Just as the 25th anniversary of Bob Marley's death has been marked, a new biography of the king of reggae has been available in the United States since May. We knew the books by Roger Steffens and Stephen Davis; now we will have to reckon with "Before The Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley", written by Christopher John Farley, a Wall Street Journal columnist born in Jamaica. The author concentrates mainly on Marley's early years, the stated aim of this new biography being to "show a new side of Bob Marley that readers don't know".
It features interviews with the earliest companions of the future international star, who made the word reggae fashionable and put Jamaica on the map, including Bunny Wailer, Rita Marley, Aston 'Family Man' Barrett, bassist of the Wailers, and Chris Blackwell, founder of the Island label.
"Before The Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley" is published by Amistad/Harper Collins.
