Bob Marley
New Single ‘Selassie is the Chapel’
Out Now via JAD Records
Tuesday 12th December 2023 – Over 40 years after his untimely death, a new Bob Marley single titled ‘Selassie is the Chapel’ has been released via his original label, JAD Records. For the very first time, the song is available to stream on all digital platforms – listen here. A limited edition 7” vinyl of the single (limited to 2000 copies) is also available now – purchase here.
Bob Marley is known and loved worldwide not only for his music, but as a truly spiritual figurehead and an embodiment of peace, truth and love. ‘Selassie is the Chapel’ is a rare, spiritual and emotive recording, one that was incredibly dear to Marley and delivers a personal statement from him about his beliefs. This beautiful song is being presented as a message of peace to the world, at a time of global turbulence. People all over the world are invited to take solace in Marley’s words and music this Christmas time, a period where for some, feelings of spirituality are most alive, and when we are filled with hope for the New Year.
Bob Marley was a devout Rastafarian, and his beliefs shaped his life. When Haile Selassie visited Jamaica in 1966, he was greeted by Mortimer Planno, who wrote the lyrics for ‘Selasse is the Chapel’. Planno played a huge part in shaping Marley’s involvement in the Rastafarian religion and remains a significant spiritual figurehead throughout Jamaica. Marley’s beliefs and unswerving devotion to the Rastafarian faith were always a key part of his enduring message.
‘Selasse is the Chapel’ is the first release from JAD Records in 7 years, and is part of a larger catalogue of Bob Marley recordings that were produced exclusively for the label during the 1960s and 70s. It was conceived after Marley had been discovered in Jamaica by Johnny Nash and JAD co-founder Danny Sims, the latter of whom was partner and manager to Nash, and later to Marley.
The world lost Bob Marley far too early, but with the release of this new single and through his vast, cherished catalogue, he lives on to give us his enduring message of “One Love”.
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About Bob Marley
Jamaican singer, musician, songwriter, and activist Bob Marley has served as a world ambassador for reggae music and sold more than 20 million records throughout his career—making him the first international superstar to emerge from the so-called Third World.
Bob Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; in December 1999, his 1977 album “Exodus” was named Album of the Century by Time Magazine and his song “One Love” was designated Song of the Millennium by the BBC. Since its release in 1984, Marley’s “Legend” compilation has annually sold over 250,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, and it is only the 17th album to exceed sales of 10 million copies since SoundScan began its tabulations in 1991. It currently sits as the 2nd highest-selling compilation album of all time, and the 2nd longest Billboard-charting album in history.
Today, Bob Marley is known throughout the world for his message of unity, love, self-determination, and RASTAFARI.
About JAD Records
JAD Records was founded in 1967 by singer-songwriter Johnny Nash, producer Arthur Jenkins and businessman Danny Sims. It remains as one of the most authentic, independent sources of significant black music, with a roster that includes Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Gil Scott Heron, Betty Wright, Gloria Gaynor and Lloyd Price.
Danny Sims had already created a successful music empire in New York, with records, music publishing and the famous Sapphire club which was frequented by the stars and personalities of the day, and where many great relationships were forged. In addition to his career in music, Sims acted as a consultant and advisor to many important personalities, including Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Harry Belafonte and Gil Scott Heron. Sims introduced many of these people to one another and was at the forefront of the emerging black culture movement, before he and Nash decided to move to Jamaica to discover new and unknown music. It was there that they discovered Bob Marley. Without them, the world may have never known his work and inspiration.