Rita Marely – One Draw
Description
Alfarita Constantia “Rita” Marley OJ, OD (née Anderson; born 25 July 1946) is a Cuban-born Jamaican singer-songwriter and entrepreneur. She is the widow of reggae legend Bob Marley. Along with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, Marley was a member of the reggae vocal group the I Threes, the backing vocalists for Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Early life
Rita Marley was born in Santiago de Cuba, to Leroy Anderson and Cynthia “Beda” Jarrett. Her parents moved to Kingston, Jamaica, when she was three months old. In her memoir No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley, Rita describes how she was raised by her Aunt Viola after her parents separated. She was raised in Trenchtown in Kingston, Jamaica.
Career
Rita was a founding member of the Soulettes with her cousin Constantine Walker, and Marlene Gifford. The Soulettes released recordings including rocksteady tunes such as “Time for Everything”, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” (released in 1966, written by folk singer Pete Seeger) and “A Deh Pon Dem”. “Friends and Lovers”, “One More Chance” and “That Ain’t Right” (featuring harmony vocals by the Wailers), as well as a duet by Marley and Bunny Wailer (“Bless You”), which was issued years later on the Lovers and Friends album.
After recording for Studio One and being coached by Bob Marley, Rita married Bob around February 1966, just before he moved to Wilmington, Delaware, for a few months to make a living working at the Dupont Hotel there. Bob was replaced by her cousin Constantine “Vision” Walker, who recorded a few songs as a member of The Wailers during this period, with Rita Marley providing harmonies.
