Reggae King Bob Marley continues to rule the charts - Singer would have been 79 today

On the eve of the 79th anniversary of his birth, and nearly 43 years after his death, Bob Marley continues the trend of being a dominant force on the iTunes Top 100 Reggae Singles and Top 100 Reggae Albums charts.

He commanded seven spaces in the top 10 on the singles charts and six slots on the top 10 on the albums charts.

If Julian Marley's Grammy-winning album, Colors of Royal, is added to the mix, then that will make seven Marley albums in the top 10.

The singles Three Little Birds and One Love were one and two, while Jamming picked up at number four, and Bob Marley reigned straight through to eight with Could You Be Loved, Is This Love, No Woman No Cry and Redemption Song. The albums The Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers (2002 Edition); Exodus (Bonus Track Version); and Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers (Deluxe Edition) held on to the the first three places on the chart. Colors of Royal was number nine.

While Bob Marley is a staple on the chart, music marketer Sean 'Contractor' Edwards opined that the premiere of the Bob Marley: One Love biopic in Jamaica and London, and the Grammy Awards on Sunday have added "even more value to the Marley brand and this translates into more visibility".

There has been a flurry of activities in the run-up to the February 14 opening of the Paramount Pictures biopic.

"His son, Julian, won the Reggae Grammy on Sunday and we see where that album has received what they call a Grammy boost, meaning that there has been increased sales, which sees it making a re-entry on the chart. Bob is also reaping the benefits because both Ziggy [Marley] and Kingsley Ben-Adir [who plays Bob Marley in the biopic] were at the Grammys on Sunday night promoting the movie and doing live interviews. And Paramount even ran an ad for the movie in the commercials during the Grammys," Edwards said, applauding what he called "a brilliant marketing strategy".

He also addressed the "Marley backlash" which happens every time someone with that particular surname wins a Grammy Award.

"As expected, people are saying that Julian won because of his surname and that is so unfair and disrespectful to him and his family. There are seven times when the Marleys have been nominated and lost, because they lost to bigger projects. Remember, Ziggy Marley lost to the Sting and Shaggy project and Skip Marley most recently lost to Toots and Maytals. Therefore, there is no truth to it because they have been beaten," said Edwards, whose project Tropical House Cruisies to Jamaica: The Asian Edition was "under consideration" for a Grammy, but was not shortlisted.

He added, "The Marleys follow the Bob Marley brand which is always live music with a band, and Julian, Stephen and Ziggy Marley sing with their guitar. They promote Jamaica and reggae and when then win they earned it.

Furthermore, having so many brothers doing their own albums, it mathematically increases the chances of a Marley victory."