Mike Battaglia
Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley
While reading Catch a Fire I discovered many things about Bob Marley and his spiritual influence on the world. Not only just making records, Marley spoke to his people through his songs and took advantage of the opportunities given to him as a musician.
Born on February 6, 1945, Robert Nesta Marley grew up in a small village in Jamaica called Nine Miles, where he would shape his personality and early beliefs. His father Norval Marley, a white Jamaican and a Captain in the Army, would also become inspirational to young Bob. When Bob was only 16 he produced his first record in Kingston, and in 1963 the original Wailers were formed, a group consisting of Bob Marley, Bunny Livingstone and Peter Tosh. They produced many songs together such as, Judge Not and Simmer Down, which were both instant number one songs in Jamaica. But, by 1973 two of the original Wailers wanted out of the popular band because they grew restless from the extreme touring schedule. So later that year Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh quit. However, it didn't take long for Bob to find new people to replace the original band members. He found Aston an accomplished bass player, Carlton to play the drums and he brought in a trio of female back up vocalists called the I-Threes, one of whom would eventually become his wife Rita.
