e. Bob Marley acted as the leader of the band and he wrote most of the material. The Wailers became very popular in 1965: they played full houses. On the Coxsone-label they recorded several hits: Simmer Down, It Hurts To Be Alone, Rule Them Rudie.
             It was February 10, 1966 when Bob Marley married Rita Anderson. The day after, Bob went to the United States to visit his mother and her new husband. During Bob's stay in the States, he worked as a welder, only to finance his real ambition: music. During that year, the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie had made a state visit to Jamaica. He was the leader of the increasingly growing Rastafarian movement/religion. Marley was increasingly drawn towards this movement. The Wailers changed their music from ska to rocksteady now known as reggae. The next year (the same year Bob's first child, Cedella, was born) the band left Coxsone and set up their own record label Wail 'N Soul 'M Record, also known as Wailing Souls, Wail 'M Soul 'M. Their first single from this label was Bend Down Low/Mellow Mood. At the end of that year, that same label was put to an end.
             In 1968 Bob's first son, David (better known as Ziggy) was born. That same year Bob met American singer Jonny Nash. The Wailers recorded songs for the record company JAD Records. In 1970 The Upsetters joined The Wailers: Aston 'Family Man' Barret played bass and his brother Carlton played the drums. The band set up a new label Tuff Gong and the first single on that label was Run For Cover. It went uphill with the band and their own label. They produced hit after hit.
             In December 1971 Bob went to Chris Blackwell of Island Records and he asked Chris if the band could get a record deal. Chris gave them 8,000 pounds (in advance) to make an album. It was a revolutionary move: for the first time a reggae band had access to the best recording facilities and they were treated in much the same way as, say, a rock group. Before The Wailer...