Attempted assassination of Bob Marley
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Bob Marley assassination attempt | |
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Location | Hope Road, Eastern Time) |
Target | Bob Marley |
Injured |
|
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
Assassination attempt
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. 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
After the shooting, 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
See also
References
- ^ "Why Marley's performance at Smile Jamaica matters". Midnight Raver. 5 December 2014. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-944082-07-9.
- ISBN 9780805046984.
- ^ ISBN 9780805060096.
- 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