Rolling Stone ranked Bob Marley at No. 11 on its 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists.
The ranking placed Marley just outside the top 10, among artists chosen for their lasting influence on the rock-and-roll era. The list was compiled from the views of 55 musicians, writers and music-industry figures, making it a critical and peer-informed assessment rather than a sales chart.
A detail that often causes confusion is the list’s publication history: Rolling Stone presented the 100-artist selection across special issues in 2004 and 2005, with the upper portion, including Marley at No. 11, appearing in the 2004 portion. The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley occupied the first three positions. Marley was one of the relatively few non-American or non-British artists included, reflecting reggae’s global reach and his influence on popular music.