Bob Marley, part of the singing trio The Wailers was discovered by Island Records CEO Chris Blackwell when Blackwell took a chance on the unknown group and funded the production of their first album for Island Records – the 1973 Catch a Fire, the fifth album by the group. Coincidentally Blackwell had previously released Bob’s first record, One Cup of Coffee.
Bob Marley arguably went on to become the face of Reggae and Jamaica becoming a reluctant unofficial spokesman and cultural icon. He was definitely prophetic in the contents of his lyrics and represented the suffering of the oppressed – the poor man’s griot.
Reggae has gone through many twists and turns, from its zenith as a leader in world music in the 70s and 80s to its evolution spawning the dancehall sub-genre which created a raft of colorful characters like Ninja Man, Eek-A-Mouse, Pinchers, Elephant Man et al to the lull created by a lack of creativity and crass lyrics with small pockets of hope flowing from the pen of artists like Assassin to the mash up phenom that led to dubstep out of England to where Reggae stands today.