The Bob Marley Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
3 min
The Bob Marley Quiz
Image: © Jacques Pavlovsky/Corbis

About This Quiz

Bob Marley was a musician and songwriter whose work became an anthem for social change. How well do you know his musical and cultural contributions? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
In which song did Bob Marley sing, "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain"?
"Concrete Jungle"
"Trenchtown Rock"
"Small Axe"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Trenchtown Rock" by Bob Marley and the Wailers was released in 1971 and included in the 1973 album "African Herbsman."

Bob Marley is the biological father of how many children?
12
four
five
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley fathered four children with his wife, Rita, and adopted her daughter. He also had eight other children.

Where was Bob Marley born?
Jamaica
United States
United Kingdom
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley was born in St. Ann, Jamaica, on Feb. 6, 1945. It is the largest parish in Jamaica, with a population of more than 171,000.

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In 1978, Bob Marley was awarded which honor?
Pulitzer Prize
Peace Medal of the Third World
Nobel Prize
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On June 15, 1978, Bob Marley was awarded the United Nations Peace Medal of the Third World for his peace and justice advocacy during an era of political unrest in Kingston, Jamaica.

"Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds" is a lyric from which song?
"Redemption Song"
"Three Little Birds"
"One Love"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Redemption Song" is on Bob Marley and The Wailers' ninth album, "Uprising."

Bob Marley and The Wailers were the first reggae band to perform at this iconic venue.
Ford's Theatre
Grand Ole Opry
Apollo Theater
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On Oct. 25, 1979, Bob Marley and The Wailers became the first reggae band to perform at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.

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Where was much of the "Exodus" album recorded?
London
Chicago
New York
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley recorded much of the "Exodus" album in London during a self-imposed exile following an assassination attempt at his home in Jamaica. The "Exodus" album was released in 1977 by Island Records.

What is Bob Marley's real first name?
Robert
Nesta
Netto
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley was born Nesta Robert Marley, but he went by both Bob and Robert throughout his lifetime.

"Until the philosophy which hold one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war" are lyrics from which song?
"Is This Love"
"One Love"
"War"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley borrowed this phrase from the song "War" from a speech given by the Emperor of Ethiopia to the United Nations in October 1963.

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How many people attended Bob Marley's funeral?
100,000
20
10,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley was memorialized with a state funeral in Jamaica, then interred in a mausoleum built specifically for his remains. An estimated 100,000 people filed past his coffin during the wake.

Bob Marley spent much of his childhood living in this neighborhood.
Trench Town
Denham Town
Havendale
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1956 at the age of 11, Bob Marley moved with his family to Trench Town, one of the most poverty-stricken neighborhoods in Kingston, Jamaica.

In which U.S. state did Bob Marley live on-and-off from 1965 to 1977?
California
Nebraska
Delaware
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Marley and his family moved into a home in Wilmington, Delaware in 1966. His son Stephen was born in the city in 1972.

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While Bob Marley lived in Delaware, where did he work?
Walgreens
Chrysler
Wal-Mart
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley worked on an assembly line at a Chrysler plant in Newark, Delaware. He also worked as a DuPont lab assistant.

What was the name of the first single Bob Marley released?
"Ganja Man"
"Judge Not"
"Fear Not"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley released his first single, "Judge Not," in 1962 at the age of 17. It was the first of several singles Marley recorded as a solo artist.

Which of these phrases did Bob Marley say?
"God create you to be free. Free up yourself, otherwise you worthless."
"God works overtime. You can't be free 'til you know that."
"You are the truth. Free yourself."
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Marley said, "God create you to be free. Free up yourself, otherwise you worthless." He was a Rastafarian, a religion that developed in Jamaica in the 1930s.

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On which single was Bob Marley's name misspelled on the label?
"Judge Not"
"Three Little Birds"
"Get Up, Stand Up"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When the single, "Judge Not" was released in 1962, Bob Marley's name was misspelled on the label as "Bob Morley."

How many weeks has the "Legend" album by Bob Marley and The Wailers been on the Billboard 200?
201
386
29
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 2014, the "Legend" album of Bob Marley and the Wailers' greatest hits became the second-longest running album on the Billboard 200. "Legend" spent 386 weeks on the Billboard 200.

In 1976, Bob Marley was wounded as the result of what incident?
a fall
an assassination attempt
a vehicular accident
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley was shot and wounded as the result of an assassination attempt at his Kingston, Jamaica, home. His wife, Rita, and manager, Don Taylor, were seriously injured but also survived the attack.

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Where is the Bob Marley Museum located?
his former home
his former studio
a former art museum
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Bob Marley Museum is in Marley's former home in Kingston, Jamaica. He purchased the home in 1975 from Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. It's also the home where, three years later, he was nearly assassinated by gunmen.

When were The Wailing Wailers formed by Bob Marley and friends?
1971
1961
1963
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Wailing Wailers formed in 1963. The band's founding members included Bob Marley, Neville "Bunny" Ortley Livingston and Peter Tosh. By the mid-1970s, the group was called Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Which U.S. President has visited the Bob Marley Museum?
President Barack Obama
President George W. Bush
President Bill Clinton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On April 8, 2015, U.S. President Barack Obama made an after-hours visit to the Bob Marley Museum. President Obama reportedly told a museum tour guide that he'd been listening to Marley's "Exodus" album on his Air Force One flight to Jamaica.

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Days after performing two shows at Madison Square Garden in September 1980, Bob Marley did this in New York's Central Park.
performed
collapsed
signed autographs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

On Sept. 21, 1980, Bob Marley collapsed while jogging in New York's Central Park, the result of a previously diagnosed cancer that had spread to his brain, lungs and stomach. Marley had recently performed two shows at Madison Square Garden as part of his "Survival" tour.

On what day did Bob Marley die?
May 11, 1981
May 11, 1983
May 11, 1979
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley died on May 11, 1981, in Miami after a years-long battle with cancer. He was 36.

Which of the following items were reportedly buried with Bob Marley?
Bible
marijuana
both of the above
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley was buried with a Bible turned to Psalm 23, a red Gibson Les Paul guitar and a marijuana bud added by his widow, Rita.

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According to Forbes' top earning dead celebrities list, where did Bob Marley rank in 2014?
No. 5
No. 1
No. 20
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley was number five on Forbes' 2014 top earning dead celebrities list. His estate earned $20 million in 2014, up $2 million from the previous year.

Which award did Bob Marley receive in 1981?
Grammy Award
Academy Award
Order of Merit
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit in 1981 before his death. The Jamaican Prime Minister awarded Marley the honor for his contributions to art and culture.

What is the name of Bob Marley's final album (excluding posthumous compilations)?
Uprising
Survival
Exodus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley's final album is "Uprising." However, several greatest hits albums have been released since his death in 1981.

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Which Bob Marley song did Eric Clapton perform as a cover?
"Get Up, Stand Up"
"I Shot the Sheriff"
"Redemption Song"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bob Marley recorded "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1973, and Eric Clapton covered it a year later. Clapton's version became an international hit.

What significant political event occurred in 1978 during Bob Marley's performance of "Jammin'" at a One Love Peace concert in Kingston, Jamaica?
a handshake
a protest
a proposal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

After a series of politically motivated murders in Jamaica, Bob Marley led two polarizing figures to shake hands in solidarity. The handshake between Jamaica's Prime Minister Michael Manley and opposition leader Edward Seaga was considered a defining moment.

When did Bob Marley receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award?
2001
1979
1981
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 2001, Bob Marley received the award posthumously, along with The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr. and The Who.

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© Jacques Pavlovsky/Corbis