Bob Almighty

Bob Marley isn't just worshipped by 16 year old boys and people who wear hemp clothes. He's considered a demi-god by cultures all around the world. 

• Rastafari: As the figurehead of the Rasafarian religion, many Rastafarians believe that Marley was a prophet as he succeeded in bringing the philosophy of Rastafari to worldwide consciousness.

 

• The Havasupai: The Havasupai are a Native American tribe that is located in Arizona, particularly the base of the Grand Canyon. Bob isn’t considered to be just any ordinary musician by the Havasupai. The Havasupai actually believe that Bob was the reincarnation of the legendary resistance fighter Chief Crazy Horse. It was prophesized that Crazy Horse would be reincarnated as a black man and that Bob was the fulfilment of said prophecy.

 

• The Hopi: A farming tribe of Native Americans from New Mexico. Reggae is the music that speaks for them and the preciousness of their heritage. To them, Bob Marley fulfilled a centuries-old prophecy.

 

• Nepal: Legend has it that Bob Marley visited Nepal in the 1970's. Today, just below the temple of the eternal flame in Muktinath is his shrine, The Bob Marley Restaurant, where he is said to have rested. Some Nepalese consider him the incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.

 

• Australian Aboriginals: The Aboriginal people of Australia burn a sacred flame to honour his memory in Sydney’s Victoria Park.

5 Legendary Recording Studios

1. Abbey Road - London, UK

Probably the most famous recording studio in the world due, in no small part, to the fact that The Beatles named an album after it. They recorded almost all their albums and singles there between 1962 and 1970 and are synonymous with the studio and it's nearby zebra crossing. But it wasn't just The Beatles who recorded here. Other famous recordings made here include;

• "Living Doll" - Cliff Richard
• "Apache" - The Shadows
• "Ghost Riders In The Sky" - The Scorpions
• "The Dark Side Of The Moon" - Pink Floyd
• "Duran Duran" - Duran Duran
• "The Bends" & "Kid A" - Radiohead

2. Hitsville USA - Detroit, Michigan, USA

In 1959 Berry Gordy bought this former photographer's studio and converted it into the headquarters for his Motown label along with the label's own studio. At it's peak it would stay open 22 hours a day, closing between 8am and 10am for maintenance. The house band known as "The Funk Brothers" are said to have played on more number-one records than The Beatles, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys combined. Artists to have recorded here include Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson.

3. Muscle Shoals - Sheffield, Alabama, USA

Formed in 1969 when legendary session musicians Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson and David Hood, known as "The Swampers" left FAME Studios to create their own studio. Their distinctive accompaniments and arrangements have been heard on a number of legendary recordings, including those from Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, Lynyrd Synyrd and more recently, The Black Keys. If you're wondering where you've heard about Muscle Shoals and The Swampers before then have another listen to Sweet Home Alabama

4. Studio One - Kingston, Jamaica

Studio One was founded by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in the late 1950's and became known as the "Motown of Jamaica". It was hugely responsible for the catapulting of Jamaican music into the world scene. Through innovative producers like Dodd, Prince Buster and Lee "Scratch" Perry the studio oversaw the evolution of Ska to Reggae to Dancehall. Almost every Jamaican musician of note recorded here including The Skatalites, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Burning Spear, Toots & The Maytals, Delroy Wilson and Sugar Minott.


5. Hansa - Berlin, Germany 

Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin became legendary in the 1970's when David Bowie went there to record his album, "Heroes", with the help of Brian Eno. It became known as "Hansa by the Wall" or "The Great Hall by the Wall" in reference to the fact that it was right beside the city's infamous partition. It wasn't long before many of the big names in music flocked there to record. Some of those included Iggy Pop, U2, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode and in more recent years, Snow Patrol, Supergrass and REM.