Excerpt: Click link above to see video.
Excerpt: Click link above to see performance.
Excerpt: Click link above to see interview.
Excerpt: "I'm doing a full tour playing my children's music at day shows and playing with 311 at night," Marley said. "It's going to be a brand new experience doing both kinds of shows." Fusing the worlds of children's and adult music comes easy for Marley.
Excerpt: "I grew up around music and it was in my life at an early age," Marley said. "I picked up a guitar when I was 12. My family was pretty influential on my choice to be a musician. "Once I got inspired on the spiritual side, the magic of being inspired to write songs kept me going. Love is my religion and I started writing songs about that. This particular concept has run through my songs from early on."
Excerpt: "I know how important music can be a in a child's growth and development," Marley said. "That's why I wanted to make my new record, Family Time. It's a collection of songs I wrote with children in mind. "My 2-year-old really helped me get back to some of those childhood vibes and enjoyment. That really let me write the songs." No worries -- Family Time is a reggae record for kids of all ages.
Excerpt: "Usually my songs mean more than one thing. Family Time is about my family, your family and the world's family."
Excerpt: B: The proceeds from the sale of the CD will go toward the Chepstowe Basic School in Jamaica — tell me about that project. Z: "Music is part of us from the beginning." The school is for the very young. I wanted to get into education for kids so I adopted a school and we started doing some development. Some of the money will help with more classrooms, more books, better pay for the teachers. I want it to be an example for the rest of Jamaica in terms of what we can do.
Excerpt: B: Maybe this is a silly question, but what do you think it is about music and children — why are children so drawn to music? Z: I think that music, beats, melody, sound are a natural part of our DNA, our vibe. It’s just a part of the cycle of our lives, we’re born, we have eyes, we have music. It’s part of us from the beginning. We’re drawn to it because it’s a part of us.
Excerpt: B: what’s the most important piece of advice you would give to another parent? Z: I don’t know … it can’t be one thing for every parent because every child is different. Patience is important, discipline is important, you have to learn balance. I guess that would be my general advice, keep it balanced— don’t lean one way or the other way too far.
Excerpt: "Family Time" is a work of original songs and some covers from Marley aimed at a children's audience. Guest stars on the album include Jack Johnson and Willie Nelson. "The idea of doing a record for children runs deep in who we really would love to influence" Marley said. "The greatest step I've ever taken in music is singing for children."
Excerpt: "B is for Bob" features Ziggy reworking 12 of his father's songs for children. Marley said the idea was to have something of Bob Marley especially for children. "We wanted to create something original - Bob Marley just for kids," Marley said. "We reworked some of the music. It's a bit different, so it's unique for children."
Excerpt: With hits of his own and his father's, Marley said he knows what songs the audience wants to hear but wants to find a good balance of songs during his set. "I've gone to the extreme of wanting to give fans only something new. But it's human nature," Marley said. "People see the name Marley and want to hear something familiar, so I want to satisfy that need in them. I like the new stuff, but I am respectful of people and what they like to hear."
Excerpt: The obsession continues.....Our kids LOVE Ziggy Marley! Matt bought me the new Ziggy album, Family Time for Mother's Day. We went to see him play on Sat. and the opening band was Rhythm Child! (They play at Lily's school fundraiser each year). The kids were singing along and dancing up a storm. (Their favorite song is Cry, Cry, Cry. Ben sings: Ky Ky Ky, bee dzee zeeba bee) Ziggy also played Jammin', Lily's previous favorite song, but she informed us that it is no more. Cry Cry has replaced it. Sorry Bob. Ben passed out midway, but rallied for the last few songs. Ziggy's kids were on stage, singing and playing drums the whole time (they're 3&1). Just a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning!
Excerpt: The movements on the Billboard Reggae Album get more interesting each week. Ziggy Marley entered a couple weeks ago and made his debut at number one, pushing dub band Easy Stars All Stars to number 2 and Buju Banton to 3. By the following week, however, Easy Stars was back at one and Ziggy at two. Currently, in an interesting turn of events, Easy Stars has slipped into the number three slot, perhaps for the first time since entering this chart. Right there at the pinnacle is Ziggy, with Family Time and muscling his way into number two is brother Julian, who made his Billboard debut with his album Awake, his third studio album and first in six years.
Excerpt: Grammy-winning recording artist Ziggy Marley unleashed his new youthful sound on the Santa Barbara community this past Friday, playing semi-acoustic for over 100 parents and children at the Santa Barbara Boys & Girls Club before taking the stage at the S.B. Bowl later that evening.
Excerpt: With a broken down set of acoustic guitars, miscellaneous percussion, and back-up vocals from his daughter, the Jamaican-born Marley showcased songs from his new album, Family Time, Marley’s third solo album and first full-length production geared specifically toward children and families.
Excerpt: A crowd of children and parents filled Club Nokia on Saturday morning to hear Ziggy Marley perform his first kids show, part of the GRAMMY Museum's "Musical Explorations" family series.
Excerpt: Last month, four-time GRAMMY winner Marley released his first children's album, "Family Time." "Growing up music was an important part of my childhood,” Marley said in a release. "I see it being just as important in my children and all children growth and development. Music helps children to grow with open minds and open hearts and this is my message."
Excerpt: Clink above to visit gallery at Flickr.
Excerpt: For this Sunday’s second ticketed concert of the year, Ziggy Marley may have people wiggling their hips and pretending they can fly.
Excerpt: When reached in Los Angeles, the father of five said he didn’t set out to do a children’s album, but that’s the direction the songs wanted to go. His two youngest children were getting to the age where they could understand concepts, and he wanted to create something for them.
Excerpt: “My Helping Hands” has a childish tone, but Marley said he wrote it specifically for the recording, which he said allowed him to be a kid again. The colorful CD has finger paint-inspired hands all over its jacket, and the story is somewhat of a thesis statement for the entire project.
