Bob Marley: 10 of his best songs

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter and guitarist, would be 70 years old today had cancer not claimed his life in 1981, aged 36.

A man pedals past a mural of late musician Bob Marley in Kingston on February 8, 2009

Marley’s early life was spent in rural community of Nine Miles, located in the mountainous terrain of the parish of St. Ann.

Known for his advocacy for love and peace, Marley didn’t sing just for the sake of it; his music was politically conscious and spiritual.

He advocated for the unity of people of all races, and above all arguably, he fought for the liberation of Africans from slavery and colonialism through his songs.

In the late 1950s, he moved to the Trenchtown, a low-income community in Jamaica’s capital.

Despite the poverty, despair and various unsavory activities endured by some of its residents, Trenchtown was also a culturally rich community where Marley’s musical talents were nurtured. Hence, we hear of some of his songs, “Trench Town Rock” and “Trench Town”.

Marley is also known for the “Redemption Song”, which many tried to remix for many years. Watch Rihanna and Mitchell Brunings singing it below:

Rihanna (Redemption Song)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hfSfj-MlzA

Mitchell Brunings (Redemption Song)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ1Oz6K4rOI

Here’s the original version of the song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFGgbT_VasI

For a good weekend, we compiled some of his ten best songs:

1. “No woman no cry”