Bob Marley

Jamaica, 1963–1981

Jamaican singer and songwriter (1945-1981) who, with the Wailers, brought reggae to an international audience, setting Rastafarian belief and Jamaican political subjects to soul-influenced arrangements.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Bob Marley and 15 artists Bob Marley influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Bob Marley?

• Lee "Scratch" Perry — Perry produced the young Marley and reconfigured his sound - rawer, more Jamaican, built on the Upsetters' rhythm section - which is the sound that carried him to Island and the world.
• Curtis Mayfield — Mayfield's blend of soul, social consciousness and spiritual uplift directly shaped Marley's lyrical vision with The Wailers.

Which artists did Bob Marley influence?

• Aquarium — Reggae ran deep in Aquarium — during the recording of the 'Blue Album' the band was in a period of fascination with reggae, the sound Bob Marley globalised.
• Massive Attack — Dub and reggae bass and space are foundational to Massive Attack's Bristol sound, descending from the Jamaican tradition Bob Marley carried worldwide.
• The Specials — The Specials' 2 Tone revival is built on Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae — the tradition Bob Marley brought to the world.
• Ace of Base — The reggae offbeat at the core of Ace of Base's trademark 'China reggae' sound descends from the Jamaican reggae tradition Bob Marley carried worldwide.
• Bad Brains — After seeing Bob Marley live the band embraced reggae and Rastafari — the slower half of the Bad Brains set alongside the hardcore blur.
• The Police — The Police built their sound on reggae's one-drop — Sting has been direct: 'we mined Bob Marley shamelessly'.
• Sting — Reggae — Bob Marley above all — was the rhythmic foundation Sting carried from the Police into his solo music.
• Dr. Alban — Dr. Alban's toasting vocal style comes straight from Jamaican dancehall and reggae — the tradition Bob Marley carried worldwide — laid over Eurodance beats.
• 311 — Bob Marley's reggae is at the root of 311's laid-back, dub-inflected grooves.
• Sublime — Bob Marley and Jamaican reggae are the heart of Sublime's sound — Bradley Nowell steeped the band in roots reggae and dancehall.
• Fugees — Reggae — the tradition Bob Marley carried worldwide — runs through the Fugees' sound (Wyclef and Pras are of Haitian descent; Lauryn Hill covered Marley).
• The Wailers — The Wailers are the band built around Bob Marley — they carried his roots-reggae songbook and sound on after his death.
• Burning Spear — Bob Marley personally introduced Winston Rodney (Burning Spear) to Studio One, launching his roots-reggae career.
• Steel Pulse — Bob Marley's militant roots reggae is the foundation Steel Pulse built Britain's reggae movement on.
• Khruangbin — Jamaican dub and reggae — the tradition Bob Marley carried worldwide — are a core ingredient of Khruangbin's spacious, bass-heavy grooves.