The words and music of Bob Marley

Although a product of Jamaica's rich musical tradition, Bob Marley's music has resonated with listeners all over the world.

Through his adaptable and yet enduring musical messages, Marley thus seems to represent an especially articulate type of singer-songwriter, one whose work, in many ways, does away with the necessity of translation in the first place. "Time" magazine perhaps captured Marley's impact most clearly when it named "Exodus" the most important album of the 20th century.

Despite his broad appeal, however, Marley released a large quantity of material that functioned in an introspective and autobiographical manner while he was at the height of his success, and it is thus only in a work such as this one - in which the artist is investigated through his recorded output - that we can see who this great man was, and what he hoped to achieve through his life and music. "The Words and Music of Bob Marley" investigates Marley's creative output chronologically, and provides complementary biographical information where it is relevant and helpful.

Themes discussed throughout the book include protest, revolution, love, hate, biblical themes, and discussions of Rastafarianism.