KingstonSt AnnLondon
1945 · 1981 · and the people in the mix
His sound was never one man. Push up a channel and walk into their places.
Track sheet, side one
01 St Ann
Robert Nesta Marley was born on 6 February 1945 and spent his early life in Nine Mile, in the hills of St Ann.
His childhood home and his resting place are both here, in the hills above Ocho Rios.
A day trip from Kingston, in the hills above Ocho Rios. Tour firms run the drive; the visit takes in the house and the mausoleum.
From Ocho Rios, Montego Bay or Kingston
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02 Trench Town
Bob Marley, his mother Cedella Booker and Bunny Wailer all lived here; it is a protected heritage site.
You can see the room where he slept, and it was here that he wrote “No Woman No Cry”.
Vincent “Tata” Ford had no free room, so he let Marley sleep in a corner of the yard’s communal kitchen. Guides show one of the guitars he learned on and the rusting Volkswagen minibus the Wailers toured Jamaica in.
A small museum and community centre. Kingston Creative’s Sounds of the City walking tour stops here.
Kingston
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03 Brentford Road
Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd opened Studio One at 13 Brentford Road in 1963; the road was renamed Studio One Boulevard in 2004.
The Wailers’ first single for Studio One, “Simmer Down”, reportedly sold over 80,000 copies.
The Wailers and Marcia Griffiths are among those who recorded at 13 Brentford Road; a Wall of Honour in the courtyard, unveiled in 2007, names many of them.
Not open as an attraction: see the studio wall from Studio One Boulevard, near Cross Roads.
The mix
Six channels: the people who made the sound with him. Each fader brings their places into the mix; the louder the channel, the higher the place sits.
LEAD VOX
HARMONY
I-THREES
DRUM & BASS
CONTROL ROOM
ROOM MIC
Dub is the reggae offshoot where the drum and bass foundation is moved to the front. In 1970 Lee Perry paired the Wailers with Carlton and Aston Barrett, on drums and bass.
15 places in the mix. Loudest: Nine Mile.
LEAD VOX
Robert Nesta Marley was born on 6 February 1945 and spent his early life in Nine Mile, in the hills of St Ann.
LEAD VOX + I-THREES
Marley bought the house in 1975 and lived there until his death in 1981; Rita Marley opened the museum in 1987.
LEAD VOX
His first London address, in 1972, when he came looking for a record deal.
A private home: named, not on the map.
LEAD VOX
He and the band lived here from February or March 1977 to about June, and finished Exodus while they did.
A private home: named, not on the map.
DRUM & BASS + ROOM MIC
He played two nights here in July 1975; they became the album Live!
DRUM & BASS
He played here in June 1977, at the end of his London year.
DRUM & BASS + ROOM MIC
On 7 June 1980 he played a 14-song set here that ended with “Redemption Song”.
DRUM & BASS
He delivered the final set of his career here on 23 September 1980.
HARMONY
Bob Marley, his mother Cedella Booker and Bunny Wailer all lived here; it is a protected heritage site.
HARMONY + I-THREES + CONTROL ROOM
Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd opened Studio One at 13 Brentford Road in 1963; the road was renamed Studio One Boulevard in 2004.
HARMONY + CONTROL ROOM
Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer finished Catch a Fire and Burnin’ here; Exodus was recorded here from January to April 1977.
CONTROL ROOM
Chris Blackwell, who founded Island Records, bought Strawberry Hill in 1972.
CONTROL ROOM
The rehearsal room keeps one of Bob’s own grand pianos; the tour passes “Ride Natty Ride”, the tour truck he bought.
ROOM MIC
On 22 April 1978 he headlined the One Love Peace Concert here and called Michael Manley and Edward Seaga on stage to shake hands.
ROOM MIC
In 1977 he rose late and played football with the band here for what was left of the morning.
220 Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston · Mon–Sat, every half hour · from $20
The rehearsal room with one of Bob’s grand pianos, the engineer’s room and the studio, and the presses that still make vinyl.
Book a tour56 Hope Road
3December 1976
On 3 December 1976, as the band rehearsed, gunmen sprayed the house with bullets; Rita was grazed in the head and his manager Don Taylor was shot five times.
Two days later he played a 90-minute set at the Smile Jamaica concert.
The tour still shows the bullet holes from the 1976 attempt on his life. His bedroom and personal recording studio are kept as they were.
