Bob Marley Musical Biopic “One Love” Set For March Release

A film, based on the Bob Marley’s 1970’s life is set for release early next year.

The film “One Love: The Bob Marley Musical” will premiere at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in United Kingdom on March 10, 2017. The movie will features some of the reggae legend’s classic singles such as “No Woman No Cry”, “Jammin'”, “Exodus” and more on the soundtrack.

Kwame Kwei-Armah british actor, playwright, singer and broadcaster expressed his gratitude of being involved in the film. “Few artistes have had as big an effect on the world as Bob Marley,” he said. “Even fewer as big an effect on me. I feel continually blessed and to dance with Bob in this way.”

Cedella Marley, who is Bob Marley’s eldest daughter, also expressed her excitement about telling her father’s story and also being cast in the film. “On behalf of the Marley family I am thrilled that our father’s story is going to be brought to the stage with this production,” she said. “With its great mix of cultures, it’s a city where my father performed to audiences that were captivated by his presence, and we have no doubt that telling the story through music to a new generation in Birmingham will be part of his continuing legacy.”

Bob Marley, whose real name is Robert Nesta Marley, was born in St. Anns on February 6, 1945 where he grew up in the rural community of Nine Miles. He migrated to Kingston where he spent some time in Trench Town, one of Kingston’s poorest and most volatile inner city community. Marley found that he could free himself mentally, emotionally and physically from catastrophe through his music.

In 1962, Bob released his first single “Judge Not”. The next year he teamed up with Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh to form the now infamous reggae group The Wailing Wailers. But the group’s big break in music wouldn’t come until a decade after its founding when they scored a record deal with Chris Blackwell’s Island Records. They released their debut album “Catch a Fire” in 1973 and released a second album “Burnin” that same year which gave rise to the classic single “I Shoot the Sheriff” which went on to become No. 1 in the United States.

Peter Tosh, real name Winston Hubert McIntosh, and Bunny Wailer, real name Neville Livingston left the group to pursue their own solo career before their 1975 “Natty Dread” album came out. “Natty Dread” reflected the political tension in Jamaica between the People’s National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party at the time and became a huge hit.

After a failed attempt to assassin Bob Marley at his St. Andrew home, a second attempt was made only a day after while he was performing a concert held at National Heroes Park in Kingston on December 3, 1976. Marley, his wife Rita and Manger Don Taylor were shot at moments after the show ended. They fled to Bahamas and then to London where they spent close to 2 years.

Bob returned to Jamaica in 1978 where he performed the now iconic “One Love Peace Concert”.