Excerpt: “I have to lift up my father,” Marley said. “I always have to put my father ahead of me. “I am not afraid of him or his legend. I love him.”
Excerpt: According to Marley, a four-time Grammy winner and father of five, he's been involved in children's projects and charities for so long as a musician that putting out an album directed at that age group is sort of a natural progression. He often plays shows for kids and parents only, and that's part of what sparked the project.
Excerpt: "I think it was Bonnaroo in 2007, and they asked me to sing on the kids' stage during the day," he says. "And I said 'Of course.' So I got to see mothers and children dancing together, and it was a very good vibe. Seeing that type of joy when I looked out into the crowd is what made me really want to start something like this." But Marley admits he actually was trying to write an adult follow-up to Love Is My Religion, not intending to make a children's album such a major project. But the only songs that seemed to come to him were children's songs. "So we said 'That must be it, then,'" Marley says. "That's where the inspiration was taking me, so I followed it and recorded Family Time instead."
Excerpt: "Well, Willie's a legend...he's got me beat, by very far. By very, very, very far," he says. "Guys like Willie and Toots and Paul Simon, I respect them just like they respected my father. They're our heroes, and me feel blessed to have them a part of the project."
Excerpt: Click link above to watch interview.
Excerpt: Click link above to see video.
Excerpt: The disc features vocals from three generations of Marleys: Ziggy's 3-year-old daughter, Judah; his mother (and Bob Marley's widow) Rita; and sister Cedella.
Excerpt: The Associated Press: Why did you decide to record a children's album? Marley: I want to get the message to people who have an open mind, who don't have closed mind, who's not already set in their ways, and the only people like that are children. If I say my purpose is to make music that is going to make a change in the world or influence people, then who better to influence than children?
Excerpt: AP: You have five children. Do you see any of them becoming musicians in the future? Ziggy: They're already musicians. I love what I see, and it's real. They're not trying, they really have something. Where they get it from, I don't know, but they have something. It's beautiful to see that and that's not just because I am their father. Whether they eventually do it, I don't know, but they have it.
Excerpt: AP: What other kinds of music would you like to explore? Marley: I want to explore more African music. I'm into African music so I want to explore it more and see what I can do with it. I like the grooves, I like the hypnotic thing about African music. I want to see if I could eventually one day blend more African into this reggae thing and see what happens.
Excerpt: Click above link to visit gallery.
Excerpt: Click link above to see interview.
Excerpt: Let's face it;not all children's music albums can be enjoyed by parents. Yet Ziggy Marley's latest foray in the genre, Family Time, proves that intelligent music can be made for education as well as enjoyment for the entire family. Joined by guests Rita Marley, Jack Johnson, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, and Jamie Lee Curtis, the CD provides a joyful soundtrack that serves as a pleasant introduction to reggae.
Excerpt: A standout on Family Time, "Walk Tall" has Ziggy and Simon lending advice to children: if you make a mistake, try again. "Even if you fall, get up," the pair croon. While the message is nothing new, the duet (with a particularly ebullient Simon providing encouragement) reaches the heart, and the lyrics will have parents singing along as well as the kids. While ostensibly about superheroes, "Future Man, Future Woman" can also be addressing self-confidence and empowerment of both genders.
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley has a gift for writing and performing engaging children's songs (see his delightful version of "Give A Little Love" from 1991's For Our Children Disney compilation), and Family Time provides further evidence of that talent. At once charming and thoughtful, the album will entertain and educate children, demonstrating music's universal language. Parents may find themselves singing and dancing along, too.
Excerpt: Click link above to watch video
Excerpt: Click link above to watch video.
Excerpt: Ask Ziggy Marley where he resides, and the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and father of five will respond in his unmistakable accent, “I live on Earth. The world is my home. The trees are everywhere; the sky is everywhere. My home is in my mind.” Factually hazy, his answer nevertheless sums up the laid-back, often surreal attraction of both Jamaica and Los Angeles, between which he splits his time.
Excerpt: So far, Judah and her baby brother, Gideon, seem to be soaking the album up. “They love music—my music especially,” Marley says, laughing. “They sing the lyrics, they do the moves. Them dig it. Them dig it, mon.”
Excerpt: Click link above to see video
Excerpt: Quadruple Grammy award winner, Ziggy Marley does not want his father reggae icon Bob Marley on legal tender, opposing the position of cultural stakeholders. Ziggy... Bob Marley is already a national hero, whether the government says so or not "Me no inna that," said Marley in Sunday Observer interview. "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar, we no inna that. Hugh Shearer is good, put him on the $5,000 bill. Me alright with that."
Excerpt: Internationally, Marley is the musical equivalent of revolutionary icon Che Guevara; locally he is a national hero in waiting. Ziggy Marley told the Observer that politicians will one day elevate him to hero status for political expediency. "Even when he was around he did so much good things for people. During the One Love concert, which other man could have brought Eddy and Manley on stage in such a turbulent time to say peace in Jamaica. Is only a hero could have done that. We have to respect Bob for more than the music but what he stands for," argued Marley on Marley in reference to his father.
Excerpt: I had no problem understanding why Ziggy Marley was the right candidate to put out a children's CD. Indeed, I couldn't name a single person better equipped to introduce young ones to the sunny joys of reggae music.
Excerpt: Just how long the children's music genre will hold Marley's creative attention is anybody's guess. We could see a proper follow-up to "Family Time," or something completely different. As fans know by now, Marley isn't one to put a lot of effort into predicting the future. "Everything in its time," he says. "When the wind blows, it blows. I'm not a factory. There is a natural spiritual way, that's not dictated by time."
Excerpt: While he was being interviewed some time in 2008, he mentioned how he was going to do a children’s album, which was something that he always wanted to do throughout his career. Also he felt as though the album would appeal to adults as well and not just children, which made it sound even more interesting to me.
