Four decades after the rest of the world first heard of reggae’s characteristic bass-dominated rhythm, there is no denying that the Jamaican-born music has successfully permeated global cultural consciousness. Today, reggae movies are shown in theaters everywhere, there’s at least one reggae music CD in every record bar in the world and top reggae music stars like Ziggy Marley continue to enjoy a considerable following in and out of Jamaica.

Reggae’s prominence and achievement of mainstream status can be attributed to many things, the global theme of its lyrics (love, social equity, anti-racism, friendship), its catchy melodic hooks and of course, Bob Marley.

While it cannot be denied that artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Lee Perry and Peter Tosh also contributed to the genre’s rise, there is no doubt that when it comes to reggae, Marley, is king. His songs are so popular in fact, that not only has he become synonymous to reggae, his rise to fame also runs parallel to reggae’s acceptance into the international music scene.

As part of the ska-turned-reggae group The Wailers, Bob Marley, along with his band mates are considered to be reggae’s earliest and brightest superstars. Their last album as a group, the Burnin’, yielded two hits and was responsible for helping reggae first gain a real foothold in the American and European music scene. One of these hits, the Marley-penned "I Shot the Sheriff," was covered in 1974 by Eric Clapton, who was already a huge figure in the rock and roll world by then. This, many point out, signified mainstream music’s acceptance and embrace of reggae.

After the three members of The Wailers parted ways and Bob Marley went on to a solo career, the legendary singer continued gaining fans both for himself and reggae music worldwide. In 1975, he released the single "No Woman, No Cry" and the song, which holds the number 37 spot on the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, catapulted Marley into international superstardom and reggae music into unprecedented popularity. The album that followed the release of this song even reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 hit charts – further proof of how much non-Jamaicans have come to appreciate the music.

INFLUENCE ON OTHER ARTISTS

In 1977, Marley released a new album (Exodus), from which stemmed hits like "One Love/People Get Ready, "Jamming" and "Waiting in Vain". The album is considered to be the singer’s finest work, and has in fact, been hailed by TIME as the greatest album of the 20th century and one of the best albums of all time by the Rolling Stones magazine.

The album’s impact can even be felt in the music of punk bands that started appearing in London during this time. The Clash’s songs "Revolution Rock" and "Wrong ‘Em Boyo" for example (both of which were written a year or so after Exodus’ release) sound more like reggae songs than punk anthems. Other British bands like the Police, UB40 and Culture Club also point to Bob Marley and his music as one of their major influences.

MARLEY’S DEATH

Just as his work helped reggae music gain global acceptance and popularity, Marley’s death also had an impact on the music. When he died at the young age of 36, many observed that reggae music seemed to have gone idle with no particular artist being able to duplicate or even come close to the success Marley achieved. It was as if reggae music itself grieved for the loss of its king.

Bob Marley, thanks to his talent and hard work, has paved the way for other reggae artists to be able to let the world hear their songs. Today, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Shabba Ranks, Marley’s own sons, Ziggy and Damian, and a host of other reggae artists have been able to achieve considerable success in the global music arena, but there is, and always will be, just one Bob Marley. Hail to the Reggae King!

For more information, check out this site on reggae movies.