Guided tours Monday to Saturday, every hour from 10am to 4pm; closed on Sundays. Book online.
5December 1976
Up the mountain
Bob Marley convalesced here after he was shot in 1976. Chris Blackwell, who founded Island Records, bought Strawberry Hill in 1972.
A wall of gold and platinum discs for Marley albums, from Catch a Fire to Legend, hangs here.
56 Hope Road, Kingston · Mon–Sat, hourly 10am–4pm
A guided walk through 56 Hope Road: his bedroom, his studio, the gold records and the bullet holes from 1976, with a short film. A combo ticket adds Tuff Gong the same day.
Book a tourIrish Town, Blue Mountains
Chris Blackwell’s mountain retreat, where Marley recovered after the 1976 shooting. Now cottages 3,100 feet up, a wood-panelled bar and an infinity pool looking down on Kingston.
Check roomsLondon
1972–75
Looking for a deal
His first London address, in 1972, when he came looking for a record deal. He stayed at Flat 34; a plaque was unveiled in 2006.
A private block of flats: the plaque can be seen from the street, but the flats are not open.
Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer finished Catch a Fire and Burnin’ here; Exodus was recorded here from January to April 1977. Island Records bought the old chapel in 1969 and built two studios in it; it became flats after 2013. He also lived for a time in the studio’s own flat.
Now flats: read the plaque from the pavement.
He played two nights here in July 1975; they became the album Live! The Lion King has run here for years.
A working West End theatre; you can see it from the street or buy a ticket for the current show.
1977
“A second base”
He and the band lived here from February or March 1977 to about June, and finished Exodus while they did. He told a journalist here that he thought of London as “a second base”.
A private house: the English Heritage blue plaque can be read from the street.
He played here in June 1977, at the end of his London year. A toe injured playing football in France meant he managed four of six nights, and the rest of the tour was cancelled.
No longer a concert hall: see the building from Seven Sisters Road.
Football
Tap the ball.
National Stadium, Kingston
On 22 April 1978 he headlined the One Love Peace Concert here and called Michael Manley and Edward Seaga on stage to shake hands. It was his first concert at home since his exile.
Manley, Marley, Seaga.
A working stadium. The Marley statue stands outside, facing it.
Run-out
7 June 1980London
On 7 June 1980 he played a 14-song set here that ended with “Redemption Song”. It was his last appearance in Britain.
An open-air stage in Crystal Palace Park; a plaque marks the 1980 show.
23 September 1980Pittsburgh
He delivered the final set of his career here on 23 September 1980. Two days earlier he had collapsed before a football game in Central Park.
Now the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts: see it from the street or on a show night.
21 May 1981Nine Mile
He was given a state funeral on 21 May 1981 and buried with his guitar near his birthplace.
A day trip from Kingston, in the hills above Ocho Rios. Tour firms run the drive; the visit takes in the house and the mausoleum.
Born in Nine Mile. Buried there with his guitar.
12 places you can visit. His flats at Ridgmount Gardens and 42 Oakley Street are private homes and are not on the map.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A day trip from Kingston, in the hills above Ocho Rios. Tour firms run the drive; the visit takes in the house and the mausoleum.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A small museum and community centre. Kingston Creative’s Sounds of the City walking tour stops here.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Not open as an attraction: see the studio wall from Studio One Boulevard, near Cross Roads.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Guided tours Monday to Saturday, every hour from 10am to 4pm; closed on Sundays. Book online.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A hotel, about 50 minutes’ drive up the Blue Mountains from Kingston’s airport; the restaurant serves Sunday brunch.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working stadium. The Marley statue stands outside, facing it.
Nine Mile, St Ann
Robert Nesta Marley was born on 6 February 1945 and spent his early life in Nine Mile, in the hills of St Ann.
A day trip from Kingston, in the hills above Ocho Rios. Tour firms run the drive; the visit takes in the house and the mausoleum.
6–8 Lower First Street, Trench Town, Kingston
Bob Marley, his mother Cedella Booker and Bunny Wailer all lived here; it is a protected heritage site.
A small museum and community centre. Kingston Creative’s Sounds of the City walking tour stops here.
13 Studio One Boulevard, Kingston
Clement “Sir Coxsone” Dodd opened Studio One at 13 Brentford Road in 1963; the road was renamed Studio One Boulevard in 2004.
