Robert Nesta Marley

My hero is Bob Marley or otherwise known as Robert Nesta Marley.

He was born in St Ann Parish Jamaica in 1945. He died in Miami, Florida, in 1981. He also sold over 20 million. In 1972, he landed a contract with Island Records started by Chris Blackwell. The Wailers, to support the recording their first album, went on a tour in Great Britain and the U.S. Marley also had problems with the army before the 1972 national elections, which inspired his song “3 O’clock Road Block.” In 1972 two of the original Wailers, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh left the band to pursue solo careers. After they left, the group recruited a group of female singers, Marley’s wife Rita, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt (“Bob Marley. Biography”).

Marley also continued to be a major supporter of the People’s National Party. His influence in his homeland was seen as a threat to the PNP’s Rivals. While a practicing for a show, a group of gunmen ran into Kingston National Heroes Park and shot Bob Marley twice, once in the sternum and once in the bicep. His wife Rita also got shot in the head. His Manager Don Taylor was shot five times and underwent surgery to save his life (“Bob Marley. Biography”).

Bob Marley overcame many obstacles in his life, but the biggest challenge was cancer. While in Germany, he underwent unconventional treatment for malignant melanoma cancer on his toe. After not amputating the toe, it spread farther until his death at age 36 in Miami, Florida on May 11, 1981. (about.com, real music)

During Bob Marley’s life he was known as the Ambassador of reggae music. He was the first international superstar to come to the “Third World.” Marley sold over 20 million records and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The thing that makes him a hero in my mind is that even twenty years after his death, he still is really popular; his legacy continues to live on through his wife and some of children (“Bob Marley. Biography”).