Excerpt: Verdict: Overall this is a very happy and positive type of album, which is definitely what the music loving world needs to hear right now. It’s also good to see that Ziggy is keeping his father’s dream alive of not just releasing music independently but also speaking to the children of the world, cause if you look back on Bob’s career, you’ll see that he definitely loved children. I think Ziggy’s done a nice job with this record. Check it out, he has something to say right now……then again, he always does!
Excerpt: Grammy winner Ziggy Marley tops the charts with a his new kids album - Family Time - which he describes as recession-proof opening new markets that weed-themed reggae could not.
Excerpt: "The music industry is way down... but parents are always looking for good music for the children. So we always need music for the kids," he said of the album which debuted at number one on Billboard's reggae charts beating his previous peak at number three with Dragonfly in 2003.
Excerpt: "We don't follow the charts, but it's all good," he told the Observer of the chart success. "It's a great thing but we no really get excited over them things much. It is about playing the music... the music stands beyond the charts."
Excerpt: Marley's kids are mostly grown in the US but he says they "still have a Jamaican vibe... and they are not Americanised". He argues that patriotism is not necessarily tied to geography. "It not about being there in Jamaica its about who you are," he said. "Me love Jamaica. It is still a place where there is a vibe like nowhere else. It is still a place that has a lot of potential and that is one of the reasons why I adopted a school in Port Antonio." Part proceeds of the album will go towards that basic school as part of his foundation URGE ( Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment). "I have tried the other way. where a man would say "give me a dollar" its not going to work. I want to do much more than give a man a dollar. I want to deal with children. Even though I am not there as often as I used to be, I am still putting resources in Jamaica to help the future," he said.
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley’s newest release, Family Time made its debut this week at the coveted top spot of the Billboard Top Reggae Album Chart.
Excerpt: Family Time was produced by Don Was and features members of the Marley family including Rita, Cedella and his daughter Judah alongside other international acts including Paul Simon, Jack Johnson and Willie Nelson as well as actress Jamie Lee Curtis who narrates two stories.
Excerpt: Ziggy is quoted in an interview as saying the record “represents my daily family life and is inspired by my three-year-old daughter Judah and baby Gideon. It was a joy to make and opened up new avenues in my creativity.”
Excerpt: Click link above to hear show
Excerpt: Click link above to visit gallery.
Excerpt: Click above link to see video
Excerpt: With a new album out that's geared toward kids, the singer rhapsodizes about his own brood, parenting and his mellow outlook on life.
Excerpt: Are you going to write a child-rearing book? Z: "I don't know about that. I've been writing some stories, working on some stories for kids. Give me a couple more years."
Excerpt: With this album, you seem to share credits with lots of people. Z: "Oh yeah! It's really a team effort. And it has to do with children. Whenever children are involved there are a lot of people who wouldn't normally come because it's children. And not only is the music for children but obviously some of the proceeds from the record are going to help me develop this school in Jamaica. We call it a basic school -- you call it kindergarten."
Excerpt: And now what do you make next? Z: "Ha ha! Well, I'm thinking about it. The next record I probably won't be thinking about kids. But musically? I want to be trying to take a trip, going on a journey. Who knows where it ends up? It has to be an adventure if I'm going to enjoy it. You know?"
Excerpt: And so you're going on tour? The good news is that parents are desperate to have their kids entertained, so you're in luck! Z: "Well, as long as people keep having children we'll be all right. And we'll have music for the children. We're always looking for something for all kids: music, good food, good toys to play with. Stuff that means something! I think parents today are looking for meaningful things for their kid. It's about feeding them something with meaning."
Excerpt: Click link above to see video
Excerpt: Just in time for Mother's Day, Ziggy Marley pays tribute to maybe the most famous name in music with his first kids' album.
Excerpt: Click to hear interview and acoustic tracks
Excerpt: Click link above to see video
Excerpt: Click above link for video interview!
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley, 40, has now recorded his third solo album, his first for kids. But "Family Time" is for grown-ups, too. Instantly winning, the music is rich with reggae rhythms and melodies you and your children will be singing together with joy, much as Mr. Marley and his little daughter do on the title track.
Excerpt: You may not know Ziggy Marley's music, but it's likely your kids do. The eldest son of the late Bob Marley and singer Rita Marley sang his father's "Three Little Birds" with the title character of Nickelodeon's "Dora the Explorer." He appeared on "Sesame Street," and his "Believe in Yourself" was the theme song for PBS's "Arthur." His "Love Power," recorded with his band the Melody Makers, ran under the end credits of "Muppet Treasure Island," and he provided the voice for Ernie, a dreadlock-wearing jellyfish, in "Shark Tale."
Excerpt: Mr. Marley said that when he first had the idea to do the record, he met with Dan Zanes. "He explained that I would want to be doing music for the family. I wanted adults as well as kids." Mr. Zanes, a member of the '80s band the Del Fuegos, has recorded six smart albums that please kids and their parents, one of which won a Grammy in the Best Musical Album for Children category.
Excerpt: Mr. Marley was at work on "Family Time" in a Los Angeles recording studio when Mr. Simon called producer Don Was in search of a drummer for a project. A conversation between the two singer-songwriters ensued, but Mr. Marley was too shy to ask Mr. Simon if he'd like to be on the album. A mutual friend intervened and Mr. Simon sang and played guitar on the heartening "Walk Tall."
Excerpt: Click link to see gallery of: Ziggy Marley "Family Time" Album Release Party May 8, 2009 - Pure Yoga New York, NY United States
Excerpt: Click above link for pictures and video of the performance!
Excerpt: Renowned reggae artist Ziggy Marley performed live in our studio today from his new album, entitled Family Time.
