Bob (Robert Nesta) Marley’s life story is an excellent example of a real grass to grace journey to success.

Bob was born to a black teenage village girl (17 year old) named Cedella – who got impregnated by Captain Narval Marley – a middle aged British soldier well past fifty years of age at the time.

Bob (Robert Nesta) Marley’s life story is an excellent example of a real grass to grace journey to success.

Bob was born to a black teenage village girl (17 year old) named Cedella – who got impregnated by Captain Narval Marley – a middle aged British soldier well past fifty years of age at the time.

In 1944, Narval incurred the wrath of his family by taking the honorable and bold step of marrying Cedella – resulting in his getting disinherited from the entire family wealth.

Undaunted Narval took Bob from Cedella and secretly fostered him away to one Mrs. Greg at Heywood Street, after which he left,  never to be seen or heard from again.

It was years later by a rare stroke of luck that the child and his mother were reunited when the latter was led to Mrs. Greg’s foster home. There she reclaimed Bob.

But things were not really going well for Cedella, who was barely making a living in the slums of Western Kingston. This made it difficult for her to really give Bob the care and attention needed by a child of his age. He was forced to find his own way.

The harsh circumstances of his early growing up years shaped him into the man he would become.

During an interview, Bob recalled  as follows:

“I grew stubborn, you know. Grew up without  mother and father. No parents to have an influence upon me. I just grew up in the ghetto with the rebellious youths. Stubborn, obeyed no one. But we had qualities and were good to one another. I had no education, but I had inspirations.”

His mother, Cedella had migrated to Delaware in the United States, leaving Bob to become more or less a rolling stone, living on the streets without a home to call his own.

But even in the rough streets, there was good to be found and had.

One example was Rita Anderson, who was one of those that treated Bob nice. She was good to him and loved him so much – to the extent that she actually secretly moved him into her room in the No. 18 Greenwich Park home she lived with her aunt at Kingston.

The inevitable eventually happened, as the aunty discovered what she had been doing – and promptly threw them out.

But they stuck together. Their love was that strong – so that they got married on February 10, 1966.

Then they persisted together, defying all the adversity they encountered, along with Bob’s band members – The Wailers – till they arrived at the pinnacle of world music success.

Rita  Marley would lead the band’s chorus girls right until Bob passed away on May 111, 1981.

At the risk of stating the obvious, Bob Marley achieve legendary greatness despite spending less than 40 years on earth – having started out in life as a poor, disadvantaged child with no parents, or education.

What an inspirational life he lived!