The Jamaica Observer’s Entertainment Desk presents the 18th in a series titled Bob Marley — The Last 40 Days to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his passing.

HOW far would Bob Marley’s career have gone without the support of Chris Blackwell and Island Records? Regarded as one of the music business’ great minds, Blackwell’s drive is synonymous with the singer’s rise to superstardom.

The independent label, based in London, signed The Wailers when reggae was still a virgin sound internationally.

Blackwell met The Wailers (Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Livingston) in 1972 in London. After two critically acclaimed albums for his company ( Catch A Fire and Burnin’), Tosh and Livingston (later Wailer) left.

Marley, as a solo act, recorded six studio albums for Island which Blackwell co-founded in 1959 in Jamaica.

Wayne Jobson, a lifelong friend of the music mogul, said Blackwell had faith in Marley and his colleagues from the start.

“Chris said that The Wailers were not rich at the time, but they walked into Island Records like they were the kings of the world,” Jobson stated in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

“Without a contract, Chris gave them US$8,000, which was a lot of money at the time, to show them that he trusted them and so that they could trust him. Chris could only do this because he owned Island Records. No other record company on Earth would have done this, as if any executive had, they would have been fired immediately,” he added.

Blackwell was born in London to a British father and Costa Rican/Jamaican mother. He grew up between St Mary and Kingston where his Jewish ancestors had moved to from Spain in the 18th century.

He relocated Island Records to London in 1962 and quickly found a market there among the growing West Indian community. The company had a massive break two years later when it distributed Millie Small’s million-selling ska song, My Boy Lollipop.

Further success with The Spencer Davis Group made Island a competitive independent label and by the time Blackwell met The Wailers he was an influential player in the music industry.

Natty Dread, Marley’s first solo album for Island in 1974, was another critics favourite, but tanked in terms of sales. The financial people at the label became anxious.

“They told Chris that The Wailers were draining Island financially and he may lose the company. They said the Wailers were singing revolution and radio would never play their music,” Jobson disclosed. “But Chris believed in them so much that he told the company to keep spending, and basically bet the entire Island Records on The Wailers. So, when the fourth album Rastaman Vibration came out, Bob Marley and The Wailers were ready to take over the world.”

Island’s considerable muscle helped to get Marley featured in major pop music publications like Rolling Stone magazine. He was on the cover of Time magazine; the New York Times and Village Voice did feature stories on him.

When Island released his Uprising album in June 1980 Bob Marley was ready to conquer the hitherto reluctant American market.

A promising United States tour was cancelled in late September after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Marley died in Miami on May 11, 1981 at age 36.

Two years later, Island Records issued Confrontation, an album of previously unreleased songs. In 1984, Blackwell’s company released Legend, a compilation of Marley’s biggest songs that is among the best selling albums in music history.

Island Records continued to thrive after Marley’s death. It was behind the remarkable success of rock artistes like U2, Melissa Etheridge, and P J Harvey as well as reggae acts Black Uhuru, Steel Pulse, and Aswad.