Excerpt: for his new children’s album, Family Time, Marley has pulled out all the stops, assembling an Ocean’s Eleven-style dream team including some major names both within kids’ entertainment (Elizabeth Mitchell, Jamie Lee Curtis, the dreaded Laurie Berkner) and without (Jack Johnson, Toots Hibbert, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon). The result is a wonderfully easy listen that’s a lot more cohesive than you might think, given the succession of cameos — and if you, like me, have never given Marley much thought, it proves unexpectedly entertaining as well.
Excerpt: Taken together, the songs form something like a set of training wheels for young would-be reggae fans — not only simply by virtue of Marley’s presence (and those of family members Judah, Rita, and Cedella), but through some savvy choices of material to cover (”Hold ‘Em Low,” “This Train”) or reinterpret (”Wings of an Eagle” spins “If I Had the Wings of a Dove”; “ABC” does the same for “Bend Down Low”), mixed in with some thoroughly enjoyable originals.
Excerpt: Ultimately, the album is a rather slight affair, but then, you get the feeling that’s exactly what Marley was aiming for — an amiable, uncomplicated good time for children of all ages. Call it an unqualified success, then, and prepare for Family Time to last a good, long while in your household.
Excerpt: Click above link to visit archive which includes video, audio and transcript.
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley has spent more than 20 years building on the music of his father, reggae legend Bob Marley. Since joining his siblings to form The Melody Makers, he's won four Grammys, including one for his sophomore solo effort, "Love Is My Religion." He's also produced artists on the family's Jamaican record label, Ghetto Youths United. Marley supports a wide range of charitable children's causes in the U.S., Jamaica, Ethiopia and other developing nations and recently released his first children's CD, "Family Time."
Excerpt: MSN: Why did you want to do a kids album and why now? Ziggy Marley: Last year after I finished touring the last record it was time to consider what's next. It wasn't the first option that came to my mind, focusing on children, but then I've been involved in so many kids stuff it kept kinda peeking around the corner, a record where my mindset would be focused on kids.
Excerpt: How did Paul Simon get involved? Paul Simon is someone else that I have that spiritual vibe with. I met him probably once before we did this. He called me asking for help in finding a drummer for him for some music he was doing, and I was honored he would call about that. I wasn't even thinking about asking him. But we were talking and he asked what I was working on. I said, "I'm making a children's record," and he seemed genuinely interested. We talked to a lot of people, and sometimes you have fake people, but everyone on this record is real people. Ain't nothing about business, this record is all pleasure.
Excerpt: Some proceeds from the album will benefit a school in Jamaica -- why did you choose this particular school? We're already doing stuff with them, so this will be additional. We adopted a school in Jamaica in Port Antonia and have been coming up with ideas to [support them]. We do all of that through my charity, U.R.G.E. But I'm all into children. My belief is we have to focus on the future. We can't focus on today, it's not gonna work. If we really want things to change -- we talking about Jamaican economic and social programs to make a better place -- the accomplishment will be seen 10 years from now. So we can't think about ourselves, we have to think 10 years ahead of time. I am making an effort to develop better education because I believe in it. So we are working with the school and orphanages in Jamaica. But this is the next thing: I have to build the school more. A portion of my concert tickets also goes to U.R.G.E.
Excerpt: Did your father's commitment to social change through music influence your commitment to children? Everything is connected. My mother plays a big role, my relatives nobody knows play a big role. What I'm doing today is because of a combination of all the things I've ever experienced in my life.
Excerpt: Q: What about your children makes you laugh? A: Even though they're children, they have their identities. They smile on the inside, and they smile on the outside. They have good hearts and are loving. That makes me laugh inside and out.
Excerpt: Q: What do you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about? A: Usually the kids wake me up in the middle of the night, and I think, What does my little daughter want now? She wants water, sometimes a book, sometimes a different song on the CD. She's the one who is waking me up, so she's what I think about.
Excerpt: Q: What was your dad most right about? A: "Listen to your daddy." I instill that in my children. "I'm the guide in the journey you're on." That's the basic advice my father gave me: "Listen to your father." I learned that the hard way. It's very important that we instill some respect for the parents. In America especially, the kids are unruly, screaming at mommy and daddy, running the show. Let kids know we guide them. When kids question me, "Why?" [I tell them that] it's the rule because I say so.
Excerpt: WHAT'S YOUR... ...guiltiest pleasure? Coconut cupcakes. ...ideal getaway? Peace and quiet anywhere. Doesn't matter the place. I like peace and quiet. Listening to the wind blow and the trees rustling. Sometimes it's good to take the time to listen to nature. It's a state of mind and a state of surroundings. ...favorite gadget? My laptop at this point in time—until I get my studio back. It's under reconstruction. I have my musical gadgets. ...current reading material? The Bible. What's your preference: ...wine or beer? Water. I love water. When I was little, I used to say it was my wine and act drunk [laughs]. ...cook at home or eat takeout? Cook at home. ...coddle your tot or let him cry it out? Cry it out. It depends. Not all the time, it depends. If he's hurt, I'll coddle. But if he's crying for something that he's not getting, I won't coddle—I let him cry it out.
Excerpt: The fact that this album begins with the lines "Lift up your hearts with a smile, Lift up your feet with a dance, Lift up your spirits with a song, It's family time," speaks volumes about the tremendously warm vibes emanating from every tune on Family Time.
Excerpt: Several guest stars show up on Family Time, including mother Rita Marley, sister Cedella Marley, and daughter Judah Marley. Also making appearances are Paul Simon, Toots Hibbert, Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson & Paula Fuga, Jamie Lee Curtis, and kids' music stars Elizabeth Mitchell and Laurie Berkner. Another thing that makes Family Time so successful is Ziggy's band. Drummer Santa Davis lets the "pow" of his snare and the "fooom" of his kick drum speak for themselves, while bassist Pino Palladino, known for his rock band session work (he currently tours with The Who), really did his Reggae homework, using lots of low end and leaving plenty of spaces between the notes. They're joined by keyboardist James Poyser, percussionist Rock Deadrick, and Ziggy's longtime touring guitarist Takeshi Akimoto.
