Third World hero, icon, international superstar, king of reggae, protest singer, representative of the oppressed, pride of Jamaica, troubadour in difficult times, legend. In life and death Robert Nesta Marley, better known as Bob Marley, obtained many names and titles. Not surprisingly, a lot has been said and written about the Jamaican singer and his music. In the summer of 2010 I published Jamming in Japan. A history of Bob Marley and reggae, which described the history of reggae in Japan and the role of Bob Marley therein. After the project was finished I realized it was quite strange to have written about Marley’s visit to Japan as there was very little known about the concerts of Marley in my native country the Netherlands. Therefore I decided in October 2010 that another study was needed, this time about the visits of Bob Marley to the Netherlands. Today, May 11, 2011, I publish this second and last study about specific episodes in the career of Bob Marley in respectively Japan and the Netherlands. The publishing date of May 11, 2011 was chosen on purpose, as exactly thirty years ago, on May 11, 1981, Bob Marley died just before noon at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami.
In this document I describe Marley’s visits to the Netherlands and how these events helped popularize reggae there. Therefore, the focus lies on the period between 1975 and 1980, when Bob Marley and his band The Wailers experienced great successes internationally and (roots) reggae had the artistic momentum that would slowly disappear in later years. To this end I have devoted separate chapters to all five concerts in the Netherlands. The document moreover contains interviews with Evert Wilbrink (at the time label manager for Island Records at BMG-Ariola Benelux), Leon Ramakers (organizer of four of the five Marley concerts on behalf of Mojo Concerts), Jan Smeets (founder and organizer of Pinkpop, one of the largest music festivals in the Netherlands) and Mike van der Linde, a Bob Marley fan and collector. Lastly, I also explore the relation between the Jamaican reggae star and the Dutch music press throughout the years.
Besides an attempt to chart the (early) history of reggae and Bob Marley’s visits to the Netherlands, this document is above all intended as a tribute to the man who made reggae popular and spread the music around the world. A tribute to a man who after his untimely death has continued to live on in the hearts of people around the world through his songs of redemption. A man who moreover gave and gives millions of people around the world hope and inspiration.