Roger Steffens is one of the world’s leading Bob Marley
experts. He toured with the Wailers in the 1970s and was closely
acquainted with Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh and the rest of the band
members. Over several decades he has interviewed more than seventy-five
friends, business managers, relatives and confidants―many speaking
publicly for the first time. Forty years in the making, So Much Things to Say
weaves this rich testimony into a definitive telling of the life of the
reggae king―the full, inside account of how a boy from the slums of
Kingston, Jamaica, became a cultural icon and inspiration to millions
around the world.
The intimacy of the voices and the
frankness of their revelations will astonish even longtime Marley fans.
Readers see the intense bonds of teenage friendship among Peter, Bunny
and Bob, the vibrant early sessions with the original Wailers (as
witnessed by members Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso and Cherry
Green) and the tumultuous relationships with Rita Marley and Cindy
Breakspeare.
With unprecedented candor, these
interviews tell dramatic, little-known stories, from the writing of some
of Marley’s most beloved songs to the Wailers’ violent confrontation
involving producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, Bob’s intensive musical training
with star singer Johnny Nash and the harrowing assassination attempt at
56 Hope Road in Kingston, which led to Marley’s defiant performance two
nights later with a bullet lodged in his arm.
Readers
witness Marley’s rise to international fame in London, his triumphant
visit to Zimbabwe to sing for freedom fighters inspired by his anthems
and the devastating moment of his collapse while jogging in New York’s
Central Park. Steffens masterfully conducts the story of Marley’s last
months, as Marley poignantly sings “Another One Bites the Dust” during
the sound check before his final concert in Pittsburgh, followed by his
tragic death at the age of thirty-six.
So Much Things to Say
explores major controversies, examining who actually ordered the
shooting attack on Hope Road, scrutinizing claims of CIA involvement and
investigating why Marley’s fatal cancer wasn’t diagnosed sooner.
Featuring Steffens’s own candid photographs of Marley and his circle,
this magisterial work preserves an invaluable, transformative slice of
music history: the life of the legendary performer who brought reggae to
the international stage.