Excerpt: The Verdict Family Time is a great introduction to contemporary Reggae for kids, and Ziggy Marley's message of love and family just can't be beat. Ziggy's heart is in the right place, too: proceeds from the sale of Family Time will benefit Chepstowe Basic School in Port Antonio, Jamaica. One of the best children's albums of 2009, and certainly the top Reggae CD of the year for kids.
Excerpt: Q: What kind of music did your family listen to when you were a kid? A: Obviously, I hear the singing of my family, including my grandaunt, who would watch us when my parents were on tour. She used to sing a lot of gospel songs. Donna Summer. Jackson Five. Glen Campbell. I used to sing "Rhinestone Cowboy" every day. We also grew up on the traditional Jamaican folk songs. I did one on this album, "Hold 'Em Joe." That was the first song I ever sang on a stage.
Excerpt: Q: Your brothers - Damian, Stephen, Julian, Ky-Mani - are making hits. Does that make you feel competitive? A: I'm caring. My brothers ... I'm not competitive with them. It's a continuation of my father's dream.
Excerpt: Q: When you did the voice for the jellyfish character in the 2004 animated film "Shark Tale," did you have to spend a lot of time biting people to prepare for the role? A: No, I didn't bite anybody. That was one of those things I'm not sure I did such a good job, but I learn a lot from doing that.
Excerpt: "When I initially started to think about this thing, I was thinking about this kiddy stuff, " Marley said, breaking into a sing-song scat of "This Old Man." "But I started talking to [producer] Don [Was] and [we decided] it had to be ... real music that the kids will enjoy but that the parents will enjoy also."
Excerpt: "He hasn't been here physically, but trust me, brother: My father is still a part of my life," Marley said of his dad. "I speak to him every other day — at least. We all miss him, and the physical side of it, we wish he was here with us. But we have to understand that life is more than even what [we're aware of]. ... There's other ways of seeing things that aren't physical or material that are just as real."
Excerpt: » EXPRESS: You're involved in several projects supporting and promoting Africa. How did your first trip there — to Zimbabwe in 1980 — influence your life? » MARLEY: As a child, going on this big long flight — I never been on a plane for so long. And I remember sitting beside my father and my little brother .. and I said, "This is like a trip to the moon." And everybody started laughing and it was a big joke. But being there and understanding the significance of, one, my father — why he was significant was because of his music ... which inspired people to stand up for something that is right and to help them overcome the hurdles that were in their way to freedom. And all of this became very inspirational to me, and to understand that Africa was the way it was, and the colonization, and people being oppressed, and people finally getting freedom — and music was a bit part of it. ... I was about 11. I believe Africa is the future of the world. There's an old saying, "As it was in the beginning, so it shall be in the end." Africa is the place that created the wealth of the world; everybody took from Africa. This is where everybody got rich; this is where everybody established themselves through pillaging, through slavery, through stealing, through the colonies throughout Africa. People say Africa is poor, but I don't believe it. Africa is the richest nation on Earth; it's just not organized enough, it's not unified enough. There's so much misleadership there and greed, and that's a problem, but Africa — the land — is rich, but it's just not unified enough for people to make use of it. The unity of Africa is something that must happen, and will happen, and I'm gonna do my part of what I can do to help that along the way. I'm upsetting myself because I don't think I'm doing enough and I need to do more, and I'm looking for the opportunity to do more.
Excerpt: You can’t help but tap your feet and sway along with Ziggy Marley’s brand new children’s CD! This is his first foray into the kid’s arena and just for fun - he brought a few ‘pros’ along for the ride: Jack Johnson, Laurie Berkner, Elizabeth Mitchell and Jamie Lee Curtis are only a few of the artists featured on the CD Family Time. Since I was given this CD, the kids haven’t stopped asking for it!
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley is bringing music to the LITTLE people! He is releasing his first children’s album and has invited some family and pretty cool friends to join him on it. Jack Johnson, Laurie Berkner, Elizabeth Mitchell and Jamie Lee Curtis are only a few of the artists featured on the CD Family Time, in stores May 5th. In addition to some well known classics like “This Train” and “Hold Him Joe” Ziggy has written many original songs on this release which are endearing tributes to his family with many sage words of wisdom for kids.
Excerpt: Ziggy plays during last five minutes
Excerpt: ZIGGY Marley knows what it's like to grow up around music. The oldest son of Bob Marley grew up in a house filled with it -- everything from the reggae rhythms of his dad to the Jackson 5 and even Glen Campbell, whose country-pop hit "Rhinestone Cowboy" is the first song he remembers singing as a kid in the Trenchtown neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica.
Excerpt: "My son pulls my leg and says, 'Come play drums!' " Marley tells The Post happily about his youngest child, Gideon. Not only did his kids critique his work in process, he says, but you can hear his 3-year-old daughter Judah singing on the album's title track. Even his mom, Rita Marley, gets in on the action -- singing on the tune "I Love You Too."
Excerpt: Then again, the 40-year-old is used to keeping it all in the family. He sat in on recording sessions with his famous father and later led his siblings -- Sharon, Cedella and Stephen -- as the frontman for the Melody Makers.
