Long-time friend of legend Bob Marley, Lee Jaffee, once wrote of him saying, "Around Bob, you felt very in-touch with the miraculous" (Scaggs). For Robert Nesta Marley was more than a musical star, he was a lover, a fighter, a Rasta, an ordinary man, a poet. When trying to evaluate whether or not an artist is the most significant of an era, one must consider the quality and timelessness of their music, the power of their performance, and of course, the substance behind their character. In examining his life ands music, the power of Bob Marley's music, performance and character are heroic in nature. He is composed of sadness, love, understanding and God-given talent and he left behind the most remarkable body of recorded work. Bob was a musical prophet and transcends above all commercial and so-called, "popular" music. Bob Marley proves to be the most significant artist of the twentieth century.
Bob Marley gave the world brilliant music, his work spreading across almost two decades, and continuing to be timeless and worldwide. Growing up in a shantytown outside Kingston, Jamaica, Bob had one ambition, music. Along with some childhood friends, he formed a group known as The Wailers, and over a span of ten years and numerous failed attempts finally had their enchanting voices heard in 1972 (Peake). From that time until Marley's death in 1982 and forever, "the ripples of his unparalleled achievements radiate outward through a river of his music into an ocean of politics, ethics, philosophy and religion" (Steffens). His music had a real quality and comes from the harmony within his soul. It has value and is about something, surpassing all the meaningless pop music and making a profound statement of "One World, One Love" (Scaggs). His music has touched generations of people worldwide, with a unique Jamaican reggae sound unlike any other type of music. Personally, when I listen to his music I feel energized and at peace with a warm...
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