Attempted assassination of Bob Marley

Attempted Assassination of Bob Marley
Attempted Assassination of Bob Marley
Location	Hope Road, Kingston, Jamaica
Coordinates	18°01′11″N 76°46′47″W / 18.01972°N 76.77972°W
Date	December 3, 1976; 47 years ago ; 8:55 (Eastern Time)
Target	Bob Marley
Injured	Bob Marley; Rita Marley; Don Taylor; Louis Griffiths;
Perpetrator	Seven armed gunmen (mainly Lester Lloyd Coke)
Motive	To halt the "politically progressive" music of Marley

On December 3, 1976, seven armed men raided the residence of reggae musician Bob Marley in Kingston, Jamaica, two days before Marley was to stage a concert in an attempt to quell recent violence.^{[clarification needed]}. Politicians from across the political spectrum hoped to capitalize on Marley's support. While Marley remained neutral, many viewed him as tacitly supporting the prime minister Michael Manley and his democratic socialist People's National Party (PNP).^[1] Marley and four others were shot, but all survived.

Attack

At 8:30pm, on December 3, 1976, two days before the Smile Jamaica Concert, seven men armed with guns raided Marley's house at 56 Hope Road. Marley and his band were on break from rehearsal. Marley's wife, Rita, was shot in the head in her car in the driveway. The gunmen shot Marley in the chest and arm. His manager, Don Taylor, was shot in the legs and torso, the house was riddled with bullets. Band employee Louis Griffiths took a bullet to his torso as well. There were no fatalities.^[2]^{[page needed]}

Bob Marley told concert chairman Trevor Philips that the leader of the Jamaican Labour Party, Edward Seaga – Michael Manley's political opponent – was alleged to have ordered his bodyguard, Lester "Jim Brown" Coke, to be present during the shooting. Nancy Burke, Marley's neighbour and friend, recalled hearing Wailers percussionist Alvin Patterson say "Is Seaga men! Dem come fi kill Bob!" After the shooting, numerous reports indicated that the gunmen returned to Tivoli Gardens, a neighbourhood loyal to the JLP and home to the notorious Shower Posse.^[3]^{[page needed]}

Motives and perpetrators

Timothy White, in his Marley biography, claimed that information he received from JLP and PNP officials, as well as US law enforcement officials, led him to believe that Carl Byah "Mitchell", a JLP gunman, was contracted by the CIA to organize the Marley shooting and that Lester Coke, aka Jim Brown, led the charge on Hope Road.^[4]^: 474 Don Taylor, Marley's manager, claimed that both he and Marley were present at court in which the gunmen who shot Marley were tried and executed. According to Taylor, before one of the shooters was killed, he claimed the job was done for the CIA in exchange for cocaine and guns.^[5] Bob Marley told concert chairman Trevor Philips that the leader of the Jamaican Labour Party, Edward Seaga – Michael Manley's political opponent – was alleged to have ordered his bodyguard, Lester "Jim Brown" Coke, to be present during the shooting. Nancy Burke, Marley's neighbour and friend, recalled hearing Wailers percussionist Alvin Patterson say "Is Seaga men! Dem come fi kill Bob!" After the shooting, numerous reports indicated that the gunmen returned to Tivoli Gardens, a neighbourhood loyal to the JLP and home to the notorious Shower Posse.^[3]^{[page needed]}

After the attack, the American embassy sent a cable titled "Reggae Star Shot: Motive probably political". In the cable, Ambassador Gerard wrote:

"Some see the incident as an attempt by JLP gunmen to halt the concert, which would feature the "politically progressive" music of Marley and other reggae stars. Others see it as a deep-laid plot to create a progressive, youthful Jamaican martyr to the benefit of the PNP. Those holding the latter view note that the four persons shot, three of them including Marley, only suffered minor wounds."^[4]^: 370

Aftermath

Despite the shooting, Marley promised he would perform one song at the Smile Jamaica Concert on December 5 at National Heroes Park, Kingston. In the event, Bob Marley & The Wailers played for 90 minutes.^[6]^[7]

Depictions

A book called A Brief History of Seven Killings By Marlon James features a fictional account of the shooting.

The Biopic Bob Marley One Love features the shooting at the start of the movie.

References

^ "Why Marley's performance at Smile Jamaica matters". Midnight Raver. 5 December 2014. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017.
^ Gane-McCalla, Casey (2016). Inside The CIA's Secret War In Jamaica. Los Angeles, California: Over The Edge Books. ISBN 978-1-944082-07-9.
^ ^a ^b Gunst, Laurie (1996). Born fi' Dead. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 9780805046984.
^ ^a ^b White, Timothy (1998). Catch A Fire. Holt Paperbacks. ISBN 9780805060096.
^ Taylor, Don (1995). Marley And Me: The Real Bob Marley Story (1st ed.). Fort Lee, New Jersey: Barricade Books. ISBN 978-1-56980-044-7.
^ Smile Jamaica > One Love Peace Concert, 1976-1978 - The story of Bob's heroic journey from facing political violence in 1976 to bringing the peace in 1978 Google Arts & Culture
^ Bob Marley - Smile Jamaica Concert (Full Show) Rasta Vibration

[1] "Why Marley's performance at Smile Jamaica matters". Midnight Raver. 5 December 2014. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017.

[Gane-McCalla-2] Gane-McCalla, Casey (2016). Inside The CIA's Secret War In Jamaica. Los Angeles, California: Over The Edge Books. ISBN 978-1-944082-07-9.

[:0-3] Gunst, Laurie (1996). Born fi' Dead. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 9780805046984.

[White-4] White, Timothy (1998). Catch A Fire. Holt Paperbacks. ISBN 9780805060096.

[5] Taylor, Don (1995). Marley And Me: The Real Bob Marley Story (1st ed.). Fort Lee, New Jersey: Barricade Books. ISBN 978-1-56980-044-7.

[6] Smile Jamaica > One Love Peace Concert, 1976-1978 - The story of Bob's heroic journey from facing political violence in 1976 to bringing the peace in 1978 Google Arts & Culture

[7] Bob Marley - Smile Jamaica Concert (Full Show) Rasta Vibration

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