In April 1979, Bob Marley and the Wailers visited Japan as part of a world tour through Asia, Oceania and the U.S. to promote their live album Babylon by Bus. In Japan, they gave eights concerts, six in Tokyo and another two in Osaka. Almost 33 years after these events, I decided to visit the venues in Tokyo where Marley and the Wailers wrote Japanese reggae history and laid a solid foundation on which homegrown … Continue reading
It is only about a week ago that I learned that earlier this year, on May 12, 2011, Lloyd Knibb, the drummer of the world famous Jamaican ska band The Skatalites, had passed away at age 80. At the time, I was staying in Tokyo for three months, the news simply didn’t reach Japanese shores or at least I didn’t hear or read anything about it back then. I twice had the pleasure of seeing … Continue reading
Officially in stores on June 10, 1980, Uprising was the last Bob Marley and the Wailers album released during Marley’s life. On May 11, 1981, less than one year after the release of Uprising, Marley would succumb to cancer that had apparently plagued his body for years. The last track on his last album is Redemption Song, a beautiful farewell by the reggae superstar who became an icon and legend in the more than thirty … Continue reading
The Jamaica Gleaner, one of Jamaica’s biggest and oldest newspapers, ran a story this week about my research project Babylon By Bus. Bob Marley & The Wailers in the Netherlands. The story was written by Howard Campbell, regular writer for the Gleaner, and features a photo and excerpts from our e-mail exchange. Besides being posted on the website of the Jamaica Gleaner, it will apparently also appear in the Weekly Gleaner – which is published … Continue reading
I am happy to announce that from today, in cooperation with reggaeville.com, the English version of the Babylon By Bus document about the visits of Bob Marley and The Wailers to the Netherlands can also be viewed on issuu.com. Issuu is currently the leading digital publishing platform for magazines, catalogs, newspapers, and other documents, and as such provides a nice platform to reach more people interested in Bob Marley’s life and music. To see Babylon … Continue reading
In April 1979, Bob Marley and the Wailers visited Japan for eight concerts in Tokyo and Osaka as part of their Babylon By Bus-tour through Asia and Oceania. The tour proved a great success, as reggae music became increasingly popular in the land of the rising sun in the years thereafter. 1979 was also the first time in three years that Marley and his Wailers did not visit the Netherlands. In 1976, 1977, 1978 and … Continue reading
Today, May 11, 2011, it is exactly thirty years since reggae-king Bob Marley died just before noon at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami at the age of 36. On this day, I honor Marley’s memory and celebrate his music with my second research project, Babylon By Bus. Bob Marley & The Wailers in The Netherlands, a project which started in September 2010. I hope readers will enjoy in the same way I enjoyed … Continue reading
How and when did reggae music travel from its birthplace Jamaica to Japan, and what role did Bob Marley play in this process? When did Marley visit Japan, and who were the first Jamaican reggae artists to come to the land of the rising sun? When did the Japanese start to make their own Japanese reggae? And in what ways does reggae appeal to the Japanese? These and many more questions are answered in a … Continue reading