Certified in the Mystic Arts and Forklift Operation: The Odd Jobs Bob Marley Held Before Becoming an Icon

Very few musicians are ever just a musician. It’s pretty rare to see a musician who is not of a high caliber make a sustainable living solely from their craft. Thus, they have to take jobs where they can find them, and what this need for an income leads to is some peculiar professions. A plethora of musicians have held some unusual jobs. Ozzy Osbourne once worked in a slaughterhouse, Eddie Vedder was a security guard, Rod Stewart was a grave digger, and Bob Marley was forklift certified.

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At this point in time and for the foreseeable future, Bob Marley is a larger-than-life figure whose impact on the world expands far beyond just music. Marley, to a certain extent, was a contemporary prophet, an honest politician, and in his most basic form, a spokesperson for the invaluable sentiments of peace and prosperity.

He always believed these things, but before he garnered the platform to preach, he was just like every other aspiring musician, as he too worked some odd jobs to get by.

Bob Marley Was Hustling From a Young Age

As a young lad, Bob Marley grew up in St Ann, Jamaica. In addition to practicing music, Bob Marley was also a palm reader. Generally, Bob Marley would read the palms of his friends and neighbors and tell them what their future had in store for them. According to his friend and tour manager, Allan “Skill” Cole, Bob Marley wasn’t half bad at the profession, as he divulged that there was a thread of truth in many of his predictions, per the BBC.

Ultimately, Marley was encouraged to quit his early profession, as it was a fairly frowned-upon practice in the Rastafarian and Jamaican community. Though, years later, Bob Marley would score yet another odd job, and that was working as a forklift driver at a Chrysler automobile plant in Delaware.

Specifically, Marley moved to Delaware and served as a forklift driver at Chrysler after garnering little success with his few ska hits in Jamaica. So, looking for work, Bob Marley moved into his mother’s Delaware home and worked for Chrysler, but his time with the automobile giant only lasted for 10 months.

Years later, and after these odd jobs, Bob Marley would finally go on to receive international success in 1976 with the release of his album, Rastaman Vibration, which peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 following its release.

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