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The Influence of Bob Marley's Absent, White Father
4/23/02
ÒMy
fadda was a guy yunno, from England here, yunno? Him was likeÉlike you can read it yunno, itÕs one oÕdem
slave stories: white guy get the black woman and breed her. HeÕs a English guyÉI tÕink. Cos me see him one time yunno. My mother? My Mother African.Ó (Bob Marley, 1978)
The
psychological aftermath of being an abandoned child of a biracial marriage was something that heavily
influenced reggae superstar Bob Marley for his entire career. Many of MarleyÕs most loyal fans and
the vast majority of reggae enthusiasts are unaware that he was, indeed, born
to a white father, Captain Norval Marely, and a black mother, Cedella
Booker. Bob Marley grew up angry
with his father who he felt had mistreated him and his mother. Marley was also
partially ashamed of his white heritage.
This childhood mentality of resentment and embarrassment sculpted
MarleyÕs youth and eventually influenced the ideals and work of his musical
genius for his entire career. The
sentiment of abandonment and the lack of a father figure forced Bob Marley to
look to other means, like the ideals of Rastafarianism, for direction, comfort,
and a sense of belonging. The
strong allegiance to black culture that resulted from the absence of his white
father also partially attributed to MarleyÕs unwaveringly sense of
Pan-Africanism. The imperfections
and almost total absence of Bob MarleyÕs Caucasian father, Captain Norval
Marley, had a profound psychological influence on the great reggae icon.
The effects of racial issues on
human nature and thought are highly debated and viewed quite sensitively by
many. Often, people even find
their feelings and observations difficult to discuss with regard to the subject
matter. With this in mind, it
needs to be stated that Bob Marley was not a bigot in any way. In reality, Marley was a Òmissionary
for a form of personal and collective identity he called ÒRastaÓ a word that both signified a
history of racial oppression, and pointed to a definition of community beyond
the language of raceÓ (Stephens 149).
It should also be stated that Marley was a member of the early movement of
Rastas who were rooted in GarveyÕs Black Nationalism, and in an ancient
tradition of ÒAfricanizedÓ Christianity known as Ethiopianism (Stephens
149). Early Rastas adopted the
ideals of Kenyan anti-colonial rebels, their call to action being: ÒDeath to the
white oppressorÓ (Stephens 149).
However, by 1960 this mantra had evolved to Òdeath to black and white
oppressors,Ó but a certain binary racialism had persisted in Rastafarian
thought (Stephens 149). This paper
seeks to argue that many of MarleyÕs actions were often influenced by the
abandonment of his father who was a white man. Marley stated his racial stance clearly in 1975 by declaring
that
ÒMy father was white and
my mother black, you know. Them call me half-caste, or whatever. Well, me donÕt dip on nobodyÕs
side. Me donÕt dip on the black
manÕs side nor the white manÕs side.
Me dip on GodÕs side, the one who create me and cause me to come from
black and white, who give me this talent.Ó
MarleyÕs
mother Cedella began her romance with Captain Norval Marley, a colonial
supervisor, when he was fifty years old and she was merely seventeen (Davis
9). Norval MarleyÕs family was
made up of white Jamaicans from the parish of Clarendon. Norval was relocated
for work purposes to St. Ann where Cedella had grown up and resided. Cedella recalls that
ÒHe told me he loved me,
and I believe that he did. He was
always honest with me in that time.
He told me he was the black sheep of his family, because the MarleyÕs
did not like black people, but Norval liked them very much.Ó
For a long period
of time, the love affair between the black teenager and aging army captain went
unnoticed. However, when Cedella
discovered that Norval unintentionally impregnated her in May of 1944, her and
Norval were both afraid and proud, and Norval decided that the two should marry
(Davis 10). After convincing
CedellaÕs father that the marriage was a good idea, the wedding of Captain
Norval Marley and Cedella was set for June 9th, 1944 (Davis
11). However, a week or so before
the wedding date, Norval informed Cedella that his chronic hernia had begun to
aggravate him and as a result he would be changing jobs and moving to Kingston
(Davis 11).
A
few months later, on a Tuesday evening, Cedella went into labor and at 2:30
Wednesday morning, February 6th, 1945, she gave birth to a baby boy
without her husband present.
