DID YOU KNOW?...

Next to the Beatles, Bob Marley is the most bootlegged musician in the world.

Because of his popularity with the poor in many countries, Marley's music is shared through knock-off cassettes worldwide. There are an estimated 100 million cassette copies now in circulation!

Bob Marley was wounded in an assassination attempt in December 1976.

In a shower of automatic gunfire at his Hope Road headquarters, Bob narrowly escaped death in a politically motivated nightime attack. His wife Rita was shot in the head, his manager Don Taylor was shot five times, miraculously both survived the attack. Bob was wounded in the arm and chest. Two nights later he performed before 80,000 people in Kingston's Heroes Park Circle at the "Smile Jamaica" concert. "If puss and dog can get together," he sang, "why can't we love one another".

In the sixties it was Bob's dream to be a soul and R&B singer in the American Popular style and to develop a large African-American fan base. The music that brought him stardom, unfortunately, was not hugely popular with American blacks in the seventies. It can be argued that reggae became a more universal musical language, and that may account for his worldwide popularity.

Bob often spoke of African unity and Pan Africanism. He became an important figure in Africa. In 1980 the newly independent country of Zimbabwe asked him to give a concert at their Independence Day Celebration, which he did. He also performed in Gabon to SRO crowds. In this picture, Bob shops with a bandmember in Gabon.

There is a worldwide demand for Bob Marley memorabilia. His various record labels and many collectors are on the lookout for quality photos, videos and recordings. If you think that you have something of value regarding Bob Marley, we suggest you contact master archivist Roger Steffens ( Ras RoJah) at rasrojah@aol.com. He has the reputation for fairness and sensitivity that many others do not. More than anyone else on the planet, he will know the value of your items. And he's a nice guy.