Bob Marley

St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture, Jan 29, 2002 by Jason King

Marley's follow-up album Burnin' featured a more folk Jamaican sound, and garnered the hit single "I Shot the Sheriff." The singer and his group toured Europe and the United States as an opening act for artists like Bruce Springsteen, Sly and the Family Stone, and The Jackson Five. By 1974, the old Wailers had disbanded and Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston were no longer active members. Already a highly charismatic figure in his native Jamaica and in Britain, Marley became more of a front man. His lead vocals were backed by the I-Threes, consisting of Marcia Griffith, Judy Mowatt, and his wife Rita. Marley also adopted the management of Marvin Gaye's road manager, Don Taylor. The singer had not yet attained worldwide popularity, yet many of his songs were being actively remade by famous artists like Taj Mahal and Barbra Streisand. Eric Clapton's version of "I Shot the Sheriff" topped the charts, surpassing the earlier success of Marley's own rendition of the song. Clapton's prestige, however, bestowed upon Marley a newfound rock authenticity, and the Jamaican reggae singer would eventually rise to visibility in many circles as a rock star on par with Mick Jagger.

In 1975, Marley released the now classic Natty Dread album, which was inspired by the political warfare that threatened Jamaica in early 1974. The album established Marley as a preeminent moral authority and a political visionary alongside peers like John Lennon. Marley made public his explicit fondness for the African continent, and he demonstrated an affiliation with African resistance struggles in South Africa and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). Sporting long, matted dreadlocks, Marley became synonymous with the mythical visionary Rasta rebel character of his album's title. The singer/songwriter was undoubtedly recast as not only the prime proponent of reggae but as an international star. Marley's North American tour was highlighted by a performance at the L.A. Roxy Theater in 1975 which was attended by celebrities like the Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, The Band, and others. Through his attempts at publicity, Jamaican culture and Rasta religion came to mass visibility all over the world.

More successful albums followed, including Bob Marley and the Wailers Live (1976) and Rastaman Vibration (1976), his fifth album for Island Records. Although the latter album was something of a disappointment for reggae purists, it brought him to new levels of mainstream success. On December 5, 1976, an assassination attempt on Marley took place two weeks before a well-publicized "Smile Jamaica" concert in Kingston's National Heroes Park. Although Marley received gunshot wounds to his breastbone and biceps, and despite the fact that Rita Marley had been grazed in the head, the concert went on as planned. In 1977, Marley released the Exodus album, featuring the disco-influenced "Jammin'" and the gentle, rocking single "Waiting in Vain." The force of these singles finally brought Marley a significant amount of airplay on black American radio stations, which had previously been unable, or unwilling, to format his style of music.