Ziggy Marley

About Ziggy Marley:

Ziggy Marley is an eight-time Grammy winner, Emmy winner, musician, producer, activist and humanitarian who has cultivated a legendary career for close to 40 years.  The eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy has hewed his own path as a musical pioneer, infusing the reggae genre with funk, blues, rock and other elements through mindful songcraft.  Equal parts master storyteller and motivational guide, he deftly explores issues from environmental awareness to self-empowerment, social injustice to political inequity, while returning again and again to the transformative power of love.

A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Ziggy first sat in on recording sessions with his father’s band, the trailblazing Bob Marley and the Wailers, when he was ten years old. This organically led him, joined by his brother Stephen and sisters Sharon and Cedella, to become the Melody Makers.  Launching in 1985 with Play the Game Right, they won their first Grammy for their third album, Conscious Party (1988), an all-around success produced by Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, which included the hit singles “Tomorrow People” and “Tumbling Down.”

Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers followed the success of Conscious Party with two critically acclaimed albums, One Bright Day (1989), earning a second Grammy, and Jahmekya (1991).  For the next decade, the prolific group continued to release music including Joy and Blues (1993), Free Like We Want 2 B (1995), Fallen is Babylon (1997), which captured a third Grammy, and The Spirit of Music (1999).  During this time, they took part in numerous children’s projects: lending “Give a Little Love” to the Disney album For Our Children to benefit the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, appearing on “Sesame Street,” and recording the reggae-style theme song “Believe in Yourself” for the children’s television series “Arthur.”

After two decades as the driving creative force behind the Melody Makers, Ziggy’s first solo tour came in Summer 2002, joining such artists as Sheryl Crow, Train and O.A.R.  The following year saw the release of his debut solo album, Dragonfly, followed by 2006’s Love Is My Religion, which garnered his fourth Grammy Award, and his first as a solo artist.  It also marked the first release on his self-owned record label, Tuff Gong Worldwide.  Simultaneously, Ziggy was able  to reclaim the rights to all of his compositions and founded Ishti Music, his independent music publishing company.  Before artist-owned record labels were commonplace, Bob Marley, characteristically ahead of his time, envisioned an artist independent of the major labels and publishing companies.  Now, decades later, Ziggy had realized his father’s dream.

In 2009, Ziggy released his third solo album, Family Time.  The album, comprised of children’s songs, won a fifth Grammy in a new category for him, Best Musical Album for Children.  The album featured appearances by siblings Rita and Cedella and daughter Judah, as well as other notable guests including Jack Johnson, Willie Nelson and Paul Simon.  The following year, Ziggy turned his attention to film production with Marley Africa Road Trip as well as the celebrated documentary Marley, produced by Magnolia Pictures.  In 2011 he released his fourth studio album, Wild and Free, which topped Billboard’s reggae chart at #1.  The Grammy-nominated album was accompanied by his first-ever comic book, the superhero-themed Marijuanaman.

Marley earned back-to-back Grammys with his next two projects, the live album Ziggy Marley in Concert (2012) and the studio album Fly Rasta (2014), the first-ever reggae album featured in iTunes’ “First Play” program.  In between, he released his debut children’s book, I Love You Too, based on his 2013 children’s song heard in the Disney Channel series “3rd & Bird,” which would add an Emmy Award to his mantle.

In 2015, Ziggy and his brother Stephen teamed up with high-end menswear designer John Varvatos, appearing in the brand’s spring and summer ad campaigns.  The following year the eponymously named Ziggy Marley, which produced the single “Weekend’s Long,” peaked at #1 on Billboard’s U.S. Reggae Album chart.  His sixth solo studio album, a deeply introspective project that he personally produced and mixed, earned Ziggy his eighth Grammy Award.  That same year, Marley channeled his passion for working in the kitchen into the Ziggy Marley and Family Cookbook.  It featured both Ziggy’s own recipes and those of friends and family, and in support of its publication, Ziggy appeared on the popular TV shows “Chopped” and “The Chew.”

Ziggy Marley is recognized as a continual innovator in the reggae format, fusing its traditional sound with other genres, modern sounds and new recording techniques.  In 2017 Marley’s contributions were recognized with the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, making him the first reggae artist to receive the prestigious award in its more than three-decade history.  That year, Ziggy paid tribute to his father’s legacy, celebrating the 40^th anniversary of Time Magazine’s “Album of the Century” with the release of Exodus 40: The Movement Continues.  Ziggy unearthed the original master tapes for one of Bob Marley’s most iconic albums to recreate its songs with unheard takes, instrumentation and brand-new mixes.

In 2021, Ziggy Marley was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Medger Evers College at The City University of New York, given to individuals “whose achievements reflect [the] institution’s mission of social and economic justice as well as a commitment to service.”

Since 2017, Marley has been the lead producer and force behind the Bob Marley: One Love biopic released February 14, 2024, breaking Valentine’s Day box office release records, the film was heralded as reviving box offices following the writer / actor strikes and is quickly becoming one of the top grossing music biopics of all time.

Paramount to his music and entertainment focus, Marley transforms his success to champion political and philanthropic causes. Ziggy initially served as a Goodwill Youth Ambassador for the United Nations and participated in Bob Marley Foundation initiatives worldwide.  He later expanded his ambitions by founding his own charity, U.R.G.E. (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment), a non-profit organization whose mission ranges from building new schools to operating health clinics, supporting beneficiaries including Food for the Poor, Health Care International, the Chepstowe Basic School in Jamaica and HOLA (Heart of Los Angeles). LEARN MORE ABOUT URGE at www.urgefoundation.org and here.