Bob Marley's Father:Who Was He

“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.”

Bob Marley

Bob Marley, one of the celebrated musicians who brought reggae music to the forefront, grew up alone and had to fight his way to the top. Born on February 6, 1945, as Robert Nesta Marley to the 18-year-old Cedella Booker, Bob spent his early years in a rural community of Nine Miles.

The iconic star rarely talked about his father, Norval Sinclair Marley. His father left him soon after his birth and passed away when he was ten. Little or no interaction with his father was evident, as Bob was never able to answer questions about his father.

Yet, there are people who are curious about Norval Sinclair Marley. Known for his war records during the First World War, Norval Marley has been a resident of East Sussex. Here, we will try to know about Bob Marley's father and his relationship with the star.

Norval Sinclair Marley: Who was He?

Captain Norval Sinclair Marley, a tall, imperious, and imposing man from East Sussex, is remembered as a man roaming around and overseeing Jamaican plantations and using his power to woo teenage daughters of the estate workers.

Norval Marley was known for being from a wealthy family and completed his education in England before starting his stint as a Captain for the British Colonial Services. He met Cedella Booker during his stay at Jamaican plantations. Cedella was a teenager when they got married. Norval was around 60, and both of them went forward with the marriage.

Despite being in love, their marriage was short-lived. Norval left his wife and newborn son and moved to England. Bob Marley has struggled to handle feelings of abandonment and rejection throughout his life.

Though much is not known about Norval Marley, the Hollywood narrative ‘Marley' sheds light on him and gives some knowledge about him. Norval took advantage of his position and used the same to get many women pregnant in the Jamaican estate.

Bob Marley grew up without a father and faced a lot of problems in his initial years. It is surprising how he ruled the music world during the seventies and added new features to Reggae music. Being the biggest record industry earners of all time, Bob Marley has earned a lot of accolades thanks to his exceptional talent in music.

But how his father's doings influenced his music remains to be investigated. We will explore the same here, but before that, let's dig deeper into the life of Norval Sinclair Marley.

Neurotic type

Norval Marley enlisted in Liverpool on the 12^th of April, 1916. He gave up his job as a construction engineer and was declared fit to be at one of the biggest war training camps at Park Hall.

The venue housed 20,000 men training for trench warfare. However, Norval was unable to make it to the team, as per local historian Keith Pybus. He complained of being sick on September 1916 after a strenuous training session at the camp. The medical report that followed showed that he was a 'neurotic type of man’ followed by his claims of ‘incontinence of urine.’

He was transferred to the military hospital in Oswestry and went through an operation despite having any problems. Later he was transferred as a part of a support battalion that later came to be known as the Labor Corps, restricting him from all frontline action and keeping him in the UK during the war.

Rumors

Norval Marley has been a victim of a lot of rumors. There are records that prove that Marley received a pension because of his ill health attributed to his army service. He was also rumored to be the captain of the Royal Marines. However, there's no clarity about who spread the rumors, and he was considered as one of his own.

Later his nephew was recorded as saying that after the war, Norval's namesake worked for the army in Lagos, Nigeria, and acquired the title of Captain. His rumored stint of being a Captain can be connected to the story of his namesake.

The information is mostly gathered from interviews with Ms. Esther Anderson, Bob Marley's partner, who heard them from his mother, Cedella Booker.

POW camp

Bob Marley’s fame kept his father alive in the books of history. The Park Hall camp was burned to dust, thus pushing all his achievements and stories away. It is sad that there are only a few pieces of evidence about the life and works of Norval Marley. However, there's no denying the fact that Norval was at the camp and trained alongside military troops.

Despite Norval leaving Marley after he was born, there are a lot of things that show Norval’s influence on his life and music.

Norval Marley’s Influence on Bob Marley’s Life and Music

Bob Marley is known for using unique elements in his music. Reggae music is highly influenced by Rastafari, an Afrocentric religion that originated in Jamaica during the 1930s. The religion aimed to promote pan-Africanism. The genre came to the forefront with the Rastafarian movement. Reggae infuses the elements of jazz and blues, and Bob Marley was one of the pioneers of reggae music. He fused elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, along with his distinct singing style and exceptional writing skills, to make it better than before.

His inspiration for his music can be attributed to his mixed-race heritage, thanks to his father. It is also believed that Norval's idea of racial harmony and equality influenced Bob Marley's writings. ‘Redemption Song,' one of the most famous songs of Bob Marley, addresses slavery and freedom.

Many would believe that Norval was not a good father as he left young Bob and his mother after his birth. But Norval did not run away from his responsibilities as a father and left behind wealth and inheritance that helped Cedella and Bob Marley live comfortably. Adding on to that, Norval’s works and exposure helped Bob Marley shape his view about the world and made him different from other Jamaicans.

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Bob Marley and his Father: How was Their Relationship?

Bob Marley was curious about knowing about his father and his family. He even took the initiative and traveled to England to visit Norval's family and know more about his family. Bob came to know about his father's connection with the military, and it inspired him to write the song, 'Buffalo Soldier.’

The relationship between Norval and Bob Marley cannot be defined. Bob Marley fought feelings of anger and abandonment, but he was highly inspired by his father, and it was reflected in his music. The line from the song Cornerstone, “The stone that the builder refused will always be the head cornerstone” is believed to be written for his father.

Norval Marley suffered from being an outsider in Jamaica. His mixed race did not help him gain sympathy from either the ruling white population or the black majority. However, being a son of an Englishman helped him gain access to immense wealth and proper education.

Norval’s relationship with Cedella is often debated. While some believe that Norval got attracted to her beauty, others say he fell in love with her. Despite the arguments, Norval’s influence on both Bob’s and Cedella’s lives cannot be ignored.

As mentioned earlier, Bob Marley’s mixed heritage had a great influence on his music. Reggae music was highly based on themes like slavery, colonialism, and resistance. The music spoke about social justice and political oppression, and so was Bob Marley's music.

Bob Marley wrote many songs on the themes of unity and peace, and those are believed to be influenced by his father's ideologies. It is difficult to find data on the works and life of Norval Marley, but Bob Marley's music and ideologies reflect how his father used to think.

Being one of the greatest musicians, Bob Marley has been an inspiration for many and influenced people to take up and experiment with music. Norval Marley had not been in the limelight because of his absence in Bob Marley's life. Many believe it is unfair to overlook the life, works, and achievements of Norval Marley.

It is equally important to understand how Norval influenced Bob Marley’s life and music. However, the true nature of father-son relationship is not clear. Bob Marley's life and legacy keep Norval Marley alive.

Presently, there is an interest in Norval Marley's life and legacy, and researchers are working to gather information on his life.

Endnote:

A discussion on music without the mention of Bob Marley is impossible. However, there’s little information on his upbringing, especially his father, Norval Marley. There’s no denying the fact that Norval Marley had a great influence on his life and music, but there’s a lot to know still. Bob Marley kept his father and mother alive through his music and ensured to follow the ideologies of his father. Bob Marley never saw his father but tried all ways to gain knowledge about his father's family.