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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The excerpt below is a participant’s recollection of the December 3, 1976 shooting at Bob Marley’s Kingston home, two days before the Smile Jamaica concert. It comes from Roger Steffens’s So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley, as republished by Reggae Report from a 2017 Rolling Stone article. It offers personal memory, not a definitive account of the attackers or their motive.
About the oral-history excerpt
Reggae Report identifies the passage as an edited excerpt associated with Roger Steffens’s So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley. Its page says the material was taken from a July 7, 2017 Rolling Stone article and republished in 2020. The excerpt includes singer Judy Mowatt’s recollection of a dream before the attack and prompts from interviewer Steffens. That is testimony about what a participant remembers; the dream is not evidence that the shooting was predicted or independently corroborated. Read the excerpt at Reggae Report.
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The book is an oral history, a form built from remembered accounts and interviews. Such recollections can illuminate how people experienced an event, but they should not be mistaken for a police finding or a complete, settled reconstruction.
What happened on December 3, 1976?
Bob Marley’s official history says Marley and the Wailers were rehearsing at Marley’s Kingston home when gunmen attacked on December 3, 1976. Marley, his wife Rita Marley, and manager Don Taylor were wounded. The attack came two days before the free Smile Jamaica concert, scheduled for December 5. Bob Marley’s official timeline
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- Bob Marley: The official history describes his gunshot wounds as minor.
- Rita Marley: She underwent surgery after a bullet grazed her head.
- Don Taylor: He was critically wounded after being shot five times.
The National Library of Jamaica’s biographical material provides an institutional cross-check on Marley’s life and career, but it does not establish who carried out the attack. National Library of Jamaica: Bob Marley
Why did Marley perform at Smile Jamaica?
The free concert was intended to ease tensions between Jamaica’s rival People’s National Party (PNP) and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), according to Marley’s official history. The attack happened during a politically tense period, with a general election campaign underway. Marley nevertheless performed on December 5, two days after being wounded. The official history and the Bob Marley: Legend exhibit both document his appearance. Official timeline · Bob Marley: Legend exhibit
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The exhibit attributes this response to Marley when he was asked why he performed: “The people who making this world worse aren’t taking the day off. How can I?” The exhibit does not identify the interviewer or specify a more precise speaker role, so the quotation should be understood with that attribution limit. The exhibit reports that 80,000 people attended; that is its stated figure, not an independently verified count.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who shot Bob Marley, and why?
The sources cited here do not establish the attackers’ identities or motive. The Jamaica Gleaner reports that the assailants were unknown and no one was charged. It discusses political and CIA explanations as unresolved theories, not findings. No named gunman, political organization, or government agency can responsibly be presented as proven on this evidence. The Gleaner: “Who shot Bob Marley?”
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The available sources also do not provide a definitive count of attackers or independently documented number of shots fired. Those details should not be supplied as fact without stronger documentation.
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