Celebrating Bob Marley - 3. Bob Marley In Exile

CELEBRATING BOB MARLEY - 3. BOB MARLEY IN EXILE (320kbs-m4a/129mb/56mins)
BBC Radio 2 broadcast: 30th July 2022

Another chance to hear Marcia Griffiths look at Bob Marley's creative period of exile in London, when he recorded the unforgettable Exodus album.

Having made her name with the international 1970 hit Young Gifted and Black, Marcia went on to join the I-Threes, backing the Wailers on tour and on countless classic records. She brings a unique insight to the reggae star's relationship with the UK, which started with Marley's early 1970s visits to record and perform with the Wailers.

The documentary then focuses on 1977, when Marley responded to the shock of an attempt on his life by leaving Jamaica and making London his home for the whole of that memorable year.

In this richly creative, culturally crucial period for Marley, he lived at various London addresses, hanging out with fellow musicians and kindred spirits. He played his beloved football in Hyde Park and other green spaces across the capital; stood as a healing shaman in a city reeling from the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival riots; helped forge the lifelong bond between reggae and punk; and recorded the unforgettable Exodus album, predominantly at Island Records' Basing Street Studios in west London.

The programme features all-new interviews with the musicians, DJs, print and photo journalists and label people who knew, worked and played with Bob during those days; soundtracked by the great music he made and performed as an honorary Brit.

Contributors include reggae DJ David Rodigan; filmmaker, musician and 6 Music presenter Don Letts; former Island staffer John Knowles and music journalist John Shearlaw who share vivid memories of playing 5-a-side football with Bob.

Levi Roots speaks of the Bob he knew in London. And Vivien Goldman - Bob's press officer and confidante - explains why he came to the UK and how his stay influenced the sound of Exodus.

The documentary also examines why Marley eventually quit London to return to Jamaica, the legacy he left behind and what happened on subsequent visits to the UK, as his global status grew to that of a prophet.