Today marks 30 years since the death of reggae icon, Bob Marley. I remember how shocked I was when I heard the news. I had no idea he had even been sick.
I saw Bob perform once, in Montreal. My boyfriend at the time and I drove from Ottawa for the mid-week concert.
I don’t remember who the opening act was but when Bob finally came onstage, the crowd went wild. Around midnight, we decided to leave. My boyfriend had to work the next morning and we had a two hour drive ahead. (I would never had done that now!) I never got another chance to see Bob perform and always wondered how the show ended. Within a year or so after that show, Bob was dead.
As with some celebrities, Bob has become bigger and more popular in death than in life. More than anything else however, he was instrumental in putting reggae music and Jamaica on the map internationally.
In 1977, when I lived in Barcelona, I went to the student office on some matter that I now can’t recall. I handed over my passport to the gentleman at the office. He looked at it, looked at me and said, Bob Marley. But his English accent was so Spanglified, I didn’t understand. He must have seen the confusion on my face and said it again. Finally, I got it: Bob Marley! We had a good laugh and talked for a good while, in Spanish, about Bob. He even hummed some of his favorite songs.
It was then that I realized that Bob was not just ours, he was also the world’s.
I have many favorite songs but this one, Could You Be loved, has been playing in my head since I woke up this morning so I thought it would be the one to share.
Enjoy!
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What’s your favorite Bob Marley song?
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Related articles
- Bob Marley (amairgin.wordpress.com)
- Remembering Bob Marley, 30 Years Later (theroot.com)
