英语名人堂：鲍勃·马利

鲍勃·马利（Bob Marley），1945年2月6日生于生于牙买加圣安妮，1981年5月11日逝世，牙买加唱作歌手，雷鬼乐鼻祖，拉斯塔法教徒。

1960年，马利开始了演唱生涯，1964年组建了“Wailing Wailers“（哭泣着的哭泣者）乐队。1971年，乐队推出了专辑《Catch A Fire》（引火烧身）。1981年，马利病逝后精选集《Legend》(1984)截止到2011年是雷鬼乐界最畅销的专辑，全球销量达到两千万[1]  。

1990年，马利的生日被定为牙买加法定假日[2]  。2010年，获选美国CNN 近50年“世界五大指标音乐人”

 

Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley is the greatest ever reggae singer.  He spread reggae and his message of love and unity¹ to a worldwide audience. His live performances were legendary² for their passion and energy. Marley’s album ‘Exodus’ was voted by ‘Time’ magazine as the best of the 20th Century. The BBC declared his song ‘One Love’ as the song of the millennium³.

 

Marley was born in 1945 in a small village in Jamaica to a white father and black mother. The racist⁴ bullying⁵ he received as a child had an impact on his songwriting. He left school at the age of 14 to make music. He met members of his future band The Wailers at a jam session. It took several years before they became famous.

 

The Wailers' first album ‘Catch a Fire’ was released in 1973 and sold well. Another album followed a year later which included the song ‘I Shot The Sheriff’. Eric Clapton’s cover of the song in 1974 brought Marley a lot of global attention. In 1975, Marley released his breakthrough song ‘No Woman, No Cry’, still regarded as a classic today.

 

Marley left Jamaica for England in 1976 to record his ‘Exodus’ and ‘Kaya’ albums. He toured the world and performed to campaign against apartheid in South Africa and to celebrate Zimbabwe’s independence. He died of cancer in 1981, aged⁶ 36. He was given a state funeral in Jamaica according to the Rastafari tradition. He continues to be an important influence on today’s music.

1 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

2 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

3 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

4 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

5 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。