More than thirty years after he passed away at age 36, Robert Nesta Marley – better known to the world as reggae superstar Bob Marley – finds his way to the big screen at prestigious film festivals and theaters around the world. Certainly not the first documentary about Marley but already described and billed as the definitive documentary, MARLEY by director Kevin MacDonald documents the singer from birth to death, focusing on the life, music, … Continue reading
Many months have passed since May 11, 2011, the day Bob Marley died thirty years ago and the day I published my research project ‘Babylon by Bus. Bob Marley and the Wailers in the Netherlands‘ in tribute to Marley and the Wailers. For those of you who have missed it, the document can be downloaded and read freely from my website. Here is a short list with websites who have written about ‘Babylon by Bus’ … 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