Celebrate Bob, the man and the legend

In 1975, Bob Marley predicted that his music would live forever.

He’s remembered by the New York Times as the most influential artist of the second half of the 20th century; his “Exodus” album was chosen by Time Magazine in 1999 as the “Most Important Album of the 20th Century.”

His song “One Love” was chosen by the BBC as the “Anthem of the Millenium.”

Robert Nesta Marley will be remembered this coming weekend as the Endangered Species Media Project (ESMP) hosts the 9th Dallas Bob Marley festival.

The festival is under license by the Bob Marley Family and will be locally co-produced by Little Bit Productions.

More than 20 acts are scheduled including some of the nation’s best reggae and world beat bands.

There are also local bands scheduled to provide each festival location with its own regional flavor.

Some of the bands booked at this year’s festival are Doug Walker and the Steel Drum Kings (Miami; Steel Drum Reggae Group), Pablo and the Hemphill 7 (Ft. Worth; Upbeat Fusion Reggae & Ska), Higher Heights (New Orleans, Roots Hip-Hop Fusion Reggae) D.R.U.M. (Houston; World Beat Reggae), One Love Uprising (Dallas; Traditional Reggae) and Sonbeam & Dion Knibb with Dub Station (Boston; R&B & Dancehall Reggae).

Offstage entertainment will include dancers, jugglers and poets.

Fans will also be able to participate in Caribbean, African and Third World arts and crafts, as well as enjoy a variety of foods from these regions.

The festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday from noon until 10 p.m. at the Annette Strauss Artists Square in the Arts District. Tickets are $10 for a one-day pass and $15 for a two-day pass and can be purchased at the gate.

On both nights there will be an after party at Bronco Bowl from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Sonbeam & Dub Station will be celebrating the release of its new CD and will feature a Saturday night DJ and performances by Pablo and the Hemphill 7, and Sonbeam & Dub Station perform Sunday night. Admission is $7 each day.

More information concerning the after parties is available at www.broncobowl.com.

No food, beverages or glass containers will be allowed into the festival or the after parties.