Who is Tuff Gong and what is his relationship to Bob Marley...???

Tuff Gong is a direct reference to the late Great Robert "Bob" (Nestah) Marley. Bob attained this name because of his relationship with Leonard "The Gong" Howell, founder of the Rastafari movement. In the early 1930s Young Leonard saw the Coronation and Crowning Of Haile Selassie (Ras-Emperor Tafari) as a fulfillment of prophecy. Marcus Garvey said to look to Africa (Ethiopia) for the "Crowning of a King".......!!! Leonard Howell, aka The Gong, saw this as a direct reference to Haile Selassie and set the foundation for the Global Rastafari movement.

Bob "Tuff Gong" Marley took the culture of Rastafarianism, and translated some of it`s deepest messages through his music. So powerful was the message of Rastafari, that Bob Marley was later awarded an award of World Peace from the United Nations. Bob also with the help of some of Jamaica`s toughest garrison leaders, Claudie Massop and Bucky Marshall, organized a One Love Peace concert, which called for an end of poltical corruption in Jamaica and senseless killings throughout the ghettos of Jamaica. During this monumental concert, Bob Marley united on stage Jamaica`s feuding political parties, headed by Norman Manley and Edward Seaga. This brought Bob to the zenith of his career because this unity which he produced showed the power in the message of Rastafarian Music.

Bob Marley became a personal student of Howell (The Gong) and later became The Ambassador of The Rastafari Teaching and Culture through his music. He was influenced so much by Leonard "The Gong" Howell that he later named his recording studio "Tuff Gong", and soon there after he went on to name his recording label Tuff Gong as well. Bob Marley`s youngest son Damian Marley recently took the dancehall by storm with his release of Welcome to Jamrock, and has nick-named himself "Jr. Gong", following the legend of his father and re-establishing the cultural trend of Leonard "The Gong" Howell, founder of the Rastafari Movement.