Bob Marley: Three Little Birds

As a dedicated follower of the Rastafarian faith, the legendary Jamaican singer, Bob Marley, became the face of reggae in the 1970s. His unique brand of music touched people all over the world, having a major impact on the religious movement.

The Rastafari movement is believed to have started in the 1930s in Jamaica, after political leader Marcus Garvey's famous speech, when he told followers, "Look to Africa, where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be your Redeemer."

This statement was the foundation of the Rastafari movement. When Emperor Haile Selassie I was crowned in Ethiopia, it was seen as the fulfilment of Garvey's prophecy. The first Rastafari branch was established in 1935 in Jamaica by Leonard Howell.

Early life

In February 1945, Bob Marley was born in the impoverished district of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish. Always interested in making music, his first amateur band was with schoolfriend Neville 'Bunny' Livingston (the future musician Bunny Wailer) at Stepney Primary and Junior High School.

Marley left home at just 14 years old to move to Kingston and pursue his music career. He became a pupil of singer and Rastafarian Joe Higgs. It was Marley's first experience of the faith and he became a devout convert.

The traditional music of the Rastafari faith is Nyabingi, consisting of a blend of drumming and gospel music, accompanied by chanting to make participants feel included in the religious community.

In the early days, music and hymns created by two influential 19th-century American evangelists, Ira David Sankey and Dwight Lyman Moody, were adapted to the Rastafarian faith with new, relevant lyrics.

Reggae music

In the 1950s, Jamaican drummer and band leader Count Ossie began developing rhythmic drumming patterns, playing the music in public shows and spreading its style throughout the Rastafarian community. He used three types of drum - the fundeh, the bass and the peta. In the 1960s, several Jamaican artists used Ossie's group as percussionists on their own reggae and ska recordings.

Rastafari has now become associated with reggae music, as a result of Marley's worldwide success in the '70s - he helped spread global awareness of the religion through his music. Many people credit his success as being the reason Rastafari spread to the US, Europe, Canada, Australasia and Africa.

He created the successful reggae group, the Wailers, in 1963. He married Rita Anderson, also a Rastafarian, in 1964, which increased his interest in the religion further and this was reflected in his music.

His lyrics helped to spread the social and political ideas of the Rastafarian movement, as Marley spoke out against the inequalities and negativity that existed towards the black community. His lyrics expanded the Rastafarian teachings, spreading the beliefs to a global platform.

Hit records

Marley's first major hit with the Wailers was Catch a Fire in April 1972, after they signed to the UK-based Island Records. They embarked on a supporting tour of the UK and the USA and Marley's global success was guaranteed.

Perhaps the most famous song recorded by Marley is Three Little Birds, taken from the album, Exodus, and released as a single in 1980. People mistakenly think it's called Don't Worry About a Thing, because the phrase is used frequently throughout.



It contains the joyful lyrics, "Rise up this mornin', smiled with the risin' sun, three little birds pitch by my doorstep, singin' sweet songs of melodies pure and true."

Marley's long-time friend, Tony Gilbert, explained the inspiration behind the song. He said Marley was inspired by a lot of things around him, being a keen observer of life. Gilbert said Marley was song writing at his home at Hope Street, Kingston, where three pretty little canaries would be sitting outside on the windowsill on numerous occasions. Gilbert said they were the inspiration for Three Little Birds.

Marcia Griffiths of the female vocal trio, I Three (a reggae group who played live shows with Marley), said Bob would often refer to them as the Three Little Birds.

Global fame

Although Marley was famous all over the world as a musician, he was viewed as a prophet and a poet in Jamaica. His songs carried a message of Rastafarian theology and politics which was never diluted. For the Jamaican people, his songs had an important meaning.

His most successful year to date was 1980, which he began with a concert in the now-independent Zimbabwe. A tour of the United States was also planned.

However, in the summer of 1980, he collapsed in Central Park, USA, while jogging. Tragically, cancer claimed the life of the reggae legend. He had been diagnosed with melanoma in 1977, which had recurred and spread. He died on 11th May 1981, at the age of only 36.

Today, the international legend remains an iconic figure, who has sold more than 75 million records.

Musical family

Marley's grandson, Skip Marley, who is 22, has inherited the star's talent. The Kingston-born reggae singer-songwriter, the son of Cedella Marley and David Minto, signed to Island Records in 2017. He co-wrote and is featured on Katy Perry's 2017 single, Chained to the Rhythm, which they performed live at the Grammy Awards and the Brit Awards.

Bob and Rita Marley's son Ziggy, born in 1968, is lead vocalist for the band, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. In 1979, when he was 11, Ziggy formed the band with his siblings Cedella, Sharon and Stephen and recorded Children Playing in the Streets. Bob Marley had written the song for them, with all royalties donated to the United Nations to help aid efforts in the United Year of the Child.

The band went back in the studio in 1984, recording their debut LP, Play the Game Right. They had a successful career, releasing their final album to date, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers Live, in 2000 – it peaked at number five in the reggae albums chart. Ziggy continues to record today and has released seven solo albums to date, his most recent being Rebellion Rises in May 2018.

Bob Marley's youngest son, Damian, aged 40, is also a reggae artist who has been performing since he was 13, when he formed a band called the Shephards. He released his fourth studio album, Stony Hill, in July 2017.

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