Cedella didnÕt name the child at his birth, but waited for the childÕs
father to return from Kingston to decide on a fitting name (Davis 12). Shortly after word had reached Norval
that his wife had delivered their son, the Captain returned to St. Ann for a
week and Norval decided that the baby boy should be called Nesta Robert Marley
(Davis 12). The absence of Norval
during his wifeÕs pregnancy and at the birth of his son, as well as the brief
visit by the Captain to name the child were the beginnings of a pattern of
fatherly behavior that would continue for years. Every month or so, when he could get away, Norval Marley
came up to St. Ann to visit Cedella (Davis 13). However, as the years passed and pressure mounted from
NorvalÕs family, most notably his mother, the relationship between the Òwhite
army captain and the black country girl cooled offÓ (Davis 14). As Marley became older, his fatherÕs
visits became increasingly less frequent until the man eventually completely
abandoned Marley and his mother by severing all contact (Davis 16).
At
the time of Nesta Robert MarleyÕs birth in 1945, there was a huge gulf between
the worlds of black and white Jamaicans (Stephens 167). However, since JamaicaÕs early colonial
days, there was a Òbrown stratum that had been a firmly established
intermediate classÓ (Stephens 167).
At the time of Jamaican independence in 1962, when Marley was seventeen
years old, Jamaica was 77 percent black, 20 percent brown, 1 percent white, and
2 percent Asian (Stephens 167).
However, it was often the case that neither the whites nor the blacks
accepted the brown, or mulatto class.
The black Jamaicans were still suspicious of ÒbrownsÓ and the whites did
not view them as equals (Stephens 168).
Bob Marley was regularly exposed to this anti-mulatto prejudice during
his youth in Kingston. Marley
often expressed this Òmemory of the hostility he encountered because of his
biracialityÓ (Stephens 167). The
anti-mulatto prejudice Marley experienced Òmarked him deeply, as his family has
affirmedÓ (Stephens 167).
In
1962, Bob Marley formed a relationship with a young girl, Esther, in his
Trenchtown yard, or government project (Davis 34). MarleyÕs mother, Cedella, recalls,
ÒÉthis little girl,
living in the same yard. They were
in love. Bob give me sign and I
saw her pass Sledger (MarleyÕs cousin) a love note for himÓ
As a result of
MarleyÕs mixed bloodline, however, a wedge was placed in the middle of the two
young lovers. The problem was the
girlÕs older brother, who hated Marley because he was half-white and forbade
his sister to carry on the relationship, explaining to Cedella that he ÒdidnÕt
want no white man screwing up our bloodlinesÓ (Stephens 169). Cedella continues,
ÒHer brother say to Bob,
ÔWe donÕt want no white man in our breed.Õ Her family kill off the romance. Them style Bob as a white man. That made a difference in our
yardÓ
The authors of Songs
of Freedom write: ÒConsidered a white boy, his complexion would often bring
out the worst in people: after all, why was this boy from ÔcountryÕ living down
in the ghetto and not uptown with all the other light skin peopleÓ (Boot and
Salewicz, 63)? It is evident that
Marley did not fit the preconceptions of black Jamaicans: he did not have the
economic advantage that many expected from browns nor the anti-black racism
(Stephens 169).
This
anti-mulatto sentiment was something that Marley experienced for his entire
youth. It certainly shaped him as
a person as others were constantly viewing him as inferior. Experiencing racism from both the black
and white sides was also difficult because early on Marley had difficulties
identifying with either racial group.
Benjamin Foot, Marley first tour manager in England in 1973, picked up
on MarleyÕs lingering racial ambiguity (Stephens 169). ÒI felt Bob wasnÕt secure in himself at
this time,Ó he recalled. ÒI think
he was perturbed that one of his parents was white, and he wanted to prove
himself very much as being a black Rasta.Ó The combination of white and black Jamaican heritage that
was passed to Marley from Cedella and Captain Norval Marley most certainly
played a role in shaping MarleyÕs youth and would continue to influence him for
his entire career.
Growing
up fatherless in the ghetto of Trench Town, Jamaica largely contributed to the
rebel, or ÒRude BoyÓ attitude that Bob Marley adopted during his
adolescence. Gregory Stephens
notes that, ÒBob Marley carried a chip on his shoulder during his teenage
years, in part, because he was angry at his father (Stephens 188). One time Marley noted to Cedella: ÒI
think my father was a bad man,Ó because he felt that the Captain had mistreated
him and his mother (Davis 21). As
a result of sense of betrayal by his father, Marley adopted a strong counter
culture attitude that encompassed many rebellious ideals. Marley was considered to be very tough
by most and often feared because it was known that he maintained close
friendships with various neighborhood gunmen and Rude Boys (Davis 48). Partaking in violence and portraying an
extremely tough outer persona, Bob Marley eventually established himself as the
Òultimate champion of the Rude BoysÓ when he and the Wailers released Rude Boy in 1965 (Davis
51).
