What Bob Marley Would Have Looked Like Today At Age 76?

Bob Marley was an iconic reggae artist of the 20th century, with his life being cut drastically short and passing at only age 36 due to cancer. Sachs Media Group posted this realistic “aging” photo of what Bob Marley might have looked like around 70 years of age. This year he would have celebrated his 76th birthday.

Just last year, with the help of Island Records, his family opted to push out a year-long musical rejuvenation for what would have celebrated his 75-years, kicking off the festivities with a re-release of “Redemption Song” (The song’s 40-year revival).

In addition, there is a new official music video to highlight Marley’s contribution to empowering black civilization and includes unreleased material from his family. The collaboration featured Ziggy Marley and Stephen Marley performing their father’s tunes to pay tribute to the musical legend.

BACKGROUND AND GROWING UP MARLEY

Marley would have been an exceptional spokesperson for the black community today if he were still here. He had a lot of experience with struggle while growing up due to his biracial heritage. He endured bullying as a child in Jamaica and was frequently dubbed as “white boy,” but showed his resilience and strength by becoming a street fighter, which earned him the nickname “tuff gong” - a name later used within his record label and recording studios.

Marley also had an innate ability to read palms, apparently predicting futures for friends and neighbors accurately. But, unfortunately, this gift was short-lived as soon as he decided that his destiny was to be a singer.

He started a band in the 60s called The Teenagers, later called The Wailers, with his friends Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. Though the band had a clever use of Bunny’s name, the name “wailers” was actually used in reference to social and economic positions in Trenchtown, where the trio said that there were “ghetto sufferers, born wailing.” As we all know now, the iconic band’s name used across the world today is known only as Bob Marley and The Wailers.

Bob Marley lived in areas across the United States in the 1960s but ended up moving back to Jamaica before 1970 to continue recording with The Wailers. Later on, in the early 70s, he met an art teacher in London named Keith Baugh, who convinced him to perform for his students at Peckham Manor School as a publicity stunt. As a result, he earned more exposure since his music wasn’t being played on the radio in England.

There was an attempt to assassinate Marley in 1976 in Jamaica. Many armed men raided his house on Hope Road just two days before he was set to perform at a concert named “The Smile Jamaica” that was promoting national unity during a time of political violence. Marley was shot in both the chest and arm, and four others also were injured, but luckily, there were no fatalities, and the concert went on as planned.

It is clear that Marley’s music was inspired by everything around him. He was very observant of his surroundings and boasted the nickname “the godfather of ganja” due to his association with cannabis. For Marley, though, smoking weed was more of a spiritual endeavor (perhaps a musical muse) and was quoted as saying, “herb us good for everything.”

This appreciation for the herb and spirituality perhaps attributed to Marley’s interest in Rastafarianism, which he converted to being from Catholicism during the 1960s. He felt extremely passionate about the doctrine that Rasta promoted of peace, unity, and love and used the messages within his own music.

MARLEY’S MUSIC

Marley’s legacy lives on through his music, with both that and his image are still frequently portrayed as symbols of unity and peace. His music became a success on a global scale, inspiring many still today. There is no doubt that if Marley were still here today, he would have had collaborations with a plethora of musicians worldwide to further drive his impact as a spokesperson for uniting persons of color.

One of the recent group, Reggae Revolution is noted for its incorporation of a Bob Marley-influenced sound. The band has stated their favorite quote from the legend, and one that they hope to continue to spread across the world through music is this: “One good thing about music; when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

He was known to have released some of the most influential music albums ever made. Some well-known records include ‘Catch a Fire’ to ‘Exodus.’ His lyrics speak volumes with inspiring messages of hope and power, as heard in 3 Little Birds with the calming feeling: don’t worry about a thing/every little thing is going to be alright and his title song from the album Exodus with the powerful words: open your eyes and look within / are you satisfied with the life you’re living?

While there is no knowing what Bob Marley would look like if he were still alive to this day, there is no doubt that his music lives on. Even after death, his music still has a massive impact on us today. Therefore, it is a pity that his life was cut so short and that we do not have more legendary songs to enjoy and share that further demonstrate Marley’s incredible musical talents and inspiring words.