Talk:Bob Marley

Amputation hindering his performing career

Under "Illness and death", I feel uncomfortable with the following part: "Marley rejected his doctors' advice to have his toe amputated (which would have hindered his performing career), citing his religious beliefs, [...]"

I can't find anything that supports the claim that a toe amputation would've hindered his performing career, nor can I understand why it would. I did find rumours that he didn't want an amputation because it'd hinder him in playing soccer, but he's not a professional soccer player. Should we remove what is in brackets? Sketch~nlwiki (talk) 05:48, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

It does seem an odd thing to say. I'd remove it. AndyTheGrump (talk) 11:18, 14 October 2023 (UTC)

Marley's worry about amputation affecting his performing career is relevant, since it could have impacted his dancing ability, and dancing was a big part of his stage presence. His "prancing style" was even noted in the Jamaican Prime Minister's eulogy, as cited in the article. Footage of many of Marley's concerts supports the claim that energetic dancing was a common part of his performances.

The 2012 documentary Marley explains that he refused to have his toe amputated because he didn't want to lose the ability to dance and play soccer (his favorite sport). I have not seen this documentary, so I can't confirm it directly, but it's noted here. SteveChervitzTrutane (talk) 06:53, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

Rita's extramarital affair

Why is the child Rita bore without Bob labeled as "the result of an extramarital affair" while the numerous childen Marley fathered outside the marriage are not similarly labeled? This is unnecessarily sexist. Just list the child's name and father the same way Marley's children are listed. 2600:1700:3EC2:7810:1E0:3465:DC1E:ECD0 (talk) 05:01, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

That's not "sexist" but simply facts. Bob fathered children by fuckin' around groupies once, while Rita hat an affair for several years. It's that simple.

2001:16B8:C70F:DA00:4189:B057:6460:336B (talk) 10:44, 16 February 2024 (UTC)

You are wrong. You seem to misunderstand the point being made! It is exactly the same, so should be labelled the same. It is 'that simple'. 114.23.201.89 (talk) 01:30, 9 April 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 3 January 2024

The Gibson Les Paul guitar Bob Marley was buried with was a natural wood (brown) finish instead of red. 213.37.205.116 (talk) 09:03, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. M.Bitton (talk) 14:32, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

One Love movie release location

The movie One Love wasn’t only released in the U.S. on February 14, 2024. I saw it in Canada on the same date. Someone please add: “and Canada”. 142.161.151.243 (talk) 06:26, 17 February 2024 (UTC)

Supposed Jewish roots

@Glman I'm removing the bit about his supposed "Syrian-Jewish" roots. There is no RS for this. Perhaps it was a belief in some parts of the family about this, as perpetuated in pieces like https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/bob-marleys-jewish-father , but this is really more urban legend than anything encyclopedic. The underlying claim of Jewish heritage needs to be WP:V, rather than sources talking about doubt cast upon the claim. Samp4ngeles (talk) 08:38, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

But the text removed doesn't say he had Syrian-Jewish roots, it says the family claimed it, and that it was unlikely. The RS needed is only for the family claiming it, which appears to have been provided. I don't see anything unencyclopedic about that. DeCausa (talk) 10:48, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Are there RS that document the claim? Sources like tabletmag aren't. More importantly, is this given undue weight? Was this a truly notable aspect of his biography, or is this based on a belief one of his relatives held? WP:RSUW is important here. If this were well documented and important, then including it would be encyclopedic, but the information that exists is fringe both in terms of sources and factual basis. Samp4ngeles (talk) 14:11, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

That section cites 3 sources that appear reliable. We can do a check on the books, but I fail to see a reason to remove it. glman (talk) 15:05, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Agreed. tabletmag whatever that is isn't even one of the three sources given. The sources that are given look fine as RS. I really don't see the problem with having 14 reasonably sourced words on this - undue weight is a serious stretch. It's a very short mention among a number of other stories about the family. In context, it's absolutely appropriate. I've restored it. DeCausa (talk) 15:46, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

The source of the Syrian Jew claim seems to be this 2003 interview with Heather Marley, a second cousin of Bob Marley, in Bob Marley Magazine, which is not WP:RS: https://web.archive.org/web/20100814130612/http://www.bobmarleymagazine.com/2003/06/interview-with-heather-marley/ . The exact text is, "The Marley name comes from Syrian/British Roots. This news is confirmed by Heather´s father, Mr Michael George Marley: 'Per what I was told by my mother, grandmother and uncle, the Marleys were Syrian Jews that migrated from the Middles East [sic] to England and then to Jamaica. About ten years ago I did research on the surname which also showed that to be true.'" Marley (surname) contradicts whatever research Michael George Marley supposedly did.

The sources cited in the article are either not WP:RS or WP:V.

• The Indonesian source ( https://digilib.uns.ac.id/dokumen/download/24382/NTE3NDc=/Setyo-Cahyaningtyas-C1307530-Racism-perspective-as-reflected-in-Bob-Marleys-and-The-Wailers-songs-abstrak.pdf ) was a thesis for a "partial fulfillment of a sarjana [bachelors] degree" at Sebelas Maret University in Indonesia, which said, "Michael George Marley, cousin of Bob Marley, has speculated that Bob Marley's [sic] was a [sic] Syrian-Jewish descent; however, this is not conclusive."
• The Jamaica Observer source was supposedly a 2006 article entitled "Ziggy Marley to adopt Judaism?" It is no longer available.
• The 2006 Vibe article stated, "The offspring of Norval Marley, a 50-year-old officer in the British military (descended from Syrian Jews), and Cedella Malcolm, an 18-year-old country girl from the Jamaican parish of St. Ann (descended from African slaves), Robert Nesta Marley was a sufferer by birthright." It (incorrectly) states the Syria Jewish ancestry as fact, and incorrectly states that Norval Marley was an officer in the British military, which also calls into question its reliability.

Cumulatively, this goes back to the WP:RSUW issue. Marley himself never mentioned a Syrian Jewish connection. A couple of questionable and/or non-WP:RS sources have fed off of the original information written in Bob Marley Magazine. **None** of Bob Marley's biographies even mention this nonsensical theory about his ancestry. Bob Marley's descendants have never discussed it. This WP article should not perpetuate this idea. Samp4ngeles (talk) 18:35, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

And adding onto this, the original 2003 interview did not mention the Marley surname being Jewish. Was that perhaps confused in the 2006 article when Ziggy Marley adopted Judaism? It's not WP:V, so we will probably never know. Samp4ngeles (talk) 18:45, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Worth listening to this talk by Marley's biographer, which provides rather definitive information on this and a number other aspects of Marley's biography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6BABBE4SnA Samp4ngeles (talk) 22:27, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Unreliable claim about his father claiming to be in the Royal Navy

The article said something about his father claiming to be in the Royal Marines, but the source said "colonial Caribbean army," so I changed the article to reflect what is in the source. Maybe there is a more reliable source out there, if in fact Norval Marley claimed to be a captain in the Royal Marines. Samp4ngeles (talk) 19:03, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Incorrect birthplace for his father

The article currently lists his father's birthplace as Crowborough, England, based on this BBC article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27426329 . Other sources contradict this, pointing to his birth in Clarendon, Jamaica. Roger Steffens has done biographical research that supports the latter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6BABBE4SnA Samp4ngeles (talk) 22:00, 19 February 2024 (UTC)

Bob Marley was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in 1980 before he died in 1981 2601:642:4C01:7DAD:6809:FDF3:DF69:ECF9 (talk) 00:39, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

A stem is needed describing the latest film depicting the life of Bob Marley

The Movie One Love was released in USA and likely international theaters in February 2024.

Details: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8521778/ Peter H. Rosen, founder V.A.R.I.O.U.S. (talk) 00:43, 26 February 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 21 March 2024

Donisha Prendergast (granddaughter) AlexanderG561 (talk) 21:07, 21 March 2024 (UTC)

 Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Funnyfarmofdoom (talk to me) 01:04, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 22 March 2024

Marley also has several notable grandchildren, including musicians Skip Marley and YG Marley, American football player Nico Marley model Selah Marley, and filmmaker and activist Donisha Prendergast. AlexanderG561 (talk) 02:33, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

 Already done all of the mentioned grandchildren (except Prendergast, who does not have a wiki page) already appear in the infobox. Please clarify using WP:EDITXY format if you think another change is needed. Irltoad (talk) 13:56, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 6 April 2024

Change “Norman had written the extended lyrics for Kai Winding's "Time is on My Side" (covered by the Rolling Stones)”

To:

“Norman had written the extended lyrics for Kai Winding's "Time is on My Side" (originally recorded by Irma Thomas and covered by the Rolling Stones)”

And add hyperlink to the song’s and to Irma Thomas’s Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Is_on_My_Side

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irma_Thomas

Irma Thomas was the first person to record the song with the extended lyrics and is what inspired The Rolling Stones to record their version. It is informative to give the full history and credit of the song. The Wikipedia page for the song even states how The Rolling Stones didn’t give Irma Thomas proper credit.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Is_on_My_Side 2001:569:7BB7:5700:2829:9957:3B81:183F (talk) 04:53, 6 April 2024 (UTC)

 Done Ghmyrtle (talk) 07:11, 6 April 2024 (UTC)