Bob Marley & The Wailers

Bob Marley & The Wailers brought Jamaican reggae to an international audience through songs that joined melodic directness with Rastafarian spirituality, social commentary and a rhythmic approach that developed across the 1960s and 1970s. The group grew from the Teenagers, formed in 1963 by Robert Nesta Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in Jamaica. By 1965, as the Wailers, they released their debut studio album, The Wailing Wailers, which included “One Love,” a reworking of “People Get Ready.”

After their early recordings, the Wailers' sound moved away from louder instrumentation toward rhythm-led song construction. That shift coincided with Marley's conversion to Rastafari and was reflected in The Best of The Wailers (1971), recorded around the period when Marley relocated to London. The group signed with Island Records and adopted the name Bob Marley and the Wailers, then gained international attention through touring and the 1973 albums Catch a Fire and Burnin’.

When the group disbanded a year later, Marley continued recording and performing under the band's name. Natty Dread (1974) received positive reviews, while a live version of “No Woman, No Cry,” released on Live! in 1975, became his first hit outside Jamaica. Eric Clapton's version of “I Shot the Sheriff” had also brought wider attention to Marley's songwriting. Rastaman Vibration (1976) became his U.S. breakthrough album and reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Soul Charts.

In 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt at his Jamaican home that was believed to be politically motivated. He then permanently moved to London, where he made Exodus, an album that incorporated blues, soul and British rock alongside reggae. Marley was an outspoken supporter of democratic social reform, pan-Africanism and cannabis legalisation, and his work made him a widely recognised figure in Jamaican music, culture and identity.

Diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma in 1977, Marley died on 11 May 1981, shortly after being baptised into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. He received a state funeral in Jamaica and had been awarded the country's Order of Merit three months before his death. The 1984 compilation Legend became the best-selling reggae album of all time. Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and later received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and induction into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.