Bob Marley: 10 Things You Don't Know About Him

Now, I'd be the first to stand up and declare my love of Bob Marley's music. His laid back and soulful tunes are the perfect potion for banishing the blues. His Rastafarian lyrics have symbolized hippy values for years, and continue to hold meaning for many. After all, he remains the ultimate hippy. His songs continue to spread the message of all things tree-huggers love. It's all about peace man! And love and unity, right?
Well yes of course, and that's why we love his music. He wouldn't be the same Bob otherwise. However, as I often declare to be Bob's number one fan, it's sometimes nice to look beyond, and see the man behind the music. While he will always remain as one of the world's greatest hippies, after years of obsessive reading on my behalf, I have discovered that he was also a pretty interesting man, who led a pretty interesting life. Here are ten facts that you probably didn't know about him (and yes I realize I do come across as a bit of a stalker, but I'm not Eminem's 'Stan' I promise): 

1. Bob's father was a 50 year old white British naval captain called Norval Sinclair Marley. Bob's mum was a 19 year old black village girl named Cedella. Imagine the uproar THAT caused in both families. 
2. 'Tuff Gong', the name of Bob's record label, was the nickname Bob earned for himself in the Kingston ghetto of Trenchtown for being the wrong kind of guy to mess with.
3. Bob was twenty-one when he married the Trenchtown Sunday school teacher named Rita. Despite having countless affairs and numerous children with different women, he remained married to this Trenchtown beauty right up to his death
4. Football remained his great passion after music, and Bob was able to play to a professional level. His love for it was so strong that the fatal cancer which would end his life, emerged from a foot injury that had resulted from a game of football. 
5. Bob was never bitter though. When he died, a football was placed within his coffin
6. As a little kid, Bob had a spooky knack of successfully predicting the future of people by reading their palm. Many have stated he even predicted his own future, and declared he would die at the age of 36. He did. 
7. Of course, he was a devout Rastafarian. Ras Tafari is the name of a man who was crowned King of Ethiopia in 1930.  
8. He was a massive flirt. In the end Bob had 13 children by 9 different women. Its even be said he had three children born in four weeks by three different women. (Bloody hell)
9. Bob's ska band 'The Wailers' were originally called 'The Teenagers'. 
10. And lastly, nobody really knows what the word 'reggae' means, or where it originated.