Excerpt: Got a minute? Tuff Gong descendant Ziggy Marley opens up about protecting his father's legacy, working with Willie Nelson on Family Time (out May 5), and why he's a Shaggy fan. Q: People have called you a member of the reggae royal family. Does that mean anything to you? A: Well, people call me all types of things. Whether it's good or bad, I don't really think about it too much. I don't believe in other people's ideas. I have my own ideas. Q: You've voiced concern about your father becoming a product, like Kurt Cobain or Che Guevara. How do you stop that? A: Listen, everything is a lesson. We know what is right and what is wrong and what would hurt our father and what would not. We understand what we are doing—so you don't have to worry. Q: Do you feel like you and your family are protecting his image? A: We are. We understand there's more to this than money, you know? Q: Do you have a favorite Bob Marley & the Wailers song? A: Not really. I never did. I like different songs sometimes. Which songs do I like? One my father doesn't do the lead vocals on—"Pass It On," it's called. "Pass It On." I love that song. Q: On your latest album, you work with Willie Nelson. How was that? A: Willie is like a godfather to me. He's family. He was one of those preachers for me when I was young. Q: The idea of music for children and families is not exclusive to this album. Your music has been featured in kid-friendly films before, including Muppet Treasure Island. Who is your favorite Muppet? A: Miss Piggy, I would say. I think she's . . . I like her. I like her style. Q: Of the current reggae powerhouses, who's your man: Shaggy or Wyclef? A: Shaggy. I would go with Shaggy. I know Shaggy more than I know Wyclef. I just finished touring with Shaggy, so I have a human-to-human relationship. Wyclef and I don't have a human-to-human relationship.
Excerpt: Zooglobble: What do you remember singing or playing growing up? Ziggy Marley: We sang a lot of Jamaican folk songs, but we had a lot of different records. I remember we had Glen Campbell's
Excerpt: Hey, I have that song, too! So why a family album now? In my case, this was something just happened, just occurred naturally. I played the kids stage at a music festival (Austin City Limits Festival 2007), and I understood why this was happening -- it was happening for the future, for peace, for family. I want to feed them a higher concept than just the cow jumping over the moon. I have young kids, so it's for the children -- for my children, but it's for everyone, with children in mind.
Excerpt: What do you hope families get from the album? I hope the record lasts a lifetime for a child -- that they can carry it from year to year, can listen to it forever. I hope my daughter listens to it now, then when she's older, then with her own kids -- just pass it on. Like a family heirloom.
Excerpt: What family music-related things are you doing this summer? You're reworking some of your dad's songs (B Is For Bob, right? Lots of musicians do "Three Little Birds." I went to the record company and said, "Let me revamp the songs." I'll gear it toward children, something uniqure -- new instruments, alternate vocal takes. I like it -- it really worked well. Sounds organic and authentic. I'm doing kids shows in between the regular shows. The shows can't be too loud. I want it to be different, to have a different energy [than the regular shows]. I hope to play with the family.
Excerpt: It was helmed by superstar record producer, Don Was, and although some songs include potentially overshadowing celebrities such as Willie Nelson, their presence serves as extended family members who are mindful of their subtle mission. The intentional exception is "Walk Tall" that features vocals by Paul Simon whose voice and phrasings seem interchangeable with Marley's in what is a great game of audio hide and seek.
Excerpt: Marley sings to both the kids and the grownups in the room. His clever "Ziggy Says" is much more engaging than your run-of-the-mill "Simon Says" since he requests, "Imagine you can fly," "Make the sign of peace," "Stop and say,'Hi!'," and "Hug who you know," as matter-of-factly as he sings, "Wiggle your toes." Toots, without his Maytals, adds some local flavor to "Take Me To Jamaica," and some popular children's entertainers stop by, such as Elizabeth Mitchell, Laurie Berkner, and the genre's latest addition, Jack Johnson. The most interesting guest is Willie Nelson whose vocals come off like a wise ol' grandpa, the kind who can utter three words and get you to absorb a book's worth of knowledge.
Excerpt: Fathers who are fans of Bob Marley's music, and who have always envisioned sharing their favorite songs with their children, may get the chance to do so in an innovative way this June. Ziggy Marley, the eldest child of the late reggae singer, will be releasing two children-themed albums in the coming months, one of which will be a set of his father's songs that have been revised and remastered for children.
Excerpt: "I kind of realized why I'm being led into this world of family/children's music is because we have to speak to the children now," Marley said. "The children have the open-mindedness. They're going to grow up and make the world a better place, so it's them we have to have some kind of discussion with."
Excerpt: With Marley's new album, it may work particularly well for fathers who grew up listening to Bob Marley albums, but who have been hesitant to introduce the singer's work because of some of the lyrical content. For example, a father may not want his child singing "I shot the sheriff" in school.
Excerpt: There's already a big buzz about this one, folks: May 5, 2009 marks the release of Ziggy Marley's children's music debut, Family Time.
Excerpt: And here's some factory testing for ya: I've been playing the album constantly in the Children's Room of my library, and everybody stops to ask, "Who is this ?!?"
Excerpt: As it turns out, Ziggy is set to release a children's album, which will be hitting the shelves sometime in early May. The buzz on the streets is that it's going to be great; not just kid-friendly, but parent-friendly as well. It's an album that definitely serves a great purpose; reggae lyrics can sometimes be too intense for little ears.
Excerpt: ZIGGY Marley is no stranger to the world of children’s entertainment. He lives in it every day with a three-year-old daughter, Judah, and a feisty son named Gideon who’s already a handful at age two (pix). But Marley is a familiar voice to other people’s children, too. He has contributed music to TV shows such as Dora the Explorer and sings the theme song to Arthur.
Excerpt: Marley says he was guided to do the album. “Children are very important to me. They’re a big part of my life. Most things that I do I feel like I’m guided to do, and this album felt that way. “It is very important for me to sing these songs because children have open minds. If you can influence the kids, then the future is a better place.”
Excerpt: The artiste feels that making Family Time has brought his family closer together. “The kids had a lot to do with it, too. I give them a lot of credit for helping me write the songs. They were my muse,” he adds.
Excerpt: He'll follow that with the June release of a set of Bob Marley song's, revised and remastered with a children's audience in mind.
Excerpt: "It's a very different vibe," says Ziggy, "but still real Bob. It's not like fake Bob. It's still the real Bob...It's Bob singing and I'm playing, like an acoustic session almost. Anything I did on this record is soulful and musical. There's no gimmicks. I'm keeping true to the spirit of my father, to the spirit of his music."
