Bob Marley was not only a musician, but a man concerned with the well-being of those around him, said a biographer and friend of Marley Tuesday night.
Roger Steffan's presentation, "The Life of Bob Marley," not only highlighted Marley's music career, but also how he changed many lives in his short 36 years of life.
Steffan is the former national promotions director for Marley's record label and current chairman of the Reggae Grammy Committee. Steffan said he believed Marley was a symbol of freedom as well as the most selfless and disciplined person he ever met.
He said Marley was generous with money. He supported 6,000 people a month who depended on his generosity for meeting their daily living needs.
In fact, even with his fame, Marley did without an actual bed so others without anything could have something, Steffan said.
Steffan said he thought the single greatest moment in history was after the attempted assassination of Marley at the "Smile Jamaica Concert" in Kingston, Africa, which benefited the Jamaican people. The day Marley, his wife and his manager were released from the hospital, after being wounded by bullets, Marley performed for the crowd. His wife, who still had a bullet embedded in her head, sang backup for more than an hour and a half. During this performance, Marley said, "If puss and dog can get together, what's wrong with loving one another," and then unbuttoned his shirt where the bullet had grazed him in defiance to those who tried to halt his performance.
Marley's spirit was shown after the doctor had given him three weeks to live after finding out his skin cancer spread, Steffan said. Instead of calling it quits, Marley flew to Philadelphia and performed one last time.
Two years before his death, Marley was awarded the United Nations Medal of Peace on behalf of 500 million Africans.
After the presentation, Ball State junior Adam Sapurstein said he learned from Marley's legacy and recited lyrics of Marley's: "One love, one heart, let's get together and feel alright."
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