Cedalla Booker was the mother, defender and the carrier of the legacy that was Bob Marley. The matriarch of one of the most known Jamaican families in History- Cedella Booker held on to her son’s legacy from his debut until the day she died in 2008. 

Booker hailed from St Ann and got involved with a plantation overseer who was 30 years her senior- Noval Marley at the young age of 18, they were married and had Robert Nesta Marley. She was said to be a feisty and powerhouse of a woman. She spoke her mind and cared very deeply for her children, always believing in karma and the truth. 

Booker before her passing at 81 left a legacy of her own in the creation of two albums Awake Zion! and Smilin’ Island of Song, novels on the legacy of her son and the pioneering of the 9 Miles Festival that has been held in Miami every year since 1993. 

This festival— that is named after her hometown — was created to remember the legacy of Marley and all proceeds are given to the less fortunate of South Florida and the Caribbean. Headlining some of the bigger names in Reggae and Dancehall- Barrington Levy, Shabba Ranks and most of the Marley Clan.