In 1984, 3 years after the tragic death of Bob Marley, his album Legend was released, with more than 25 million recorded copies sold (in reality, many more) this compilation album has become one of the absolute bestsellers of all time. To this day (!), the album is still on many an album chart, reaching No. 1 in the UK, top 5 in the US and top 15 in the Netherlands along the way. For example, Legend has currently been in the US Billboard album charts for 800 (!) weeks, the second-longest listed album ever. An exceptional achievement for a reggae album. In 2024, Rootsriders, one of the most famous Bob Marley tribute bands in the world, will hit the road to extensively celebrate the 40th anniversary of this album.
Rootsriders were once formed to commemorate Bob Marley's 25th death anniversary, and over the years the band has become a fixture on the Dutch live circuit. Vocalists Giovanca Ostiana and Shirma Rouse, as well as former The Voice runner-up Mitchell Brunings, whose blind audition of - of course - a song by Marley went viral worldwide, are well-known former members. Current singer Mo Ali was found, as it is these days, via social media in Sudan. The band made it to the finals of the SBS6 program "The Tribute, Battle of the Bands" in early 2022. As a reward, the band stood in a sold-out Ziggo Dome on May 7 of that year, along with the 3 other finalists of the program.
