BOB MARLEY RULED NEW YORK REGGAE CHART!

By Howard Campbell—

Bob Marley rarely cracked the United States national chart during his illustrious career, but he certainly had a constant presence in what was known as the ethnic market in that country. Clinton Lindsay, principal of this website and the Foundation Radio Network Chart, can attest to this.

Lindsay was a student at New York Institute of Technology in the mid-1970’s when he began compiling charts. That was 1975, and Lively Up Yourself, from the Live! Album was the first Marley number one that year.

This was based on sales figures in the New York City areas from leading Jamaican record stores like Brad’s on White Plains Road, in the Bronx.

The following year, Lindsay formalized his Caribbean Reggae Disco Chart. “Roots, Rock, Reggae” “Crazy Baldhead” “Rat Race” and “War”, songs from Marley’s Rastaman Vibration album, went number one on the new table.

Before he started his career on top West Indian radio stations such as WHBI/WNWK, Lindsay was the entertainment editor for NYIT’s magazine, Scope. He covered Marley and other famous stars who passed through New York City in the 1970’s.

Over the years, Marley has been consistent on Lindsay’s charts. The reggae legend’s most successful song is “Could You Be Loved,” the uptempo ballad from his Uprising album, released in 1980; the song spent 14 weeks at number one!

The last time a Marley song entered his chart was “Three Little Birds (Remix)” in 2013.

Clinton Lindsay reckons he saw Bob Marley perform live on five occasions. The first was in 1978 at Madison Square Garden where bass guitarist Stanley Clarke and upcoming rapper Kurtis Blow opened for Marley.

In 1979, as Marley made a major push to break into the black-American market, he performed four straight nights at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem. R &B singer Betty Wright was his opening act. Lindsay attended three of those shows, as well as the last gig in New York City at Madison Square Garden in 1980 when Marley was opening act for The Commodores.

Bob Marley would have turned 74 on February 6. He died on May 11, 1981 at age 36.