Why is Bob Marley more popular now than ever? A conversation with Roger Steffens
Bob Marley was largely a cult artist during his lifetime. After his death in 1981, his popularity has only grown. From his hugely popular Legend album in 1984, to the biopic film One Love in 2024, every year it seems like the reggae icon gains even more fans. This week, we ask the question: What exactly is Bob Marley’s legacy in the year 2025? To join us we talk to one of the foremost Bob Marley experts: Roger Steffens.
Steffens has penned several books on Marley, including the 2017 oral history, So Much Things To Say, which may be the closest thing to a definitive work on Bob Marley that currently exists. We discuss the film One Love—what role it had on Bob Marley’s legacy, and we analyze several other key moments in the past 40 years that have elevated Marley’s place in culture.
Steffens also takes us down several fascinating side journeys, like Marley’s relationship to US soul artist Johnny Nash.
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