Bob Marley Discography Tube Map Art Print

A gift for Bob Marley fans who think of the Wailers as three men, because this runs all 13 albums with every credited musician as their own line. They own the records already, and the band grows from three names to twenty-three.

Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper, textured matte, archival and acid-free. Produced unframed or framed. Deeply researched and designed by me in East Sussex.

I plot these in CAD software. Every credited musician becomes a transit line, every album becomes a station, and anyone who appears only once gets a branch line of their own.

The stations run chronologically from The Wailing Wailers in 1965, through Catch a Fire and Exodus, to Confrontation in 1983.

Why this Bob Marley discography tube map art makes a gift fans keep

The shape of this map is the story of reggae going global. The first two albums credit three musicians between them. By Survival in 1979 there are 23 on one record.

Almost none of that expansion is visible on a sleeve. It rewards every closer look.

Contributing musicians on the map

Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer run as three parallel lines through the early records, with nothing else beside them. Tosh and Bunny both stop after Burnin' in 1973, and from there Marley's is the only original line left.

The Barrett brothers hold the whole thing together. Aston “Family Man” Barrett on bass and Carlton Barrett on drums run from Soul Revolution right through to the final album.

The I-Threes are all three on the map: Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, whose backing vocal lines carry almost every record from the mid-1970s onward.

Catch a Fire is the record where the map widens into rock. Wayne Perkins plays the guitar overdubs, John “Rabbit” Bundrick plays keyboards, and Robbie Shakespeare plays bass on Concrete Jungle alone.

Junior Marvin, Tyrone Downie and Alvin “Seeco” Patterson join at Exodus and stay to the end, with Al Anderson's lead guitar coming and going across four albums.

Survival in 1979 is the widest station on the print, adding a full horn section including the jazz trombonist Melba Liston, Glen Da Costa, Ronald “Nambo” Robinson and Junior “Chico” Chin.

How I make each print

Each one is a Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper with a textured matte finish, archival and acid-free, so the colours hold for years. Choose A2 or A1, unframed or framed, ready to hang in a hallway, living room or studio.

FAQ

When did Tosh and Bunny Wailer leave?
Both lines end after Burnin' in 1973. Marley's continues alone through the remaining albums.

How are the maps drawn?
In CAD software, plotted line by line. Every credited musician is a transit line, every album a station, and one-off contributors branch off the main routes.

Who are the I-Threes?
Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, all three of whom appear on the map from the mid-1970s onward.

Which album has the most musicians?
Survival in 1979, with 23 credited players, including a nine-piece horn section.

Who plays the rock guitar on Catch a Fire?
Wayne Perkins, who later turns up on a Rolling Stones album. John “Rabbit” Bundrick, later of The Who, plays keyboards on the same record.

Who is on every album after 1971?
Aston “Family Man” Barrett and his brother Carlton, on bass and drums.

What are the framing options?
Unframed, or supplied framed and ready to hang.

Related Music Maps

Browse the full range of gifts for music fans at the Gifts for Music Fans collection and the Music Icons collection at mikebellmaps.com.

Because Wayne Perkins and John “Rabbit” Bundrick both appear on Catch a Fire, the Rolling Stones Discography Map Art Print and the Who Discography Map Art Print are unexpected companion pieces.