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley is no stranger to the world of children's entertainment. He lives in it everyday with a 3-year-old daughter, Judah, and a feisty son named Gideon who's already a handful at age 2.
Excerpt: Produced by Don Was, "Family Time" is a bright collection of upbeat songs about the importance of loving one another and taking care of the environment. With nods to Marley's native Jamaica and his parents, Bob and Rita Marley, the album features cameos from his family (Judah makes her recording debut on the title track), along with big names such as Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Toots Hibbert, Jack Johnson, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Excerpt: "Well, children are very important to me. They're a big part of my life. Most things that I do I feel like I'm guided to do, and this album felt that way. It is very important for me to sing these songs because children have open minds. If you can influence the kids, then the future is a better place."
Excerpt: "Making music brings us closer together as a family. The kids had a lot to do with it, too. I give them a lot of credit for helping me write the songs. They were my muse."
Excerpt: "I grew up on traditional Jamaican folk music. "Hold 'Em Joe," which is on my new record, was the first song I ever sang as a child. Obviously I also grew up on my father's singing and my mother's singing. But no, we didn't listen to music about ice cream and lollipops."
Excerpt: Catch the ska sounds of 311 and the reggae stylings of Ziggy Marley at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater Wednesday, July 1. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 27.
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley, the eldest son of legendary Bob Marley, is a four-time Grammy winner. He performed through much of the 1980s and 1990s in the Melody Makers with his brothers and sisters. He released his first solo album, Dragonfly, in 2003.
Excerpt: TuneCore.com To Launch Music Sales Certifications Based On New Industry Model, Recognizing Massive Sales Numbers From Established Stars And DIY Talent
Excerpt: tists who have sold over 100,000 get a white TuneCore Sales Certification Award; selling over 250,000 songs nets a silver TuneCore Sales Certification Award; while over 500,000 sold gets a black TuneCore Sales Certification Award.
Excerpt: OVER 250,000 SONGS SOLD: Ziggy Marley Love Is My Religion Los Angeles, CA
Excerpt: Video of interview with Ziggy in New Zealand
Excerpt: Since his father Bob's death in 1981, David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley has emerged from his shadow and become a reggae great in his own right. With four Grammy Awards under his belt, he will headline this year's Raggamuffin Festival in Rotorua this weekend.
Excerpt: "I don't really think about that type of stuff - we have been doing this all of our lives. So I would say music is in my blood and always will be," Marley said. This is not his first time in New Zealand and he is looking forward to returning. "New Zealand is a beautiful place. I want to come back and fill up my eyes with some nature, feel the natural vibe and give some energy back to the people," he told The Daily Post.
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley took the stage and stole the show. ‘Love Is My Religion’ was good. His dad’s songs ‘Is This Love’ and ‘Lively Up Yourself’ made me think it was the great man himself. People came together as one; the mixed bag of dreads, kids, yuppies, stoners and misfits morphed into a single mega reggae jam. It was an afternoon to remember.
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley is looking forward to celebrating what would have been his late father's 64th birthday with the show in Rotorua. "It's quite a while since I have been in New Zealand," he says. "I am coming to bring the message of love. "In recent years I grew into realising that love is the answer to everything in the universe."
Excerpt: Marley, a man of few words, is a true family man. He grew up surrounded by music, accompanying his father to the studio from an early age. He soon joined with his siblings to form The Melody Makers. The act enjoyed two decades of successful touring and recording, winning three Grammy Awards and worldwide recognition.
Excerpt: Another first is his visit to New Zealand. "I am excited to come but I try not to create an impression about a place in my mind, before I go there, least one gets disappointed. Friends of mine told me, that I particularly would like it. "The thing is this: I play music, and that really is my first love. I am excited at the possibility to play to new audiences as well to those who have bought my music for many, many years. "So it will be a real celebration for me as it has been in Australia."
Excerpt: Everything he did helps us do what we do today." No prizes for guessing who Ziggy Marley is talking about. "My father is my biggest musical influence. He's my hero," he says in his laidback and often hard to decipher Jamaican lilt.
Excerpt: However, on Love Is My Religion the oldest Marley dabbled more in African beats and sounds. "My mind is open to a wide variety of musical influences and not being limited by what people expect of your music. With this last record I tried to incorporate more African sounds and that's the direction I want to continue to go in in the future."
Excerpt: Being a Marley is big business, but he insists he's not a businessman. "I'm not trying to cheat nobody and take advantage of anything," he chuckles. "I'm just standing up for my rights and you have to do that in life. That's why I'm making sure nobody is trying to cheat me and belittle me. That is the business side of what I do but I don't consider myself a businessman. I'm a musician first, and my wife handles most of the business side. Sometimes she'd like me to be more business-like."
Excerpt: His next musical project will be for the kids, with something he calls a "family album". "Right now I feel more like wanting to speak to children more than adults, because children have an open mind and if we really want to make a change in the world we have to speak to children."
Excerpt: Mention this to Ziggy Marley, the heir to his father's legacy and the most successful member of Bob Marley's huge, extended musical family, and he replies immediately: "Sure. Sure. I think so. I remember. I remember. That is my favourite time, musically, and even, like, being alive as a child. It was the character of the individuals that made the music great. It was the consciousness, the progressiveness, the struggles and being closer connected to the past. They were closer connected to my grandparents, who were closer connected to slavery. "The generation of today is much further disconnected from the struggles of their people … there aren't as many character-building elements as there used to be. It was a certain kind of character who would make music like that."
Excerpt: Marley is not, as some early enthusiasts claimed, a reincarnation of his father. He's very much a representative of a new generation embracing his father's generation's reggae legacy, but seeing such fundamental aspects of reggae culture as the Rastafarian religion as belonging to a past age.
