Much More than "One Love"

Marketing is subjective, but I feel strongly that Paramount Pictures made a huge mistake by not debuting their new "One Love" autobiography today instead of next week on Valentine's Day.

Why? Because today is Bob Marley's birthday. It's an unofficial holiday celebrated widely in Jamaica and by fans around the world.

How do I know this? Because I share my birthday with Bob.

I had the pleasure of meeting him briefly when I was a freshman at Vanderbilt University in Nashville back in 1979. As a member of the concert committee, I was given a backstage security role when Bob Marley and the Wailers performed on-campus at Memorial Coliseum. I worked the back door. Since Nashville has a large number of recording studios, major acts of all music genres pass through Music City. If they can get a gig at a college and essentially get paid for working on new material while in town, why not take advantage?

Now, giving an 18-year-old a clipboard and a little bit of authority might not have been the smartest move ever. My instructions were simple: if a person's name was on the list, I allowed them access. No name, no entry.

As we got closer to the scheduled start of the show, the more often people who had no business backstage would come up with creative reasons why they should be allowed to enter.

"I'm Bob's brother's friend's uncle and he told me that it's alright for me to go backstage." Right. Of course you are.

My indignant answer was always the same. "What's your name?" If they weren't on the list, they didn't get past me.

About an hour before the curtain went up, a well dressed man with a briefcase and a statuesque woman on each arm showed up. "Hello, Mon. I'm Bob's manager."

I smiled and said, "Well, you're his third manager so far tonight so unless your name is on this clipboard then you're not getting in," I told him smugly. His name wasn't on the list.

"Wait, I have to have some form of ID on me." He opened the case and it was stuffed full of stacks of large bills.

Our eyes met, so after waiting a beat I finally said, "I don't care who you are, you're coming in!"

I later learned that the gentleman was, indeed, Bob's manager.

It didn't dawn on me at the time how momentous an opportunity had taken place that evening. I wish I could say that I comprehended the significance of seeing such an iconic performer up close and personal. I did not.

When I heard about Marley's death two years later, I found out that we share our birthday by reading his obituary. I did some more research and found out that he lived strictly by his Rastafarian beliefs. Even today, his estate generates hundreds of millions of dollars and his likeness and image are only used in accordance with peaceful Rasta principles. No tobacco or alcohol could ever use his likeness. Companies unkind to the planet were disqualified, as well.

This international superstar, who survived an assassination attempt on his lawless, violent Caribbean island home, rose above it all and advocated peace and love in the 1970's while his homeland smoldered around him to the beats of steel drums and staccato gunfire.

Even today, a flight from Kingston into JFK causes TSA agents to go on alert and be vigilant for passengers carrying drugs and guns. Bob's work is never done.

Because of our shared birthday and a chance encounter, I feel a little closer to him and appreciate his noble effort to bring global peace through music.

Even 43 years after his death, Bob Marley is bringing far more than "One Love."

'Cause every little thing

Is gonna be alright.