The Bob Marley legend lives on at the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston Jamaica. Memorials, tributes, and exhibits to Bob Marley and his music can be seen throughout Jamaica. The Bob Marley Museum, housed in a former residence and recording studio of the legendary reggae artist, is the best of the bunch.
Located in uptown Kingston, the Bob Marley Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am to 4 pm. An hour-long tour by one of the Rastafarian guards costs about $10 and provides valuable insights into Marley’s life and the opportunity to view artifacts and exhibits from his life.
Marley was born in Nine Mile in north-central Jamaica, the son of a white British naval officer and a black Jamaican. Growing up in Kingston Town Bob Marley lived in the slums of Trenchtown. In Kingston Town Bob Marley became friends with Bunny Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer) and Peter McIntosh (later known as Peter Tosh). Together, the three formed the ska reggae group The Wailers.
The Wailers had several hits in Jamaica in the 1960s, including during a successful period when they teamed up with the pioneering dub producer Lee “Scratch” Perry. In the late 1960s in Kingston Town Bob Marley and the other Wailers embraced Rastafarianism, which remained an important influence on Bob Marley music and lyrics for the rest of his career.
Bob Marley music came to the world’s attention in 1973, after the group was signed with Island Records and Eric Claption scored a #1 hit in America with the Marley composition “I Shot the Sheriff.” Albums such as Catch a Fire (1973), Natty Dread (1975), and Uprising (1980) cemented the Bob Marley legend.
Bob Marley was also an important ambassador for international peace, racial harmony, and unity in Jamaican policies. His political activities led to an assassination attempt in his Kingston home in 1976, now the site of the Bob Marley Museum.
The Bob Marley legend has only grown since his death of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36. Marley is revered as a national hero throughout Jamaica and as a musical genius by listeners across the world.
The Bob Marley Museum celebrates Marley’s life and music. Marley’s former studio is now an exhibit hall and theater. His bedroom is preserved exactly as he left it. Other exhibits document media coverage of his life, provide a replica of a period reggae music store, and display his gold and platinum records. The building is decorated by colorful Rastafarian flags and a vibrant statue of Marley sits in the garden of the Bob Marley museum. An excellent gift store has Bob Marley music and paraphernalia of every kind.
The Bob Marley Museum is Kingston’s most popular
tourist attraction and an essential stop for every
reggae fan.