It is not uncommon to encounter examples
of abandoned children who rebel against society, and it is apparent that Bob
Marley fits this mold. During his
adolescence, the absence of a father forced Marley to turn to the streets of
Trench Town for guidance and lessons.
This led to MarleyÕs adoption of the prevailing Rude Boy mentality and
the tough attitude that it represented.
These character traits would stay with the reggae star for his entire
career and certainly influenced his work on several different levels. The rebel attitude is clear in MarleyÕs
lyrics and his later attempts at reform in the social and religious
arenas. The influence of being an
abandoned child on Bob MarleyÕs rebel attitude is evident and these
circumstances changed the musicianÕs life forever.
As a
result of Norval MarleyÕs absence from his sonÕs life, Marley was forced to
look elsewhere for male role models to guide him. Each of these role models would influence the boy in
different ways that would help carve the incredible man Bob Marley became. One of MarleyÕs first role models was
his grandfather, Omeriah, who supervised Marley for several years while Cedella
was living in Kingston (Stephens 189).
Gregory Stephens notes that Omeriah Òpassed on much of the folk wisdom
that would later appear in MarleyÕs songsÓ (Stephens 189). Marley was also mentored by another one
of his family members, Clarence Martin, who was a popular Jamaican dance hall
guitarist during the 1940Õs (Stephens 189). It was on MartinÕs guitar that the young boy would make his
first attempt at creating music (Stephens 189). As historian Chris Salewicz writes, ÒSo began a pattern of
older wise men taking a mentor-like role in the life of the essentially
fatherless Nesta Robert MarleyÓ (Boot and Salwicz 42).
One of
the most important father figures in the life of Bob Marley was Clement ÒSir
CoxsoneÓ Dodd, the founder and head of the famous Jamaican Studio One (Davis
39). Many consider Dodd the
inventor of the Jamaican music business because he created the first examples
of Jamaican music being produced for Jamaicans (Davis 41). CoxsoneÕs primitive studio became the
Òcreative center of the Jamaican recording business as well as the laboratory
where Jamaican ska, rock steady, and reggae music were researched and
developedÓ (Davis 41). Coxsone was
responsible for releasing Bob MarleyÕs first hit, ÒSimmer Down,Ó and coaching
his music. Despite the help Dodd
gave MarleyÕs music career, he also served as a father figure on a much more
important level. Marley was
homeless early in his career and Dodd took Marley off the streets, letting him
sleep in a shed in the backyard of the studio (Stephens 189). Coxsone also instructed Marley to marry
Rita after he impregnated her.
Dodd has gone as far as saying that he remembers the relationship with
the young musician as a de facto adoption (Stephens 189).
The
lessons taught to Nesta Robert Marley by those who filled in for his absent
father clearly contributed to creating the character and psyche of the reggae
great. Because MarleyÕs father had
abandoned him at a young age, young Marley was forced to look to other men as
role models. The profound
psychological effects that each of these men had on Marley are evident in his
work and character. The folk
ideologies that were relayed through MarleyÕs grandfather are alive in his
beautiful lyrics. Moreover, the
firm guidance of Coxsone Dodd forced MarleyÕs career on the right track, and
the man provided Marley with sound advice with regard to issues in his love
life, Rita. The mental effects of
being forced to turn to other men as mentors certainly affected Marley. It must have been difficult for him to
immediately confide in these men, and therefore, much time was spent developing
trust. Additionally, it must have
been hard as a youngster for Marley to see others with father figures while he
had no one. The psychological
implications of seeking male role models outside of his family altered Bob
MarleyÕs life.
The
most famous of all of MarleyÕs substitutes for an absent father came from a
form of religion that to many Marley now personifies, Rastafarianism. Born a fundamentalist Christian, Marley
had privately converted to Rastafarianism by 1966 (Stephens 191). Marley had been exposed to the Rasta
belief of Haile Selassie I as a Òliving GodÓ in the early 1960Õs by father
figures, fellow musicians, and Rastas in Trenchtown (Stephens 191). Here was a Òblack religion that held
that Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia was the black king whom Marcus Garvey had prophesied
would deliver redemption for the black raceÓ (Davis 62). The emperor claimed to be the 225th
ruler in a line traced from Menelik, the son of Solomon and Sheba. Rastafarianism is both
socio-philosophical and religious movement (Ojo 39). In its socio-philosophical views, it identified closely with
the Pan-African vision and the teachings of Marcus Garvey (Ojo 39). It believes that the ÒAfricans in
diaspora are its exiled children and that their only true and real home where
they can ever find peace and fulfillment is Africa, no matter how they seem to
ÔthriveÕ in captivityÓ (Ojo 39).
