Cedella Marley Plans Weekend Celebrations To Commemorate Rita Marley’s 75th Birthday

Head of the Marley Group and firstborn child of Bob and Rita Marley, Cedella Marley, has planned a weekend filled with activities to commemorate her mother Rita Marley’s 75th birthday.

According to Marley, the activities planned are aimed at celebrating her mother’s achievements and will culminate in a grand finale livestream that airs Sunday (July 25), the actual birthday of Mrs. Marley, which will be open for the global public to view on Tuff Gong International’s official YouTube channel.

“My mom is my best friend, my inspiration, and, regardless of my title, she is very much still the boss,” Cedella said.

“The Bob Marley legacy that the world knows today is due in no small part to the work of Mrs. Marley. If “We Must Carry On” was a person, it would be Rita Marley. We are blessed to be able to honor her,” she added.

The livestream which begins at 5pm Est, will give viewers a behind the scenes peek of the Bob Marley Museum’s new Rita Marley exhibition curated by Berette McCauley, in addition to a mini documentary and the exclusive airing of ‘Rita Marley: Mystic of a Queen Concert’, all interspersed with greetings and well wishes from friends and family.

Cedella shared that some of the performers and participants featured during the weekend of festivities include Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt, Queen Ifrica, Tessanne Chin, Tanya Stephens, Nadine Sutherland, Ernie Smith, DJ Sunshine, Mitzie Williams, Odessa Chambers, Carolyn Cooper, Tova Hamilton, Coleen Douglas, and the Jamaica Youth Chorale.

According to Cedella, the scope of the weekend’s activities will mirror the scope of Rita Marley’s life and will incorporate the various entities she helms in Jamaica, Ghana, and the United States.

Cedella further shared that these entities would serve as stages for a series of celebrations, exhibitions, panel discussions, musical entertainment, and the announcement of the new Rita Marley Scholarship Program.

Alpharita Constantia Marley better known as “Rita Marley” is a Cuban-born Jamaican singer and the widow of Bob Marley.

She was a member of the vocal group the I Threes, along with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, who rose to recognition as the backing vocalists for Bob Marley and the Wailers.