In the Observer of May 17,2009 I published an article amidst the controversy sparked by comments made by Buju Banton about whether Bob Marley should be considered the greatest Jamaican artiste of all time. The article elicited a response from no less a person than Professor Rex Nettleford who, in a letter to the editor, considered my intervention as an important contribution to the debate. Given what I think is the continued relevance of this article here are extracts from that article.

Is Bob Marley the greatest Jamaican artiste of all time? If the answer is yes, what is the basis for this determination? If no, what criteria were used to arrive at this conclusion? If one is arguing that he is not, who is? Are there objective means of ascertaining who should bear the title of the greatest of all time or are we on a fool’s errand engaged in a futile search for an elusive ideal?

What is clear to me is that in many instances talent and flair is conflated with greatness. In fact, in the debate on the propriety of designating Marley ‘the greatest Jamaican artiste of all time,’ there are those who are contending that he was not a better singer than Tosh, Cliff or Livingston. Yet one should be careful with this type of argument. Vocal quality is not the only or the the most important feature of a great artiste. There are other characteristics which must be taken into account when making a determination on artistic greatness. It is not a question of whether Bob had better ‘pipes’ than those with whom he is being compared. The fact is that Bob’s voice was an ideal vehicle for conveying the revolutionary passion which informed his impressive body of work. Marley would not have been able to carry his message in the manner he did had he the vocal quality of Luther Vandross or Johnny Mattis. After all another iconic figure in the realm of popular culture, Bob Dylan was told that he sounded like a wolf.

Yes there may have been more naturally talented vocalists and artistes than Marley, but were they greater than him? History is replete with so many individuals who displayed remarkable potential but who were just not able to respond appropriately or consistently to the imperatives of success. In his most recent bestseller , Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell (his mother is a Jamaican) points out that what we deem to be talent is far less important in determining how successful one will be in any given undertaking. He notes a number of factors including persistence, timing and mentoring.

Bob Marley was tireless in his efforts to hone his craft and skill. Did he reach his ten thousand hours at the time when Reggae was beginning to blossom internationally? It is my belief that Bob’s exalted status in the pantheon of modern pop culture has much to do with the flowering of his talent and the emergence of some of the most important liberation movement taking place at around the same time. His music and message were able to provide energy for liberation struggles around the world. Reggae was the most important musical medium for channeling the concerns of the oppressed, and Marley through his incisive commentaries was able to satisfy the need for moral support among liberation and nationalistic movements around the world. Marley is the very personification of biological, historical and social circumstances which will never again be embodied by any other individual.

Marley’s primary concerns were the refinement of his message and the perfection of his craft. Financial considerations were secondary. He was prepared to make the kind of sacrifice and risks that others who were too short term in their time horizons were unwilling to contemplate. No account of Marley’s success could be complete without a fulsome account of the role of Chris Blackwell in the marketing and promotion of his career. Marley was not the first or only Jamaican artiste Blackwell had earmarked for international stardom. There were others who took up supposedly more lucrative deals and eventually realised that all that glitters is not gold. Marley was able to enjoy the creative freedom which a small label like Island ( not forced to make quarterly earnings statements) could provide. The major labels (publicly owned )have no such luxury and for them the music is pure business. Interestingly, it is those who treat the music less as a business who seem to often enjoy commercial success. The fact that Island was later bought out by a label with greater marketing muscle did help to spread the Marley message. When Island was sold, Marley’s creativity could no longer be tampered with and so the distribution power of a major label could then be advantageous. It was the best of both worlds for Marley’s music.

Bob Marley was a rock star, a fact which was greatly enabled by his mixed heritage. Some persons speak to the fact that Marley was a hybrid in an almost disparaging tone. This is a ridiculous point which many Marley supporters seem defensive about. Saying that Marley is successful because he is of mixed heritage is like saying that Jordan is a great basketballer because he is tall. His heritage is part of what Marley brings to the table .Yet Jordan would not be great simply by being tall nor would Marley be the iconic figure he is today becuase he happens to be of a lighter hue.

There is another factor which I believe is important to Marley’s mystical aura and that is his early transition. The fact is no one will carry an image of Marley that is not youthful and vital. We don’t know what it is like to see a Marley old and decrepit and devoid of creatve instincts. Marley like Marilyn Monroe, Collie Smith, James Dean and Che Guevara will remain forever young in our imagination a nost important feature of eternal appeal.

clyde.mckenzie@gmail.com