For Marley, the Rastas had become the spiritual alternative to the out
of control anarchy practiced by the Rude Boys, and a sacred faith to adopt
(Davis 63). As Marley moved away
from his Rude Boy, confrontational attitude, he began to lean precipitously
into the wind of Rastafari (Davis 72).
At the
time Marley began to study Rastafari, Stephens notes Òhe was struggling with
private conflicts about his biological fatherÓ (Stephens 191). Listening to the music of Marley
indicates that he was now looking to be led by the ideals of Rastafarianism
because he did not have a father to guide him while his relationship with
mentors like Coxsone Dodd had dissolved.
The religion provided the musician a constant in his life that would
never betray him, while it provided guidance during difficulties, and offered
religious figures that genuinely cared.
This recipe would completely fill the void left by Captain Norval Marley
for the remainder of MarleyÕs life.
Anytime Marley had a problem or question, he would turn to his sacred
beliefs for the solution. From
1975 on, there is a sense that Marley was leading the Rastafarians: their
cultural vision was being mediated through him, internationallyÓ (Stephens
191). In the following years,
Marley claimed to be a spokesman for the Rastaman, and tried to offer the world
the guidance that the religion provided him.
While
Marley was living with his mother and working in Wilmington, Delaware he had a
dream about his father that Cedella believed had great significance. Marely dreamed that he saw a short man
wearing a military uniform and a battered fedora hat (Stephens 190). This man entered through the front door
and stood beside Marley as he napped.
He took a ring from his pocket, a gold ring with a tiny diamond set in
onyx (Stephens 190). Taking
MarleyÕs hand, the man pushed the ring on his finger and told him: ÒThis is all
I have to give youÓ (Stephens 190).
When Marley told his mother the story of his dream, she retrieved a ring
that had belonged to Norval, which looked exactly like the ring Marley had
described. Cedella then insisted
that Marley keep his fatherÕs ring as ÒHe never give yuh anytÕing when him
aliveÓ and also told her son that the dream was some sort of blessing (Stephens
190). Marely wore his new jewelry
for a few days, but eventually took it off saying it made him feel very
uncomfortable. Marley would
eventually give a very different interpretation to this dream, in regards to
another ring that would become Òhis personal talismanÓ (Stephens 190).
In
1977, while Marley was living in London, he befriended the Ethiopian royal
family that was living in exile.
After meeting with Haile SelassieÕs son, Crown Prince Afsa Wossen, the
heir to EthiopiaÕs banished monarchy, produced a ring that he said had belonged
to the emperor, a gold Lion of Judah set in onyx. The Prince placed the ring on Bob MarleyÕs finger, and
proclaimed that Òyou are the one who should wear itÓ (Stephens 190). Marley would wear SelassieÕs ring for
the rest of his life, and he would later tell Cedella that this ring was the
one that he had seen in the dream eleven years earlier while staying with her
in Delaware (Stephens 191).
It is
obvious that the acceptance of SelassieÕs ring for Marley was set up by his
absent white fatherÕs rejection.
The symbolic faith that Marley placed in Selassie by wearing his ring
over that of his father shows Marley cared more for an Ethiopian ruler he never
met than his father. Selassie, and
the Rastafarian ideals that he represented, were now MarleyÕs role model. He had no father to turn to so he
sought answers from SelassieÕs speeches and actions. Additionally, Marley found comfort in wearing the ring,
especially after he developed cancer.
People tend to view material items as charms when they come from people
who have been very influential on their life. Marley clearly viewed the fatherly role that the emperor
played as more critical in shaping him than that of his father, who had
disappeared from his life. Through
Selassie, Marley constructed an ideal father, a Òperfect African Father that he
projected on to the historical person of Haile Selassie (Stephens 191). Years earlier the reggae great had
rejected his biological fathers jewelry as it made him feel uneasy, but
eventually he did come to accept his motherÕs view that his dream of the ring
had great significance as Marley felt it was a true Òblessing.Ó However, the only blessing he could
accept was the ring from his Òtrue African FatherÓ (Stephens 191).
Throughout
his career, Bob MarleyÕs grand idea was of a Òperfect African Father as
ÔearthÕs rightful rulerÕÓ (Stephens 182).
