Decades after his death, Bob Marley remains deeply revered as the man who took reggae to the world to earn iconic status as one of the greatest and most influential artists of all time. Of mixed race, he was raised in humble circumstances in Jamaica, his songs reflecting the hardships, injustices and spirituality of his people as he embraced the Rastafari religion to become a musical god and a dreadlocked cultural icon. He made his first single in 1962 and formed the band that would become the Wailers, refining his distinctive rhythmic reggae style with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. Chris Blackwell's Island label gave him a world platform with the release of his first two albums Catch A Fire and Burnin' - including his famous cover of Eric Clapton's I Shot The Sheriff. The classic 1975 single No Woman No Cry brought him mainstream acclaim and he remained a major international star until his death from cancer in 1981, aged 36.
