Birthed February 6, 1945, Robert Nesta Marley (Order of Merit) OM is a global icon. His music evolved from ska to reggae to rocksteady, ultimately evolving into a fusion of all three. On his 77th birthday, many artists from various genres and countries teamed up to honour the musical legend and entertain the world. Tuff Gong and the Bob Marley Museum organized and presented The virtual Roots 77 concert.
Bob Marley’s grandson Elijah won the viewer’s hearts while playing the drums and singing songs such as Three little birds and John Lennon’s Imagine before completing his set with his father’s hit single Mr Marley. Elijah’s aunt Sharon Marley’s vocal talents serenaded the audience with a rendition of her Mother, Rita Marley’s song “Just one more morning”. The family that sings together stays together was a thought that came to me when I saw Yohan and Skip on stage showcasing vocal talents.
Recording artist Gyptian, filled Roots 77 with energy, performed a crowd favourite “Hold You” and “These are some serious times”, shedding light on the current climate in the world. Grammy nominee Etana graced the stage and performed her hit “I’m not afraid”, then went on to do a rendition of Bob Marley’s classic “Three little birds.”.
Mr. ‘Fresh Vegetable’ showed why he is still one of the best performers. With an endless catalogue of hits, as expected Tony Rebel had to specially select his songs. He performed “Love fountain”, “Swing easy”, and “By your side”. Queen Ifrica took led the audience in singing her hits “Predators paradise” and “Lioness on the rise”.
International Musical Greatness Join Roots 77
Kes the band did not fall short on showing their appreciation for the nation’s greatest Reggae icon. They represented by doing renditions of Marley’s hits. An acoustic version of “Zion train” did the song justice as performed by Casley. International recording artist D’Angelo expressed how he felt honoured to receive the invitation to perform at the tribute. Hip Hop band The Roots backed his segment.
Roots 77 would not be complete without a performance of his sons Damion, Ky-mani, Ziggy, Stephen, and Julian. The segment highlighted their father’s classics.
Roots 77 music festival proved that although the life span of Bob Marley was only thirty-six years, his legacy will live on forever. An example of that happened thirty-seven years after the original release of Marley’s album Legend. The album created history once again, becoming the second album to hit 13 years on the billboard 200 chart. His music and name are staples in cultures throughout the world and will continue for years to come. Happy birthday Robert Nesta Marley. We are forever grateful for all that you have blessed us with. One Love.
