Marley Legacy Grows

In Trench Town, it’s as if Bob Marley never died. People in the poor neighborhood in Kingston, Jamaica, still mingle in the “yard” - a park on First Street where the reggae singer began with his band, the Wailers. They are turning dilapidated buildings into a museum to mark what would have been the singer’s 55th birthday today. Marley, a national hero whose music embodies people’s hopes and dreams, died of cancer in 1981 at 36. The BBC declared Marley’s song “One Love” the anthem of the century and Time magazine named 1977’s “Exodus” the album of the century. Colin Leslie, director of Marley companies in the 1970s, was once asked if it was true Marley financially supported 4,000 people in Trench Town. Leslie’s answer: “It was much more than that!”