[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 9, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE 60TH BIRTHDAY OF BOB MARLEY

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                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 9, 2005

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate one of the most 
enduring figures of our time. Today marks the 60th anniversary of the 
birth of musical icon Bob Marley. The past week has seen a global 
celebration of Marley's life and works, and rightly so.
  Bob Marley is one of the most transcendent and iconic figures in 
modem music history. In the course of his life he would become the 
greatest cultural Ambassador that Jamaica, and arguably the Caribbean, 
has ever known. He introduced Rastafarianism to the world, and 
established his music, Reggae, once a little known Jamaican art form, 
as one of the world's most recognizable musical genres.
  His music gave voice to the daily struggles of not only Jamaican 
people, but of all people struggling with oppression and poverty. He 
vividly captured not only their struggles to survive, but also the deep 
spiritual core that collectively sustained them.
  In so doing, his songs would become anthems for oppressed people 
around the world, and inspire millions to unite in the quest for 
universal justice and freedom. So powerful was his persona and message 
that he was able to bridge the divide between the warring political 
parties in Jamaica, subsequently decreasing political violence in the 
country. Because of his power to move people, Marley would at times be 
viewed as a potential political threat at home and abroad.
  The story of this great life would begin very humbly. He was born in 
the rural Jamaican village of St. Ann's Parish in 1945. He would leave 
his home for the capital city of Kingston at the age of 14, in hopes of 
becoming a musician. There he would begin his career as local singer. 
He was also introduced to Rastafarianism--whose philosophy and approach 
to life greatly influenced him and his music--and to a reggae genre 
still in its infancy.
  In 1963 he would form a band with Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston 
that would become known as The Wailers. The Wailers would spend the 
next few years developing their sound, and gaining a local following. 
In 1966, Bob would marry Rita Anderson, a women who would have a 
profound effect on his life and music. As a means of supporting his new 
family, he temporarily emigrated to Newark, Delaware, where he worked 
in a factory.
  Upon his return to Jamaica, he reformed The Wailers, dedicating 
himself to his music. This period would see The Wailers produce a 
wealth of new material, eventually signing to the Island Records label. 
This relationship would produce the first Bob Marley album to be 
released outside Jamaica, Catch a Fire. Soon he and his band were 
receiving worldwide acclaim.
  The Wailers would eventually disband however, and Marley would embark 
on a solo career. He would see his success and notoriety grow over the 
next few years. In 1976, his album Rastaman Vibration, hit the Top Ten 
in the United States. He had officially brought Reggae into the 
mainstream.
  While his fame grew internationally, he was viewed as almost a 
mystical figure in his native Jamaica. His popularity and radical 
message of empowerment and unity was perceived as a threat to the 
established order, both in Jamaica and beyond. On December 3, 1976, he 
was wounded in an assassination attempt, an event that forced him to 
leave Jamaica for over a year.
  However, violence could not temper his musical voice or soaring 
popularity. In 1977, he had his biggest selling record to date, Exodus. 
This period would also see him tour the world, including an independent 
Zimbabwe, whose struggle for freedom and racial justice was 
immortalized in one of his songs. Tragically, at the height of his 
career, he was diagnosed with cancer--a virulent form which rapidly 
took his life.
  Since his death in 1981, his legend has only grown. His message of 
freedom, unity, and justice has echoed with each passing decade. One of 
his biggest hits was a song entitled One Love, which was judged in an 
international poll to have been the most influential song of the 20th 
century. The world has not yet achieved the universal love for which he 
advocated, but it is, and will remain, united in its love for him.

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