Marley Page #4

- I used to go up to his house

and we'd go in the basement.

He'd play his guitar, and I would play

my congas. I played congas.

And we would just jam.

And I didn't really realize

he was such a great musician.

But he never gave up music,

'cause his mummy,

she would write me to say,

"All Nesta does

is stay in the basement...

and play his guitar."

Well, I couldn't stand it.

I wasn't doing what I wanted to do.

So I went back to Jamaica,

where I must get more freedom.

Bend down low

Let me tell you what I know yeah

Bend down low

When Robbie came back

from the U.S.,

we decided to start our own independent

label, "Wail'n Soul'm."

So we went in and did

"Bend Down Low."

"Bend Down Low" was a number one.

We started to build our own economy.

We used to ride with our bicycles

and distribute the records to jukeboxes,

sound systems, record stores,

with our bicycles.

- The Wailers' music

dominated the dance halls.

But it was hardly played

on our Jamaican radio stations.

In the music business,

they were just prejudiced.

The first problem is being a Rasta.

And the next problem is that

you're not with the big companies.

So that's a...

that's a heavy load to carry.

These disc jockeys,

when they went on air,

they had their own program sometime.

They had their own

sorts of records from these...

these different companies

that they would have to play.

Sometimes we were not included.

So to be included in that,

we had to get real tough sometimes.

- I used to drive Bob with "Skill" Cole...

- Yeah.

- And Frowser and Tek-Life.

Do you remember them,

these two little gangsters?

- Yeah. Right.

Yeah.

- I used to drive to the radio

station, right? - Right.

- And they'd leave me in the car.

Right?

And they'd go in.

Skill Cole had a baseball bat.

You know they don't play baseball

in Jamaica.

I don't know where

he got a baseball bat.

And Skill Cole was big... A big guy.

- Yeah.

- Right?

They'd go in the radio station.

They'd have me listen

to the radio...

to make sure that they're really

playing the record.

- Right.

And then Coxsone, Studio 1,

Dualcreed, Trojan

and Prince Buster...

decide to form an organization

called "The Big Tree."

Then the Wailers pulled the ax.

If you are a big tree

We are the small ax

Sharpened to cut you down

Well sharp

To cut you down

Lee Perry used to work

with Coxsone.

So when he started doing

his independent business,

we admired him, because he follow

our footstep out of Coxsone.

My experience of "Scratch" is that,

number one,

he's a very innovative producer.

Very creative.

I mean, to the point

that it became an excitement...

to see him come into the studio

with a half flask of white rum...

and sprinkle the four corners

of the studio with it.

Flash.

And then he would go into his little...

You know, he would, like, dance.

He didn't write music scores.

He would say, you know,

"Snap, I want you to play this,"

you know?

And he would just hop

through the music, you know?

And they...

they would follow him.

I would believe that his early

recordings with the Wailers

were the best to my knowledge.

Perry had a lot of influence

on Bob's, uh, career.

These are the words of my master

Why do people like his music

so much though?

- It is mentioned often in the Bible...

that there shall be a music

that all people of all global concerns...

shall play and dance

and sing this music.

It's in the Revelation.

What other music could that be?

Reggae.

- What really changed it to reggae...

was the riff actually with the guitar.

It just basically a rhythm change...

in terms of what the guitar...

the guitar used to play

like cha, cha, cha.

And then it start playing

chaka, chaka, chaka, chaka.

Yes my friend

We're in the streets again

Sometimes some of these things happen

out of just maybe an accident.

Somebody was doing something

and the producer went, "Hey, I like that."

Can set me free again

Coxsone had bought a piece

of equipment from the United States.

And it was in the studio for a long time

and no one knew what to do with it.

They decided to hook it up.

And when it was hooked up,

they realized it was a tape delay.

So when you make one strum,

it comes back at you

at the same time. "Chicka."

And the other studios heard "Chicka"...

and thought it was a guitar

making more sounds.

So reggae, to my mind, actually

developed out of an illusion.

So if you a bullbucka

Let me tell you this

I'm a duppy conqueror

Conqueror

The beats are

bam, bam, bam, bam.

With reggae you got three beats

out of four beats,

and you imagine the next beat.

Feel the next beat.

That's reggae.

Feel. Heartbeat. Feel.

Yeah.

Heartbeats.

Real deal.

- The basic parts of the music

were the drum and the bass.

Because, you know, drums are

the first instruments in music.

So the drum is the heartbeat,

and the bass, it is the backbone.

Well, I think

the drum and bass...

play a very important part

in Bob's music.

It was, you know, "Family Man"

and Carlton... two brothers.

They have their own style.

Stir it up

Little darlin'

Stir it up

Come on baby

Reggae is a concept

of all different type of music.

You got funk.

You got rhythm and blues.

You got soul.

And then very jazzy when it's ready.

It's been a long long time

Since I've got you on my mind

Whoa whoa whoo yeah

And now you are here

I say it's so clear

To see what we could do baby

Just me and you

Come on and stir it up

Little darlin'

Stir it up

Come on baby

Come on and stir it up

Little darlin'

Stir it up

- I was working with a company

called National Dry Cleaners.

And I was in charge of a branch.

And Rita came in one day

with some clothes to,

you know, to be dry-cleaned.

She gave out the clothes

and she said, "Rita Marley."

So I was quite surprised,

because, I mean, the only Marley I know

was the white Marleys.

I call them the white Marleys.

And, uh, so I said, "Who is Marley?"

She said, "Well, that's my husband."

And I said, "Who is his father?"

She said she don't know much about him,

but she know they call him Captain Marley.

And then I said, "That's my father."

My mother used to work

in a boardinghouse,

and my dad would stay there

when he comes from...

from sea or wherever he goes,

and that's how she met him.

And did they have a long

relationship or was it very brief?

- I think it was very brief.

My mother didn't really know

what happened to him.

In Jamaica,

used to have a big company.

Established company

named Marley and Plant.

They did construction,

Marley and Plant.

Most of the construction jobs

in and around the country.

That was the company who did it.

And he always said

those were his family.

- Yeah, I remember one time, I think,

him go to them to try borrow

some money to buy a car,

you know, so they can

deliver the records.

And the story goes,

when he walked in the office,

like the whole staff turned around

'cause he looked so much like them.

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