In 1976, an assassination attempt was made on reggae legend Bob Marley’s life. Seven gunmen burst into his Hope Road home and shot Marley, wife Rita, and manager Don Taylor. Luckily, Bob, Rita and Taylor all survived.
The attack was clearly politically motivated; tensions were running high as the JLP and PNP battled for votes, particularly in the ghettos of Kingston. “Smile Jamaica,” a December 5 Bob Marley concert, had been scheduled to help cool down the tempers and ease tensions between the two parties, although some believed the concert was in support of People’s National Party leader Michael Manley, who happened to be at odds with the US government. Security had been in place at the Marley home, although they were curiously missing that night, fueling conspiracy rumors.
The concert went on as scheduled, although Marley was unable to play guitar due to the bullet wound in his arm. Rita wore the bloody bandaging around her head, where the hospital had dressed her wounds. After the concert, Marley decamped to Island Records’ Chris Blackwell’s Bahamas home and studio, before moving to England, where he spent almost two years in self-imposed exile.
The gunmen were never caught, and no arrests were ever made, although rumors abound that, at least some of the gunmen were recognized, and delivered vigilante justice.
The incident is covered in detail in Chris Salewicz' excellent Bob Marley: The Untold Story.
Marley's former manager Don Taylor also wrote a memoir entitled Marley And Me: The Real Bob Marley Story.
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