While the term “reggae” was coined around 1960 in Jamaica, it was reggae singer/songwriter Bob Marley that took the ragged style of dance music to a mainstream level in the later part of that decade.
He was first the lead singer of the Wailers, which cut its first album of reggae music, “Best of The Wailers,” in 1970. But it was when he became a solo artist backed by the Wailers (Bob Marley & The Wailers, and began taking inspiration from political and religious topics for his music that he would transform into a star. Some of his most raved about songs include ballads such as “Stir It Up” (1972), “I Shot The Sheriff” (1973) and “No Woman No Cry” (1974).
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Today, Marley remains the most widely known and celebrated reggae artist. He is credited with helping spread Jamaican music as well as the religious Rastafari movement to a worldwide level.