Bob Marley’s Family Announces MARLEY75 Commemorative Releases to Celebrate His 75th Birthday
Photo by Joe Sia/Wolfgang's Music News Bob Marley
Bob Marley, perhaps the most legendary reggae artist of all time, would have been 75 years old today, Feb. 6. The musician passed away in 1981, but his legacy is immortalized through his music, and will be even more so throughout the course of the year: Marley’s family, UMe and Island Records announce MARLEY75, a year-long endeavor that will include commemorative releases of Marley’s music, much of it being from the musician’s archive.
The MARLEY75 kick-off began yesterday, Feb. 5, with a new animated music video of Marley’s “Redemption Song,” featuring over 2,000 hand-drawn stills from French artists Octave Marsal & Theo De Gueltzl. The video was also released as a celebration of Black History Month.
“From the history of Slavery and Jamaica, Rastafarian culture, legacy of prophets (Haile Selassie the 1st, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X), as well as Bob’s personal life, we take the audience on a journey through allegories and representations,” said Marsal and De Gueltzl in a statement.
The MARLEY75 celebration will officially begin with The BeachLife Festival in the spring, which will be headlined by Ziggy and Stephen Marley.
Watch the “Redemption Song” music video below, plus a 1979 Marley concert from the Paste archives.