Bob Marley

Although Bob Marley died early from cancer, during his 36 years on earth he became a legendary musician and singer-songwriter who introduced the world to the reggae and ska music of Jamaica. Nesta Robert Marley was born in Jamaica in 1945. (Later a passport official switched his first and middle name and thereafter he was Robert Marley.) When he was 14, Marley dropped out of school to pursue his music, and in 1964 the band "The Wailers" was born. In 1976 Rolling Stone Magazine named Bob Marley and the Wailers "Band of the Year." "I Shot the Sheriff" and "No Woman No Cry" are two of Marley's most popular songs, and his posthumous album "Legend," a compilation of his work, has become the best-selling reggae album ever, having sold more than 12 million copies. In 1994, Marley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Time magazine chose the band's album "Exodus" as the greatest album of the 20th century.