Rita Marley
Encyclopedia
Alpharita Constantia Anderson (born 25 July 1946), better known as Rita Marley, and sometimes called "Nana Rita", is the widow
of reggae
legend/musician Bob Marley
, and a member of the trio the I Threes
, Bob Marley's backup singers.
to Leroy Anderson and Cynthia "Beda" Jarrett. She grew up in the upper level of Beachwood Avenue, located in Kingston, Jamaica
. Rita was raised by her Aunt Viola on Greenwich Park Road. Bob was from the lower level of Trenchtown
.
In the mid sixties, Rita met Bob after meeting Peter Tosh
. After it was learned that she was a singer, she was asked to audition for the Soulettes, later known as the I Threes
. The group included Rita, her cousin Constantine "Dream" Walker
, and Marlene "Precious" Giffordwas. Bob became the group's mentor and manager and through working together, he and Rita fell in love.
The two married 10 February 1966. However, the reason for their marriage was said to have been a way to make it easier for Rita to immigrate to the US should Bob have decided to live in the US following a visit with his mother in Delaware. Raised Christian, she became involved in the Rastafari Movement
prior to witnessing stigmata
during Haile Selassie's visit to Jamaica on 21 April 1966. She remains, however, an active member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
After Marley's death, she recorded a few albums under her name with some success in the United Kingdom.
In 1986, Rita made the decision to convert Bob Marley's home into the Bob Marley Museum. She is also the Founder and Chairperson of the Robert Marley Foundation, Bob Marley Trust, and the Bob Marley Group of Companies. She founded the Rita Marley Foundation in 2000. She has also adopted 35 children in Ethiopia and has assisted over 200 children in Konkonuru Methodist School in Ghana
and made a commitment to positively impact their lives.
's multi-platinum 2006 album The Dutchess
. Rita performed background vocals to the song "Raikoum" by Khaled
in his album Liberté. She also performed background vocals for the song Ouelli El Darek
by Khaled
in his album Sahra
.
It has given out a number of scholarships to music students in Ghana's Berklee College of Music. It also hosts the annual Unite Africa which looks to spread global awareness about issues that affect Africa and to develop lasting solutions.
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
legend/musician Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
, and a member of the trio the I Threes
I Threes
The I Threes were a Jamaican reggae singing group made up of three women, that was formed in 1974 to support Bob Marley & The Wailers after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer — the original Wailer backing vocalists — left the band....
, Bob Marley's backup singers.
Biography
Rita was born July 25, 1946 in Santiago de CubaSantiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
to Leroy Anderson and Cynthia "Beda" Jarrett. She grew up in the upper level of Beachwood Avenue, located in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
. Rita was raised by her Aunt Viola on Greenwich Park Road. Bob was from the lower level of Trenchtown
Trenchtown
Trench Town is a neighborhood located in the parish of St. Andrew which shares municipality with Kingston, the capital and largest city of Jamaica. In the 1960s Trench Town was known as the Hollywood of Jamaica. Today Trench Town boasts the Trench Town Culture Yard Museum, a visitor friendly...
.
In the mid sixties, Rita met Bob after meeting Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh , was a Jamaican reggae musician who was a core member of the band The Wailers , and who afterward had a successful solo career as well as being a promoter of Rastafari.Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill, Jamaica, an illegitimate child to a mother too young...
. After it was learned that she was a singer, she was asked to audition for the Soulettes, later known as the I Threes
I Threes
The I Threes were a Jamaican reggae singing group made up of three women, that was formed in 1974 to support Bob Marley & The Wailers after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer — the original Wailer backing vocalists — left the band....
. The group included Rita, her cousin Constantine "Dream" Walker
Constantine "Vision" Walker
Constantine "Vision" Walker, also known as "Vision" or "Dream" , is a singer songwriter and musician...
, and Marlene "Precious" Giffordwas. Bob became the group's mentor and manager and through working together, he and Rita fell in love.
The two married 10 February 1966. However, the reason for their marriage was said to have been a way to make it easier for Rita to immigrate to the US should Bob have decided to live in the US following a visit with his mother in Delaware. Raised Christian, she became involved in the Rastafari Movement
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
prior to witnessing stigmata
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
during Haile Selassie's visit to Jamaica on 21 April 1966. She remains, however, an active member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
After Marley's death, she recorded a few albums under her name with some success in the United Kingdom.
In 1986, Rita made the decision to convert Bob Marley's home into the Bob Marley Museum. She is also the Founder and Chairperson of the Robert Marley Foundation, Bob Marley Trust, and the Bob Marley Group of Companies. She founded the Rita Marley Foundation in 2000. She has also adopted 35 children in Ethiopia and has assisted over 200 children in Konkonuru Methodist School in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
and made a commitment to positively impact their lives.
