Today would have been the 70th birthday of reggae icon Robert Nesta Marley.
Please enjoy this live rendition of one of my favorite Bob tunes “War”. It was performed live at the Amandla Festival of Unity on July 21, 1979.
The Amandla Festival of Unit was a world music festival held at Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 21, 1979. The goals of the concert were to support and celebrate the liberation of Southern Africa as well as the on-going efforts of people in Boston to end racism in their families, schools, workplaces and communities.
The word ‘Amandla’ is from the South-African Zulu language and means ‘power’, ‘strength’ or ‘energy’. Bob Marley and his band The Wailers were the headliners.
Other performers on the show included the legendary Patti LaBelle, jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri, drummer Babatunde Olatunji, the South African band Jabula, the Art of Black Dance and comedian Dick Gregory who gave a speech before Marley’s performance. Mel King, a long time Boston community activist and outspoken opponent of apartheid, was the emcee.
RCS EDITOR’S NOTE: The performance almost didn’t happen because Al Anderson broke the neck of his guitar during rehearsal. The band, just minutes before their scheduled performance, refused to go on. One of the festival organizers drove into Harvard Square to “The Instrument Exchange” and purchased a guitar for $600!
SOURCE: Wikipedia
