Robert Nesta Marley was born on February 6, 1947 in Nine Miles Jamaica. Little did anyone know the lasting impact that Marley would leave on his country of Jamaica and on the entire world. Bob moved to the ghettos of Kingston when he was five years old because his mother Cedella Booker thought that Kingston would give them a better chance of improving their lives. In Kingston they lived with Bob's best friend and fellow songwriter Bunny Livingston (Wailer) and his family. Together Bob and Bunny escaped the violent world of Kingston by practicing and writing songs. At the young age of sixteen Bob Marley had aspirations to begin recording music, because he saw music as the best way to escape the violent and dark world that he lived in. .
In 1963, Bob made the first step in fulfilling his lifelong dream, and released his first single, "Judge Not." He and Bunny soon joined forces with Peter Tosh and the group The Wailers was born. Through several gigs in Jamaica, The Wailers soon became one of the most popular musical groups in Jamaica. The Wailers used their music to help let people know of the poverty and struggle the race of Jamaicans endured. In 1965 Bob Marley created his own recording company entitled Tuff Gong which is now home to the Bob Marley Museum. Bob Marley married Rita Anderson in February 10, 1966. The year 1971 was a huge year for Bob Marley and The Wailers. For the first time in history, a major record label, Island Records signed up a record deal with a reggae band. Now the Wailers had access to the best recording facilities around. Bob became much more recognized as an individual artist in 1973, when he formed a new band called "Bob Marley and the Wailers," which included Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt. With this new ensemble Bob took reggae to an international level having a succession of record breaking albums and tours. In the year 1976, the reggae craze hit the United States, and Bob Marley and the Wailers were named Rolling Stone Magazine Band of the Year.
