Legends never die

By Matthew Woolford

According to Corinthians 1, 13:1-3, “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

For all the criticism levelled against it over the years, sometimes the Grammy Awards does get it right!

At its 67th Edition held on February 2, the good works of two of music’s greatest advocates for love and peace, were recognised and celebrated:

• the Grammy Award for ‘Best Rock Performance’ was won by The Beatles for ‘Now and Then’; and
• the Grammy Award for ‘Best Reggae Album’ was won for the album Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired by The Film (Deluxe), with rendition by various artists.

According to genius.com, “‘Now and Then’ was originally a demo written and recorded in 1977 by former Beatles member John Lennon. It is the final song released under the name of The Beatles, featuring contributions from the entire quartet—including Lennon and George Harrison, even years after their passing…Decades later, with the help of cutting-edge AI software, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney were able to properly separate the vocal tracks from John Lennon’s original demo and place them over their own musical recordings so that each of the four band members could contribute to their swan song.”

Of all the musicians I have admired over the years, I have John Lennon in a class by himself for originality. He had a unique ability to enter his own pain, as well as that of others, mine included, and sing of the beauty and truth that lay within it.

I believe that his empathy for others was as far reaching as many considered him to be eccentric and came from a wellspring of self-integration and love for neighbour. I also believed that he knew from an early age that his purpose was to communicate a message of tolerance and togetherness that was far greater than other people’s opinion of him; messages that by their very nature are esoteric, complex and difficult to convey.

According to an article entitled, ‘Bob Marley: One Love Wins Best Reggae Album At 2025 Grammy Awards’, written by Dani Mallick and published on dancehallmag.com on February 2, “Released in February 2024 via Tuff Gong and Island Records, the 10-track album featured fresh interpretations of Marley’s iconic songs, performed by artists like Daniel Caesar, Kacey Musgraves, Wizkid, Leon Bridges, Shenseea, Farruko, Jessie Reyez, Mystic Marley, Bloody Civilian, and Skip Marley. The album reached No 10 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.”

Of all the musicians I have admired over the years, I have Robert Nesta Marley in a class by himself for inspirational prowess. He had a unique ability to enter the confusion that lay within his own mind, as well as that of others, mine included, and sing of the way forward for humanity.

Whilst struggling to prepare for school-leaving examinations as a Form 5 student at St Mary’s College, I remember wrestling with mild forms of depression that left me feeling stuck, hopeless and desiring to give up.

I did not understand what my purpose was and felt unsupported in finding out. Yet it was in listening to a tape of Bob Marley recordings, left behind by my Aunt Roslyn, who lived with us briefly while studying at the Hugh Wooding Law School, that I found daily encouragement to keep on fighting. It was like listening to the Holy Bible put to music. Such was the magic of Marley in my life.

Also remembered at the 67th Grammy Awards was the late-musically great Quincy Jones. My father once gave me a copy of Q’s Back on the Block album some years ago because he ‘knew’ that I needed to hear it.

Quincy Jones had a way of arranging, producing and conducting music that was second to none in my opinion, but I do believe his greatest and most underrated skill was his way with people. How else could a masterpiece such as ‘We Are The World’ been completed without Q’s ability to lead, understand and coordinate the efforts and talents of others?

We must all face death at some time, but I do hope that the legacies of John Lennon, Bob Marley and Quincy Jones live on forever. I do hope that humanity keeps on rediscovering the good things of the past and with the appropriate and ethical use of technology, preserve them for generations to come.