A special segment of the concert will be dedicated to Rastaman Vibration, the album released fifty years ago by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The record marked not only a turning point in Marley’s own career, but also in the international history of reggae.

Although Bob Marley has been gone for nearly four and a half decades, his iconic figure and music remain as influential and beloved as ever. The central message of his work — standing up for freedom and human dignity — has lost none of its relevance.

His career began in Kingston in the 1960s, where the sound that would later become known worldwide as reggae grew out of the local ska and rocksteady scene.

As a member of the Wailers — alongside Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer — Marley was already singing at a young age about Jamaica’s deep social struggles, the legacy of colonialism, and poverty, while the Rastafarian faith increasingly became a defining element of his artistic voice.

With the release of Rastaman Vibration in 1976, Marley and the Wailers made international music history: the album entered the Billboard Top 10 in the United States, an unprecedented achievement for a genre rooted primarily in Jamaican culture.

Tracks such as War, Crazy Baldhead, and Positive Vibration served simultaneously as spiritual manifestos and political statements. By this time, Marley had consciously embraced the role of conveying Rastafarian teachings, refusing to soften his message for mainstream audiences.

The lyrics of War, for example, quote almost verbatim from a speech delivered at the United Nations by Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, identifying racial inequality as the root cause of global conflict. At the time of the album’s release, Jamaica was experiencing an extremely tense political period, and Marley was increasingly becoming a public figure.

Shortly after the album came out, an assassination attempt was made against him — yet he still took the stage and continued to perform.

Bob Marley’s legacy remains a fundamental cornerstone and an enduring example for reggae artists worldwide. For many years, the members of Ladánybene 27 have worked to keep Marley’s message alive in the hearts of audiences.

His influence shaped the band’s musical identity even in the days when Jamaican music was still scarcely accessible in Hungary.

It is no coincidence that one of the key pillars of the band’s work has been the complete and authentic presentation of Bob Marley’s songs. In 1996, they released a Marley tribute album and have performed numerous concerts in his honor, not only in Hungary but beyond its borders as well.

Following last year’s sold-out anniversary concert, Ladánybene 27 will return to the stage at A38 on February 7, 2026.

Their guests will include musicians and performers who have long been connected both to the band and to the spirit of reggae: singer Kriszta Pocsai, whose voice was already featured on the band’s 1995 album Van még a világon; István Elek, one of the greatest masters of Hungarian saxophone playing; as well as Andor Schober “Tálti” (vocals), Hascu Bratosin “Bratika” (percussion), and Miki Balázs (bass guitar).

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