Bob Marley, reggae superstar and pop culture icon, left an indelible mark on modern music. Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley delves deep into the life of the lionized leader of a musical, spiritual, and political explosion that still reverberates more than a decade after his death. Almost nothing pertaining to the life of Bob Marley is left out; the origins of Rastafarianism (the Ethiopian religion that was the keystone of his life), the roots of the reggae sound, the Jamaican political and social debacle that informed his lyrics--this is a comprehensive account of the life of the artist and the times that produced him.
Catch a Fire is assiduously researched; the details writer Timothy White presents of the King of Reggae's life are cinematic in scope and, at times, cumbersome. White includes much of his primary source material, ranging from full interviews with band members to unearthed CIA documents, and devotes a whole section to describing his exhaustive research process. The final product is rich with elements of spiritual tome, rock biography, and history text; it is a hagiographic epic--the story of a man and his legend. --Brendan J. LaSalle
James Michener
"A gripping biography. I enjoyed it immensely."
Review
"Probably the finest biography ever written about a popular musician. "-Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle
Book Description
The definitive biography of Bob Marley, newly revised and expanded, with a comprehensive discography and bibliography. Over the past fifteen years Catch a Fire has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and has indisputedly established itself as the best book ever written about Bob Marley.
For this new revision, Timothy White presents new material on the powerful ongoing influence of reggae in Jamaican society. He reveals previously restricted documents about the C.I.A.'s monitoring of Marley's activities and recounts the ongoing legal battles around Marley's estate and legacy. There's up-to-date information about the music being made by the next generation of Marleys and a new comprehensive discography and bibliography.
About the Author
Timothy White, editor-in-chief of Billboard magazine, has written extensively on Marley and reggae for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and other publications. His close contact with Marley, his family, and inner circle of friends led to his being granted access to private papers, photographs, and memorabilia. He is also the author of Rock Lives: Profiles and Interviews, a winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award.
Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley ANNOTATION
This book chronicles the life and career of Bob Marley and the milieu that shaped his spiritual and political beliefs. Now includes information on Jamaica's troubled music business.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Bob Marley was the undisputed sovereign of reggae music and the revolutionary
soul-prophet whose music had - and continues to have - a massive impact on
people of all races throughout the world. Catch a Fire chronicles his life and
career as well as the milieu that shaped Marley's spiritual and political
beliefs. This fully revised and expanded new edition, which is updated
constantly, features fascinating inside information on the intrigues of the
reggae music business, the dramatic rise of Bob's musical offspring, the complex
legal struggles surrounding the Marley estate, and a sweeping social history of
modern Jamaica and the origins of the Rastafarian religion
Art & Photography
Book Info