Not open as an attraction: see the studio wall from Studio One Boulevard, near Cross Roads.
56 Hope Road, Kingston
Marley bought the house in 1975 and lived there until his death in 1981; Rita Marley opened the museum in 1987.
Guided tours Monday to Saturday, every hour from 10am to 4pm; closed on Sundays. Book online.
New Castle Road, Irish Town, St Andrew
Chris Blackwell, who founded Island Records, bought Strawberry Hill in 1972.
A hotel, about 50 minutes’ drive up the Blue Mountains from Kingston’s airport; the restaurant serves Sunday brunch.
Independence Park, Kingston
On 22 April 1978 he headlined the One Love Peace Concert here and called Michael Manley and Edward Seaga on stage to shake hands.
A working stadium. The Marley statue stands outside, facing it.
Stay
Chris Blackwell’s Strawberry Hill, where he recovered in 1976.
Irish Town, Blue Mountains
Chris Blackwell’s mountain retreat, where Marley recovered after the 1976 shooting. Now cottages 3,100 feet up, a wood-panelled bar and an infinity pool looking down on Kingston.
Check roomsGo there
The museum’s own tours, and marketplace trips to St Ann and round Kingston.
56 Hope Road, Kingston · Mon–Sat, hourly 10am–4pm
A guided walk through 56 Hope Road: his bedroom, his studio, the gold records and the bullet holes from 1976, with a short film. A combo ticket adds Tuff Gong the same day.
Book a tour220 Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston · Mon–Sat, every half hour · from $20
The rehearsal room with one of Bob’s grand pianos, the engineer’s room and the studio, and the presses that still make vinyl.
Book a tourFrom Ocho Rios, Montego Bay or Kingston
Live marketplace results for trips to his birthplace and mausoleum in St Ann. Compare pick-up points and what each includes.
Live marketplace results · itineraries change
Compare toursKingston
Live marketplace results for Trench Town, Hope Road and Kingston music tours. Check which stops each one makes.
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Compare toursWhat’s on
A 6 February show at the 100 Club, and a walk-through show in Las Vegas.
Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas · Wednesday–Sunday · tickets from $49
A walk-through live show about his music and life, with singers and dancers moving from scene to scene, including a Trench Town set.
See datesTake it home
Two original 1978 posters from our store, two books and three Island LPs.
An original 1978 tour poster, 25 × 37.5 inches, rolled, mint.
In stock
View posterAn original 1978 concert poster with art by Colleen Cannon, 12 × 18 inches, near mint.
In stock
View posterTimothy White
A biography first published in 1983.
Find the bookRita Marley
Rita Marley’s own account of their life together.
Find the bookThe Wailers · LP, Island, 1973
Finished at Basing Street.
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Find a copyBob Marley & The Wailers · LP, Island, 1975
Two nights at the Lyceum, July 1975.
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Find a copyBob Marley & The Wailers · LP, Island, 1977
Made in London after the shooting.
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Find a copyDates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
15 of 15 places · 17 of 17 Moments
Nine Mile, St Ann
Robert Nesta Marley is born in Nine Mile, St Ann.
A state funeral, and burial with his guitar near his birthplace.
6–8 Lower First Street, Trench Town, Kingston
He sleeps in a yard kitchen on First Street and writes “No Woman No Cry” in these yards.
13 Studio One Boulevard, Kingston
The Wailers cut their first Studio One single.
56 Hope Road, Kingston
He buys 56 Hope Road.
Gunmen shoot at the house during rehearsals; two days later he plays Smile Jamaica.
220 Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston
His piano and his tour truck stay at the working studio.
New Castle Road, Irish Town, St Andrew
He recovers at Chris Blackwell’s house in the Blue Mountains.
Independence Park, Kingston
He raises the hands of two rival leaders on stage.
Bloomsbury, London WC1
He arrives in London looking for a record deal.
8–10 Basing Street, Notting Hill, London W11
The Wailers finish Catch a Fire and Burnin’ at Island’s studio.
Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London
Two nights at the Lyceum become the album Live!
Chelsea, London SW3
The band lives in Chelsea and finishes Exodus.
Battersea, London SW11
Football with the band in Battersea Park before the studio.
Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, London N4
An injured toe cuts the Rainbow run short.
Crystal Palace Park, London SE19
A set at the Bowl ends with “Redemption Song”.
Downtown Pittsburgh
His last concert, in Pittsburgh.
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