The urban grit of Trench Town is an integral part of Bob Marley’s legend, but the reggae king’s life began in rustic St Ann where roots singer Zamunda was also born.

Marley was born in the farming district of Nine Mile, while Zamunda is from Claremont, another agricultural area which is a stone’s throw away.

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Zamunda recalls first hearing about the legendary singer-songwriter through elders in his district. Marley, who died in May 1981 at age 36, would have turned 80 on February 6.

“They knew Bob Marley so I always heard about him. I always went to Nine Mile as a youth, an’ see where Bob Marley used to live, an’ all di ones in di place dat grow with him,” he told Observer Online.

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Reggae singer Bob Marley performs in front of an audience of 40,000 during a Reggae concert in Paris, France, on July 4, 1980. (Photo: AP)

Marley moved to Trench Town in Kingston during the early 1950s to live with his mother, Cedella. At the time, it was an expanse of shacks known as Trench Pen that inspired some of his greatest songs such as Trench Town Rock and No Woman, No Cry.

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The 40 year-old Zamunda says while he admires Marley’s songwriting skills, it is another aspect of his message that resonates most with him.

“Inspiration dat I really get from Bob is yuh gotta keep on fighting for what yuh believe in, which is righteousness, freedom, self-awareness an’ morality. Bob Marley to me is like a prophet…he wasn’t here with us long but di legacy dat him leave with us, my generation can have a positive outlook on life,” he reasoned.

Cedella Booker was also born in Nine Mile where many of her relatives still live. She died in 2008 and is buried there in a mausoleum with her famous son.

Zamunda, whose real name is Christopher Gayle, has been a recording artiste for over 20 years. Scripts And Scrolls, his first album, was released in 2016 followed by Jah Love Surround Me which came out in 2023.