As Gregory Stephens explains, ÒMarley was in some sense the fulfillment
of Malcom XÕs late advice that the Ôback to AfricaÕ movement, which Garvey and
others had advocated, should be read and enacted as a cultural turn, rather
than a physical returnÓ (Stephens 182).
Marley, through his music and magazine interviews was the voice of this
cultural reorientation. For example,
consider the lyrics of Survival
with
regard to a cultural return to an African destination.
Africa
Unite, for weÕre moving right out of Babylon
And weÕre
going to our fatherÕs land
However, unlike
Malcom X, Marley never stopped portraying Africa as the literal destination of
the Promised Land (Stephens 182).
He would only concede, in 1978, after a visit to Ethiopia, that his
ÒAfrican ZionÓ might be located outside of Ethiopia (Stephens 182). It is also important to consider that
MarleyÕs Òcultural turn (or Exodus) to Africa was a cultural and religious move
rather than a geopolitical movementÓ (Stephens 182). The dream of Africa as homeland that he portrayed as Zion
was the resolution of or redemption from its opposite: Babylon (Stephens
183). Babylon is not an exact
place or a specific race, but rather a system of Òself-absorbed individuals who
worship idols and live decadent lifestyles at the expense of the poor.Ó
Marley
opted to portray his African Zion as an exact geographical location because of
his insecurities with regard to his father. The imperfections and almost total absence of MarleyÕs own
biological father led to a largely unconscious projection on to Haile Selassie
as a perfect African Father. To
Marley, Selassie filled in for his real, absent father. Also, in the context of the musicianÕs
life, Òthe cultural migration to Africa can be read a quest for psychological
wholenessÓ (Stephens 187). Marely
was an abandoned child and this abandonment, the basically complete absence of
his white father and the frequent absence of his black mother, had a major
impact of his psychology. The
security that Zion gave Marley would help fill that void.
During
most of Bob MarleyÕs musical career, he was rarely seen reading anything other
than the Bible or music magazines (Stephens 198). During the 1978 Kaya tour, however, a change began to occur. Neville Garrick, the Wailers art and
light man, remembers that in May 1978, Marley went into several bookshops in
Chicago and bought Òa large quantity of black consciousness literature,Ó
including biographies of Malcom X and Angela Davis (Stephens 198). For the rest of that tour, Neville
would see Marley engrossed in these novels at every spare moment. There are several factors that may have
contributed to MarleyÕs change in reading selection. First, he may have been responding to critics who were
declaring that Marley had sold out.
It is also possible that he had a growing sense of international
responsibility: in June 1978 the African delegations to the United Nations gave
Marley the ÒPeace MedalÓ to honor his efforts for Òequal rights and justiceÓ
for Africans (Stephens 198). As
Stephens suggests, Marley may have wanted to live up to peopleÕs expectations
that he would be a Òfreedom fighterÓ (Stephens 198).
A
final possible explanation for MarleyÕs sudden change in literature choice may
be related to his absent father.
By 1978, Marley was attempting to make his mark on the world before the
cancer destroyed him. With
international stardom, fame, and fortune, Marley had become quite secure about
who he was as a person and he spent much time explaining his views to the
world. It should be noted that
this was quite a contrast from the childhood days of anti-mulatto teasing and
the sense of insecurity that resulted.
Marley opted to focus on his African heritage much more than his
Caucasian. This was partially
related to his unwavering faith to Rastafari, but there may have been other
factors involved? Why did Marley
attempt to portray himself solely as a black man and even go as far as reading
black consciousness novels when he was 50% white? The answer may lie in his view of his absent father. By 1978, Marley was comfortable with
the fact that Norval never played a role in his life, and by only identifying
with African roots, Marley was in a sense dismissing the man forever just as
the Captain had done years earlier to Marley and his mother. Marley saw himself as the product of
Rita and Jamaica and wanted little ties to the man who had not been there while
he grew up. This desire to not
identify with his other half may have been the motivation for the change in
literature that Marley underwent.
An
issue over which reporters often questioned Marley regarded the white majority
that attended MarleyÕs concerts and purchased his music. As a man who tempted to reform Africa,
and a steadfast practitioner of a religion that looks to an African Zion, one
can understand why Marley would have liked to appeal more to a black
audience. But were these the sole reasons? When interviewed, Marley acknowledged
that in the short run, tension would persist between some blacks and whites in
his audience (Stephens 214).
