Watch the videoBob Marley often would take nighttime driving trips across the island of Jamaica to his second home near the beach town of Negril, relying on his trusty cousin Sledger to take the wheel.
Sledger was a master at navigating the many twists and turns of the mountain roads, but even he couldn't prevent the car from running into trouble on the nights and early mornings when the police would set up road blocks to crack down on the herb trade.
One such incident was referenced in one of Bob's most famous songs, "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Road Block)," in which Bob decries the fact that peaceful dreads were being harassed for nothing more than possession of a plant that is sacred to their religion.
"Why can't we roam this open country?" Bob sings in the song, which was originally released on the 1974 album, Natty Dread. "Oh, why can't we be what we wanna be? We want to be free."
Like many Marley anthems about freedom from oppression, "Rebel Music" became an expected part of any Bob Marley set, including this memorable version of the song from the famed June 2, 1977 concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London.
Bob describes the incident that inspired the song, singing, "3 o'clock roadblock, curfew, and I've got to throw away ... my little herb stalk!" Later in the song, he references the conflict with the police: "And, 'Hey, Mr. Cop! Ain't got no ... Ain't got no birth certificate on me now.'"
It's a powerful image and one that translates to a dramatic portrayal on stage, with Bob stalking around the stage, hopping up and down and feeling every phrase and every riff as he plucks his electric guitar. Meanwhile, the I-Threes provide their usual backing vocals and lead guitarist Junior Marvin takes an extended wah-wah guitar solo that leads to the song's fadeout.
"Rebel Music" is perhaps the most aptly named of the many important pieces of music written by Bob Marley during galvanizing and rebellious times.