Bob Marley's Rise to Prominence
Prof. Caesar Beltran
COM 100-02
11/19/12
By Jacob Rasmussen
Bob Marley's Rise to Prominence
On February 6th, 1945, as Robert Nesta Marley drew his first breath; the entire world was oblivious to the fact that a legendary musician and one of the greatest political/human rights activists was born. (White 1-3) His many contributions to the socio-economic climate continue to be recognized to this day. Born in the small village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, Robert was the son of Norval Sinclair Marley, a Jamaican of English descent, whose family came from Essex, England, and Cedella Booker, an Afro-Jamaican. Providing financial support for his wife and child, Norval was a captain in the Royal Marines, as well as a plantation overseer, however this lead to frequent absences for long periods of time; thus limiting the amount of time he had to spend at home.
Norval passed away due to a heart attack when Bob was only 10 years old. The consistent leave of absences and the ultimate death of his father left Marley to develop an immensely close bond with his mother, his only caretaker. Contrary to popular belief however, Marley was the first in his family to enter the world of music; rumors and speculation of his mother being a musician herself has plagued Marley's background for decades.
As a teenager, Marley endured many of the common difficulties present day multi-racial adolescents have to face, being half black and half white. Although Marley recognized his mixed ancestry, even to go as far as once stating "I don't have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor...