Thursday, May 11, 2006

 

Bob Marley more famous than John Lennon

Today's the 25th anniversry of Bob Marley's death. The Iron Lion died of complications due to cancer in Miami, FL.

I attended one of Marley's last shows - at Madison Square Garden in September 1980, the same day Bob collapsed jogging in Central Park. Despite being weak, he performed that night and the following night at the Garden on an R&B bill with the Commdores and Kurtis Blow. His last show came in Pittsburgh on September 23.

How did Bob die? The story goes that he stepped on a rusty nail while playing soccer barefoot in Africa. When the foot became gangrenous, he refused treatment. The infection spread to his brain. Marley and his wife Rita were shot in 1976, fueling conspiriacy theories that Bob was "given cancer" (Burning Spear once told me Bob had been shot by a "cancer dart," others believe Marley was the recipient of a pair of sneakers that included a wire that, when it stabbed him, transmitted cancer cells).

Whatever you think, Bob Marley is bigger now than when he was alive. James Henke, author of Marley Legend (he's also curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and one of my former editors at Rolling Stone), claims Marley's more famous now than John Lennon.

"They had very similar philosophies," he tells Evelyn McDonell in Miami Herald. "But the worldwide impact of Bob is much stronger. If you look at pure sales figures, Bob is a more vital artist now in terms of people still buying his music. Bob has this much broader appeal.''

Yes, mon. And he smoked more ganja. To read McDonnell's compelete story: CLICK HERE

Comments:
Bob's great. His world-wide appeal is well deserved. But I personally don't believe that any single artist has had a bigger impact on our ideas of freedom, peace, drug culture or music than John Winston Lennon.

On the other hand, is such a debate really healthy? Does anyone actually think either Mr. Marley or Mr. Lennon would approve of our judging them by record sales 25 years after their deaths?

Let's remember Bob today - and keep him with us everyday - but let's also remember there's plenty of room for the genius of John Lennon as well...

Maybe what I'm saying is, let's not turn this into a pissing contest between dead artists.
 
Bob marley es una leyenda que vive aun despues de su muerte sus mensajes de amor y paz jamas quedaran olvidados.Toda su musica es como una gran obra de arte.The legend never dies.
 
I think these are the two most popular, but Bob Marley is and was more popular globally. However, John Lennon was first and had a stronger impact on the U.S./Western world. Marley however, has caught up on U.S. popularity now.
 
I agree that we should not start a ratings war between raggae music and rock and roll but for the record John Lennon changed our world as was an influence on Bob Marley not the other way around. John Lennon is considered the greatest songwriter in the world and the Beatles popularity has no equal they are the greatest band of all time. So there is no question as to who is more famous, the one and only John Lennon.
joeblinn@aol.com
 
THE BLACK BEATLES PROJECT IS DEDICATED TO PROVING THAT BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS ARE BOTH MORE FAMOUS AND BETTER THAN JOHN LENNON AND THE BEATLES!

VISIT WWW.MYSPACE.COM/WISEMANSPEAKS
 
Bob Marley IS John Lennon... if you know what I mean!
 
I totally agree with all above, its not how many record sales after their deaths but their wonderful msgs! Though saying that I wish that Lennons music and solo work was heard more as " music is the freedom of the soul.. not a record company or sales' sadly lennons songs were locked away more (the US gov, Bush and all have made sure to that) I guess what should be remebered especially at the start of a dark new century is that both bob and john gave us all something to remeber for years to come "Freedom, Peace, Love Never dies" - if all humanity chooses to remeber this then both have not died in vain! bob was right, music is here for a reason not to make women like objects and glorfiy hate,wars etc. The world needs someone like them again, or we can all choose to go to heaven and listen to bob and john there (now thats what'd id call music Bob n John togeather! RIP John and Bob and thankyou! PEACE
 
Both great men, simple as that.
 
One wrote and performed a lot of hit songs, ended a war single handedly, and is looked at to some in Africa as the second coming. The other wrote and performed a lot of hit songs. Enough said.
 
In no way should it matter whos more famous, they both stood for the same thing, well in most cases. They both were more than good, more than great, more than superb, and etc. Let alone keeping there ideas/words etc. into your thoughts will make you a better person & will make earth a better place.
 
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