ÒThere should be no more war between white and black,Ó he demanded. ÒBut until white people listen to black
with open ears, there must be, well, suspicion.Ó It is evident in MarleyÕs work that he was Òreaching out to
people of the African diaspora, especially to those Rastas referred to as
Ôcareless Ethiopians,Õ who were unaware of their African heritageÓ (Stephens
181). After a performance in Santa
Barbara on July 23, 1978, a reporter asked Marley what he made of the fact that
white people in America were following a black man.
ÒIs God who mek
everybody, and him mek a way for the black man that the white man have to
follow, because out of the black man came the white man, all meÓ
From this
statement, it is clear that Marley had Òcarried an Afrocentric paradigm through
to its logical conclusion: if Africa was the mother of all races, and if
forerunners of modern humans did first appear in Ethiopia, then all ÔracesÕ
were relatedÓ (Stephens 182). The
manner in which Marley tried to create more popularity for his music amongst
blacks was true to his roots (Stephens 182).
What we black people
cannot deal with in America is color prejudice. You mustnÕt bow to the white man. You must be superior to him. That means you cannot be prejudice, because if you are
superior, how can you be prejudice?
When read with the
viewpoint of Rastafari in mind, it is clear that Marley was refashioning the
idea of Òblack superiorityÓ
(Stephens 182).
With
the psychological implications of having a white father he resented, it can be
understood why Bob Marley wanted his music accepted by more blacks. Marley identified himself as black and
did not consider his white roots.
He even went as far as making statements that blacks should be superior
to whites. How could someone who
is 50% white make a statement like that unless they donÕt identify with their
white heritage? The Afrocentric
ideologies that Marley used to try and sell records to blacks also seems a bit
contradictory unless MarleyÕs absent father is considered. Although it would be possible to simply
dismiss these two considerations as mere a result of Rastafarianism, it seems
that MarleyÕs opinion of his father played some role. Just as Captain Norval Marley had abandoned Marley when he
was younger, Marley abandoned the white heritage that the man passed to him.
Although
Bob Marley attempted to remain far from the Jamaican political arena for most
of his career, he did opt to take a firm stance with regard to a unified
Africa. Marley spent the last
several years of his life utilizing his music as a means to convince Africans
and the rest of the world that a united Africa was necessary. This sense of Pan-Africanism was in
part an extension of Rastafarian ideology, but Marley made this objective his
personal quest. On MarleyÕs album Survival, he goes as far as
titling a song ÒAfrica Unite.Ó The
piece stresses the urgent need for the unity by warning that ÒitÕs later than
you thinkÓ (Stephens 200). Like
other areas of MarleyÕs life, it is interesting to examine MarleyÕs sense of
urgent Pan-Africanism in light of his white father whom Marley resented.
Did
Marley opt to push for African unification because he thought it was the most
intelligent political decision or was there a deeper sense that he would be
uniting his people? It would be ridiculous to claim that
Rastafarian thought did not play a role in sculpting MarleyÕs opinion of one
African state. However, MarleyÕs
self-identification with only his black heritage may have also played a
role. Along the same lines as
MarleyÕs push for blacks to leave Babylon and return to Zion, Marley may have
viewed his push for unifying Africa as attempting to help his people. Again, this example of MarleyÕs actions
for what he viewed as his people could be explained through the resentment,
embarrassment, and hostility he had towards his white father that abandoned
him.
Despite not being present during the
majority of the life and career of Bob Marley, Captain Norval MarleyÕs absence
and race did have profound psychological effects on his son. This abandonment, the almost complete
absence of his white father, had a major impact on MarleyÕs psychology, his
artistic sensibility, and eventually on his theology. As a youth Marley was forced to suffer the wrath of
anti-mulatto racism and this experience certainly shaped the man the musician
became. Without a father figure to
guide him, Marley would adopt radical behavior like that of the Rude Boys and
end up homeless. Whether one looks
at MarleyÕs need to fill the void that was left by his absent father by looking
to other male role models, or the stars eventual turn to Rastafarianism, it is
clear that Captain Norval MarleyÕs absence greatly affected Marley. Moreover, as Marley reached
international stardom, he began to disassociate with his white heritage by
reading black consciousness literature and actively practicing
Pan-Africanism. Part of this sense
of loyalty to Africa was a result of his serious religious convictions, but the
psychological role that his father played is evident especially when considered
in light of MarleyÕs decision of which ring to adorn. The almost total absence of Bob MarleyÕs Caucasian father,
Captain Norval Marley, had an incredibly profound psychological influence on
the reggae superstar that would drive Marley and shape his entire life and
career.
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