Jamaica Set To Celebrate Bob Marley’s Posthumous 70th Birthday

Jamaica is preparing to honour reggae legend, Bob Marley, as the 70th anniversary of his birth approaches.

The late, iconic reggae star Bob Marley is set to be remembered in his homeland of Jamaica with a landmark concert to mark what would have been his 70th Birthday. 

The singer, widely considered the island nation’s most famous native son, would have turned 70 years old on February 6.

Marley died in 1981 after a battle with cancer.

Activities to mark the 70th anniversary of Bob Marley’s birthday will take place on February 6 at the Bob Marley Museum on Hope Road and Tuff Gong Studio on Marcus Garvey Drive. The day’s activities will include symposiums on Reggae Music and Reggae Jam sessions with Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid and Nomaddz.

Stars from the world of music will come together on 7 February 2015 at Kingston’s Waterfront to continue the celebration in honour of the music legend’s contribution to reggae. Three of Bob Marley’s sons - Stephen, Damian and Kymani, will headline the free concert with other music legends including the likes of Tarrus Riley, Marcia Griffith and Lauryn Hill set to perform to the crowds. Thousands of fans are expected to pay homage and head to Bob’s homeland to mark the anniversary.

The concert will feature as part of an annual month-long celebration dubbed Reggae Month It’s Kingston for February that will see Jamaica celebrate its roots as the home of reggae with a busy calendar of activities kicking off on 1 February 2015.

On Marley’s birthday, February 6, Kingston’s Bob Marley Museum will host several forums on Marley-related topics such as reggae music, reggae and fashion and marijuana and the economy.

Other events set for the coming days and weeks in Jamaica include a concert on Kingston’s waterfront, featuring Jamaican and international reggae acts, and the One Love celebrity soccer match, which is scheduled for February 18.

Meanwhile in the UK, Marley’s base for many years in the 1970’s, the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is launching a social media campaign asking the UK to share details of how they plan to celebrate the star’s birthday on 6 February 2015. The JTB is seeking news and images from those lucky enough to be setting off to Marley’s homeland to commemorate the date, those who will be donning rasta wigs in his honour, videos of future reggae stars singing one of Bob’s hits or even those who will have his albums Legend and Exodus on repeat all day long.

Marley is one of the best-selling musicians of all time and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The BBC later named his hit ‘One Love’ as “Song of the Millennium.”

The artist who is famous for worldwide hits such as ‘No Woman No Cry’ and ‘One Love’ will be honoured by the people of Jamaica and fans from across the world with a musical tribute to the man that dedicated his life to music.  

Source : bob marley official website