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The most recent Deluxe Edition was released in 2004. The Burnin
installment in this series contained the remastered tracks on the first disc
with the addition of five songs produced at the time of the original ses-
sions, but omitted at the time. Because Burnin was such an early album,
two of the additional songs were written by other members of the original
82 BOB MARLEY
Wailers trio. No Sympathy was written by Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer
wrote Reincarnated Souls. The second disc included a 12-song live set.
The live tracks were recorded via the Island mobile studio at the Leeds
show on November 23, 1973. All of the versions on this disc were previ-
ously unreleased and represent the Wailers during their transitional phase
after Peter and Bunny left the group.
Although Bob has been dead for over 25 years, posthumous releases
from the artist continue. The reggae superstar s catalog is now several times
the size it was at his passing and shows few signs of slowing down. Im-
ports, bootlegs, live shows, and various types of compilations surface pro-
gressively. In 2006 alone there were more than 12 full-length releases in
Marley s name. The market is completely flooded with Bob s material and
the commodification of the reggae legend is completely staggering.
BOB S ESTATE
The topic of money turns to the handling of Bob s business affairs after
his death. As mentioned above, Bob died intestate (without a will). This
left control of the largest third world music legacy and a multimillion-dollar
estate in the hands of his wife Rita. There followed years of nasty legal
battles for the proper distribution of royalties, property, and ownership. In
the wake of Bob s death, Rita moved the Tuff Gong Recording studios and
production offices to 220 Marcus Garvey Drive, Kingston 11. The home
offices of the Tuff Gong International are still at this location.
Rita s next step was the conversion of the house at 56 Hope Road into
a museum and library where international guests are welcome to take
guided tours of the property and house. Bob s former dwelling now hosts
thousands of tourists each year. The structure of the house remains un-
changed since Bob s passing, but several rooms have been altered to suit
their specific purposes. The upstairs bedrooms have been converted into
gallery space that contains a world map with all of Bob s concert tour per-
formance locations marked with colored thumb tacks. The second-story
room that was once Ziggy s bedroom has been converted into a makeshift
business office and library. Here, books and newspaper articles about Bob
and the Wailers are preserved and made available to investigators.
Bob s upstairs master bedroom remains in the same condition as it was
when he last slept there. Although Bob was a very public person, this space
gives tour participants a glimpse into the more private side of the man. The
main floor of the house contains part of the original Tuff Gong recording
studios. The studios remain in working order and are still in occasional
use. Of particular interest is the kitchen. Preserved since the mid-1970s,
THE LEGACY AND THE LEGEND 83
the kitchen at the back of the house still exhibits the holes in the walls
created by the bullets sprayed into the room during the 1976 assassination
attempt.
The grounds around the house at 56 Hope Road are now quite crowded.
During Bob s life, these grounds were used for parking spaces and as a soc-
cer field. Now the grounds are covered with a variety of tourist attractions.
At the edge of the yard is Rita s Queen of Sheba Restaurant, where tradi-
tional Ital food and fruit drinks are served. Behind the house, where there
used to be rehearsal space, there is now a newer building used to house the
Bob Marley Theatre. Along the side of the property is another relatively
new building that houses the Things from Africa Boutique.
Beyond the management of the property at 56 Hope Road, Rita suf-
fered from lack of experience when handling Bob s estate. Trouble arose
with virtually every facet of the management of Bob s vast empire.
Money was misappropriated, relationships with members of the Wailers
band were tarnished, and a great deal of time and money was spent trying
to figure everything out. One serious misstep was taken in 1986, when
the remaining members of the Wailers band were essentially forced into
signing away their rights to future royalties for a flat fee. The amounts
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