BLACK HISTORY MONTH THROWBACK SPOTLIGHT: Bob Marley, Gone Too Soon.
Did we ever hear what Bob Marley could have accomplished?
In today’s Throwback Spotlight for Black History Month, we ponder a question that we will never have an answer to: what COULD Bob Marley have done?
Bob’s Jamaican stylings first came into the forefront in the late ’60s, and into the 1970s, Bob’s music became a universal symbol of peace, chilling, and marijuana legalization. Bob was diagnosed with a cancerous melanoma in 1977, but kept performing through 1980, when he grew too sick to appear publicly. He died May 11, 1981, where he left his son Ziggy with the words, “money can’t buy you life.”
And no matter your walk of life, Bob’s messages of love seemed to permeate your playlist. It’s funny how, as a suburban kid growing up in the ’90s, songs like “One Love,” “Buffalo Soldier,” and “Jammin'” became staples on a mixtape in our group of friends. What would Bob have done and recorded had he lived past age 36? How would he have reacted to medical marijuana – and now decriminalization of marijuana in many states? Positively, one can assume – and he’d likely be an advocate for mental health, a cry that is being heard louder and louder today.
It’s sad that a voice of positivity like Bob’s is gone so soon. While we cannot bring him back, we can certainly honor him today on Throwback Nation Radio, and honor his spirit everyday by sharing kindness, love, and experiencing the world as he encouraged Ziggy to. If money can’t buy us life, let’s take today and LIVE, like Bob would want us to.
Here’s to you, Bob!
