Bob Marley’s legacy lives on, his London house will be commemorated.
The house where Bob Marley lived for a year in 1977 in Chelsea, London while his band The Wailers finished their Exodus album is to get a blue commemorative plaque from English Heritage.
It was during his time in London that he referred to the city as his “second base” and he and his bandmates often played football at the nearby Battersea Park.
The Wailers was founded in 1963 by Bob Marley but disbanded in 1974. Marley pursued a solo career upon his relocation to England which culminated in the release of the album ‘Exodus’ in 1977, which established his worldwide reputation and elevated his status as one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, with sales of more than 75 million records. ‘Exodus’ stayed on the British album charts for 56 consecutive weeks and included the hit singles “Exodus,” “Waiting in Vain,” “Jamming,” and “One Love.”
The high honor to be accorded in memory of Marley is a testament to the impact he had on English culture. In an interview with The Guardian, historian David Olusoga, a trustee of English Heritage and blue plaques panel member, said he was particularly excited by the Marley plaque. Marley, he said, remained “one of the most loved and most listened to musicians of the 20th century. He was one of the first superstars to come from a developing country. He is one of the most famous faces in the world, one of the most recognizable faces in the world, and he blazed a trail for other artists from developing countries.”
Other blue plaques to be awarded this year include the building at Butler’s Wharf where punk filmmaker Derek Jarman lived and worked.
Born Robert Nesta Marley, Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer-songwriter who became an international musical and cultural icon. The “Redemption Song” hitmaker died on the 11th of May 1981 at the age of 36.
