On Bob, Rohan, the Wailers show and Sandpoint

First off, a big thank you to The Hive for bringing the Wailers to town last week, treating local fans of Bob Marley’s music to a memorable show.

A look at the picture next to this article clearly shows Bob was a good athlete, and the Jamaican raggae icon who died at age 36 in 1981 had a profound love for the game of soccer.

In that regard, he would fit in well in Sandpoint, which per capita boasts an unusually high number of folks who love soccer. The bevy of high school state titles reflects that, as does the burgeoning youth and adult soccer scene, arguably bigger and better than far bigger cities.

Historians tell of Bob’s soccer skills, and there are plenty of photos of him playing in places from parks to parking lots to recording studios. He was an avid fan of the pro game as well, following the Brazilian team Santos, and like many he loved to watch soccer legend Pele.

Supposedly he once told a journalist looking for an interview that if he wanted to get to know him, the scribe would first have to play soccer against Bob and the Wailers, which in the early years included raggae legends Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.

Ever since receiving the four-CD box set Songs of Freedom as a Christmas gift in college, I’ve had a profound love of Bob music, as well as other raggae from the Rock Steady era of the late 60s. So to be able to bike downtown and hear probably the closest thing out there to an actual Bob concert was indeed a treat.

I was also lucky enough to be at the football game in 1994 when the University of Miami throttled Arizona State 47-10 during a night game at Sun Devil stadium. The Canes were coached by Dennis Erickson, twice a former Vandal head coach and the father of Lake City High School’s new football coach.

Like many Miami defenses, it was chock full of NFL talent, featuring now-splashy names like Ray Lewis, Warren Sapp and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

But the player I remember most from that defense? No. 2, Rohan Marley, a 5-8, 205 pound linebacker for the Canes. I had no idea at the time that the defense would boast two eventual Hall of Famers and a movie star, but I knew all about Bob’s son. He made a handful of tackles that game.

Rohan eventually married Lauryn Hill and had five children. Fans of Hill might remember the Fugees version of No Woman, No Cry.

That the Wailers came to Sandpoint shouldn’t come as a big surprise, even though their next two gigs were in Seattle and Portland. Bob’s son Ziggy played the Festival in 2015, and Sandpoint has hosted its fair share of great raggae over the years.

The young lead singer for the current Wailers, who still feature one original band member, sang what amounted to a greatest hits list, right down to a faithfully acoustic version of Redemption Songs.

That it happened in the little North Idaho hamlet of Sandpoint speaks to what makes Sandpoint so unique.

—Eric Plummer, sports editor.