Bob Marley Day Date in the current year: February 6, 2024

Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945. His father was an English-born white Jamaican who died of a heart attack at age 70, when Bob was only 10 years old. Bob’s mother Cedella, who was 40 years younger than her first husband, moved to Trenchtown. Bob’s best friend Neville Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer) and his father moved there, too.

Bob and Neville began to play music together back in primary school. After their move to Trentchtown, they started to explore new music genres, such as R&B and ska, thanks to US radio stations that broadcast to Jamaica. In 1963, Marley, Livingston, Junior Braithwaite, Peter Tosh and Beverly Kelso founded a band. After trying on several names, they settled on The Wailers. In 1964, their single “Simmer Down” became a Jamaican No. 1.

In the 1960s, Marley, who had been raised as a Catholic, became interested in Rastafari (an Abrahamic religion whose central figure is Haile Selassie, the last Emperor of Ethiopia, who is regarded as either a prophet or the incarnation of God). Eventually he formally converted to Rastafari and grew deadlocks that became his signature look.

The Wailers disbanded in 1974, two years after the release of their first album that was marketed internationally. Marley continued making music as Bob Marley & The Wailers with new musicians and backing vocalists. In 1975, a live version of “No Woman, No Cry” became an international hit, and Marley god his international breakthrough.

After surviving an assassination attempt in 1976, Marley relocated to England, where he spend two years in self-imposed exile and recorded two albums. In 1978, he came back to Jamaica and spend the last three years of his life there. Bob Marley died of cancer on May 11, 1981 at age 36. A state funeral was held in Jamaica on May 21, 1981. The final eulogy to Marley was delivered by Prime Minister Edward Seaga.

Although his life was relatively short, Bob Marley’s name will forever remain in the music history of the world because he made a huge contribution to increasing the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide, as well as promoting Jamaican culture and Rastafari. He also advocated for Pan-Africanism.

The celebration of Bob Marley’s birthday was originally limited to Jamaica, but gradually the tradition spread to other countries because Marley’s music is known and popular all over the world. The mayor of Toronto, for example, officially declared February 8, 2018, as Bob Marley Day. Bob Marley’s birth anniversary is usually marked with concerts and other events honoring his memory and legacy.