A few days ago, I was talking to a friend who desires to post her work on the Internet, but yet is afraid that someone might copy it. She said, “My greatest fear is to find my work with someone’s name on it.” That reminded of the following story:

Back in the mid 1960s a small harmony group called “The Wailers” consisting of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, had been on the Jamaican music scene for a while, only managing to score minor hits that were only heard in the tiny island. Up until now, the group had worked extensively with Sir. Coxson Dodd, the legendary Jamaican producer. With Coxson Dodd being a conservative, The Wailers felt that they needed a new sound, and so moved to the studio of a maverick producer called Lee “Scratch” Perry who had a reputation for being highly experimental. Together with Lee Perry’s session players, The Wailers recorded some of their most catchy tunes to date. These “Soul Rebel” sessions were only possible because Lee Perry was able to bring out a part of Bob Marley (The Wailer’s lead singer) that was happy and carefree – something that Bob had not been able to bring out by himself.

Unfortunately, these “Soul Rebel” sessions ended on a sour note since assuming that he owned the tapes, Lee Perry sold them without The Wailers consent. This resulted in the Wailers music being distributed all over the world without the singers getting a penny for their efforts. However, it was due to Lee Perry’s marketing sloppiness that music from these tapes was heard by Chris Blackwell in London. Chris Blackwell was the founder of Island records, and he was to later sign the frustrated Wailers in the early 70s on the strength of a hunch he got from listening to their music. Chris Blackwell was to become instrumental in bringing Bob Marley and The Wailers – and reggae music – to the world.

The greatest achievement that this collaboration produced is Exodus, a roots reggae album released on June 3, 1977. Much of Exodus was recorded in London, while Marley recuperated from an assassination attempt. Exodus is widely considered to be one of Marley’s best albums. “Jamming,” “Waiting in Vain” and “One Love/People Get Ready” were all huge international hits. Exodus peaked at number 20 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart, and number 15 on the Black Albums chart. Other stand-outs include “Natural Mystic” and “The Heathen,” which excel both musically and lyrically. In 1998, TIME magazine named Exodus the best music album of the 20th century. At the turn of the millennium BBC television selected “One Love” as the anthem of their 24-hour millennium coverage and because of the song’s wide-ranging appeal the esteemed network went on to name it their “Song of the Millennium”.

As soon as art had been expressed, it has an uncanny way of finding its way in the world. Art has a mind of its own and its path is often unpredictable. I suppose it is like the proverbial bird that you set free, with no guarantee that it will come back at all. But I suppose with everyone wanting to get paid for their efforts, they would rather that the bird comes back bearing wealth and riches. It is heartbreaking to see a person signing off a brilliant idea such as Superman for almost next to nothing. But as we wait for the bird to come back, let us continue sharing art with the world. As they say, it is better to have Loved and lost, than not to have Loved at all. For just like an unsmiled smile, unexpressed art benefits no one; least of all, its owner.