifying sales of more than 10 million copies.