Children
Rita has six children, three from other relationships and three with Bob. Bob adopted Rita's two children as his own and they have the Marley name. Bob has 12 children in total: the two of Rita's that he adopted, three born to Rita, and the remaining seven with separate women. Rita's children are, in order of birth:- Sharon MarleySharon MarleySharon Marley Prendergast is the biological daughter of Rita Marley who was adopted by Bob Marley when the two married. She played in the group Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers together with her siblings in California in 1988....
, born November 23, 1964 - Cedella MarleyCedella MarleyCedella Marley is daughter of reggae artist Bob Marley and Rita Marley. She played in her brothers' group Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers....
born August 23, 1967 - David "Ziggy" MarleyZiggy MarleyDavid "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
, born October 17, 1968 - Stephen MarleyStephen Marley (musician)Stephen Robert Nesta "Raggamuffin" Marley is a Jamaican American musician and the son of reggae legend Bob Marley and his wife Rita Marley. He is a five-time Grammy award winner as an artist, producer, and member of Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers.-Life and career:Marley was born in Wilmington,...
, born April 20, 1972 - Stephanie, born 17 August 1974 (from a relationship with Ital, according to Bob's mother, Cedella BookerCedella BookerCedella Malcolm Marley Booker was the mother of Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and a singer and writer.-Biography:...
) - Serita Stewart, born August 11, 1985 (from a relationship with Tacky, according to her biography)
Recent/Current
Rita appears in the song "Mary Jane Shoes" on FergieStacy Ferguson
Stacy Ann Ferguson , better known by her stage name Fergie, is an American singer-songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She was a member of the children's television series Kids Incorporated and the girl group Wild Orchid. She is the female vocalist for the hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas...
's multi-platinum 2006 album The Dutchess
The Dutchess
The Dutchess is the debut and only studio album by American recording artist Fergie, who is a member of The Black Eyed Peas. The album was released on September 19, 2006. As of 2008, the album has sold more than six million copies worldwide...
. Rita performed background vocals to the song "Raikoum" by Khaled
Khaled (musician)
Khaled Hadj Ibrahim , better known as Khaled, is a raï singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Sidi El Houari in Oran Province of Algeria...
in his album Liberté. She also performed background vocals for the song Ouelli El Darek
Ouelli El Darek
-External links:*...
by Khaled
Khaled (musician)
Khaled Hadj Ibrahim , better known as Khaled, is a raï singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Sidi El Houari in Oran Province of Algeria...
in his album Sahra
Sahra
Sahra is a studio album from Algerian raï artist Khaled, released in 1996. It was the artist's biggest production to date, being co-produced by Philippe Eidel, Don Was, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Clive Hunt, and including performances by many other singers from around the world. It features what is...
.
Rita Marley Foundation
In 2000, Rita Marley founded the Rita Marley Foundation. It is a non-governmental, not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that works to alleviate poverty and hunger in developing countries. It specifically targets elderly and youth.It has given out a number of scholarships to music students in Ghana's Berklee College of Music. It also hosts the annual Unite Africa which looks to spread global awareness about issues that affect Africa and to develop lasting solutions.
Controversy
Rita Marley planned to have the body of her late husband, Bob Marley, exhumed and buried in Ethiopia, his "spiritual resting place" in 2005. She wanted it to be a month long celebration of what would be his 60th birthday. The area in which she wanted to bury him was a Rastafarian community that was given land by the country's last emperor, Haile Selassie. She claimed to have the backing of the Ethiopian government and said "We are working on bringing his remains to Ethiopia. It is part of Bob's own mission. Bob's whole life is about Africa, it is not about Jamaica. How can you give up a continent for an island? He has a right for his remains to be where he would love them to be. This was his mission. Ethiopia is his spiritual resting place. With the 60th anniversary this year, the impact is there and the time is right."Discography
- 1967 : Pied Piper (single, on Club Ska '67) - Mango
- 1980 : Rita Marley - TridentTridentA trident , also called a trishul or leister or gig, is a three-pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and was also a military weapon. Tridents are featured widely in mythical, historical and modern culture. The major Hindu god, Shiva the Destroyer and the sea god Poseidon or Neptune are...
- 1981 : Who Feels It Knows It - Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
- 1983 : It's About Time - John DenverJohn DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
; RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor... - 1988 : Harambe (Working Together for Freedom) - Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
- 1988 : We Must Carry on - Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
- 1990 : Beauty of God's - Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
- 1990 : Good Girls Cult - Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
- 1990 : One Draw - Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
- 2003 : Sings Bob Marley...and Friends - Shanachie RecordsShanachie RecordsShanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
- 2004 : Play Play - Universal Music
- 2005 : Sunshine After Rain
- 2006 : Gifted Fourteen Carnation