The UK Guardian reported yesterday that the house where Bob Marley stayed while he sought asylum in the UK is set to receive an English Heritage blue plaque. Marley had to move to the UK after a failed assassination attempt. He needed the move to deal with the trauma of the experience.
The residence, located on Oakley Street, just off King’s Road in London, housed Bob Marley and his band in 1977. It was here that they recorded the Exodus album TIMES magazine has dubbed “the album of the twentieth century.” The album lasted 56 weeks on the British charts and had several hit songs among which are Waiting In Vain, One Love, Jamming, and Exodus.
The London Heritage Scheme made an announcement to honor Bob Marley along with other veterans. The list includes novelist Angela Carter, war correspondent Martha Gellhorn, and Gertrude Bell who was a writer and traveler. They are to be celebrated by the scheme in 2019.
David Olusoga, a historian and a blue plaque member, expressed his delight and excitement at Marley being honored with the blue plaque. Olusoga described the reggae legend as a phenomenon that blazed the trail for other artists to follow.
