Summary
Summary
Bob Marley's life is the stuff of legend. Raised in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica, Marley (1945-1981) wrote songs that inspired millions. So Much Things to Say tells Marley's life story like never before. Roger Steffens traveled with the Wailers, interviewed Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer extensively, and took iconic Marley photographs. Now, drawing on forty years of intimate interviews with band members, family, lovers, and confidants-many speaking publicly for the first time-Steffens crafts a riveting oral history depicting Marley's life through vivid scenes: the future reggae star auditioning for Coxsone Dodd in Trench Town, the violent confrontation between the Wailers and producer Lee Perry, the attempted assassination (and conspiracy theories that followed), triumphant live performances around the world, and the artist's tragic death from cancer at the age of thirty-six. Revealing and original, So Much Things to Say presents Marley as both man and musician, seen through the eyes of those who knew him best.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In his page-turning oral history of Bob Marley (1945-1981), Steffens, a reggae historian and producer of a one-man show about Marley's life, brings the singer to life through conversations with his bandmates, lovers, family members, and musical associates. Through this thoroughly engaging history, readers learn about the sometimes uneasy working relationships at Coxson Dodd's Studio One in Kingston, Jamaica, during the early days of the Wailers; Rita Marley's revelatory encounter with Haile Selassie, the Rasta god, on Apr. 21, 1966; and the responses of Carl Colby Jr. (son of former CIA director William Colby) to accusations that Carl tried to have Marley killed. In one conversation, Bunny Wailer (Neville O'Riley Livingston) recalls with joyous insight Marley's songwriting process-"Bob writes bits of songs, as the inspiration come him write, and then him just put them bits there together." Two of Marley's band members, Gilly Gilbert and Danny Sims, recall the nights in 1980 when they opened for the Commodores at Madison Square Garden and more than half the audience left when the Wailers finished their set. In this highly entertaining and informative history, Steffens also includes dozens of photos from his own archive. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
In compiling an oral history of a music legend, or, in Bob Marley's case, a global icon, a decision must be made: How much editing should be done? Historian and archivist Steffens, the reigning Marley expert, provides the definitive primary source in this gathering of recorded and written interviews with individuals from the various circles that surrounded Marley. With so much already written about the music and the man, Steffens presents these remembrances of the reggae star verbatim, forming a grand anecdotal conversation covering the whole of Marley's life, even as personal accounts conflict. This clash of memories is most evident in the coverage of the Wailers' breakthrough album, Burnin'. All involved are represented, from Bunny Wailer to Peter Tosh, Chris Blackwell, Esther Anderson, and more, even as their accounts are wildly different. Also of special note are the interviews recounting the lead-up to the assassination attempt against Marley in 1976 and the landmark Smile Jamaica Concert that immediately followed. Devoted fans and all readers interested in reggae, Marley, and his era will find this many-voiced, richly subjective chronicle dramatic and compelling.--Ruzicka, Michael Copyright 2017 Booklist