Rita Marley Biography

Alpharita Constantia Marley, better known as Rita Marley, is a Jamaican-Ghanaian singer born in Cuba. She was the wife of the internationally acclaimed singer and songwriter Bob Marley. Along with continuing her career as a solo artist after Bob’s death, she is also known for carrying forward the musical legacy of her late husband. She founded the Bob Marley Foundation, a charitable organization, to help needy people in developing countries. Born in Santiago de Cuba in Cuba, she began her career by singing on the radio. Soon she started performing with Constantine Walker, her cousin, and Marlene Gifford, a friend. They were known as 'The Soulettes'. Impressed by their performance, singer Bob Marley also started working with them and became their mentor. Rita eventually joined Marley’s popular band 'Bob Marley and the Wailers'. Her first work with the band was the studio album 'Natty Dread'. It was the group's first album that reached the top 100 on the Billboard 200. The album also stood at the 181st position on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Rita Marley is also well known for her philanthropic works. Not only did she adopt 35 children in Ethiopia, but she also assisted more than 200 children in a school in Ghana.