Excerpt: "Youths like me — we will never overshadow our ancestors or be better than them," he says. "We can only continue with what they would hope we would do. That is a big deal. We don't have to be great like them, but we have to continue it. There is nothing greater than keeping it alive."
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley, the headline act of Raggamuffin, hit the stage with the attitude of entertaining his fans to the full extent. The son of late reggae legend Bob Marley, he began with True to Myself and continued on with funky tunes such as Black Cat, A Lifetime and Raw Riddim. It was obvious Bob passed some of his talent onto his son. As Ziggy ended the day on a high-note, punters made their way out of the Gardens with sore feet and big grins, proving that reggae was alive-and-well in Perth.
Excerpt: A podcast interview with Ziggy
Excerpt: In response to complaints about marijuana use at summer concerts, the Del Mar Fairgrounds has banned cigarette smoking at the annual county fair and approved a policy allowing pat-down searches at reggae concerts.
Excerpt: The fairgrounds' board of directors has been under pressure from anti-smoking activists since August, when people complained about blatant marijuana smoking during a Ziggy Marley reggae concert at the racetrack grandstands.
Excerpt: Torres noted that country artists such as Willie Nelson have been outspoken about their marijuana use and said reggae is being unfairly targeted. “If they want to do (greater enforcement), they should do that at all concerts, not just reggae concerts,” he said.
Excerpt: It's a touchingly earnest scene — one that would probably win John McCain 10,000 votes an hour if broadcast live on cable stations around the country. After all, the Republicans want nothing more than to tell Middle America that Barack Obama is going to turn their kids into Ziggy Marley, or some even more sinister betray-your-race archetype, like Cat Stevens or John Walker Lindh.
Excerpt: one of his role models was his own dad, bob marley. Sure, it was “cool” having Bob Marley as a father — not because of he was a music legend, but just how he acted as a dad. Ziggy fondly remembers his childhood as one filled with music; his father was fun-loving and played sports with Ziggy and his siblings. Since his dad traveled all over the world, Ziggy also remembers being excited about interesting things brought back from those travels – and it’s probably why the Marley siblings are so open-minded about other cultures.
Excerpt: Kids influence his music and work, and Ziggy sees the appreciation in his own children. They love to hear their daddy’s voice and music on animated shows, such as Shark Tale, Dora the Explorer and Arthur. Ziggy is also developing a new animated series, Little Z. Like many children’s shows, Little Z has underlying messages, but this series will be direct, not subtle. Little Z will teach character education, such as concepts of love, unity, charity, discipline and even handling death.
Excerpt: Parents can help educate their kids and their communities by not passing on their own prejudices to their kids; give kids the freedom to take the tools you’ve given them and develop themselves. Ziggy encourages parents not to give kids “borders or cultural prejudices that alienate kids from others. Give children a chance to open their minds, don’t burden kids with your own problems and prejudices, and don’t protect your kids too much; it will hurt them later.”
Excerpt: it's clear Ziggy understands how important children are to society. Ziggy, who is a father of five, is currently in the studio recording his first children's album.
Excerpt: "You want to affect the people you have to sing for children because they are the ones with the most open minds. We as adult's our minds are more set. You know most of us our minds are set but children's mind open so Jah says sing to the children because it's them that lead and teach other people. Our children lead the way not the people of a mind that can't be free from mental slavery. The children they lead the way so we decided to teach the children instead of trying to force it upon people who don't want to know it, you know? But we tell the children because they are more willing to listen to it and dance and yeah, affect their mind. So we'll see how that goes. I think it's a good strategy."
Excerpt: "The good thing about the songs is they be for children but it's for everyone really. It's songs that you can groove to and appreciate lyrically. It's not songs that adults won't like. They will like it but children will understand it."
Excerpt: Click link for gallery
Excerpt: Marley, who will soon turn 40, has been spreading goodwill long enough to have won four Grammys, including best reggae album honors in 2006 for
Excerpt: "I just came from the Aspen Jazz Festival, where I got to see Bob Dylan for the first time. I was just on the side stage watching him do his thing. He's cool — I like him. Besides that, I've been in the studio, working on an album for kids."
Excerpt: "The secret is simple: Get good sleep, keep exercising and have the right motivation. That's what it takes for me — there has to be a reason. With "Love Is My Religion," I had a pretty good reason for being on the road for so long: Love is my religion, and an important idea to spread around the world. That's what motivated me to keep going."
Excerpt: "Reggae is sunshine music — it brings sunshine into life. It's a music that creates a vibration that makes people come together and have a good time."
Excerpt: "The music is very multigenerational. It crosses so many boundaries — racial, social, age. I don't see any other music where so many borders have been broken down and crossed. Reggae does so much for people in all walks of life."
Excerpt: Follow link for photos
Excerpt: The second biggest night of the Labor Day weekend was Saturday, when 10,200 people came to see Ziggy Marley and Bob Dylan.
Excerpt: Reggae fans were happy, as usual, with Ziggy,
Excerpt: No such lunacy from Ziggy Marley In Jamaica (Tuff Gong), a compilation of classics handpicked by Bob Marley's eldest son that continues the series started by Gilles Peterson's outstanding Africa and Brazil compilations. However, while the BBC DJ balanced established tracks with a second disc of remixes and newer club hits, Marley sticks to proven vintage material on this single album. Jimmy Cliff and Desmond Dekker provide ample singalong appeal, while the lazy skank of Horace Andy's Skylarking is always guaranteed to raise a smile. Slipping in a track of his own takes chutzpah but Marley has the last laugh with Make Some Music, a whispered slice of lover's rock that is more than a match for such exalted company. A perfect bank holiday soundtrack.
Excerpt: Basically a Bob Marley lovefest with Ziggy, Stephen and Damian. Really seeing three of Bob's talented sons performing together is just about as good as it gets!
Excerpt: He played an acoustic set- shorter than it should have been by about two songs- which opened up with an absolutely killer Redemption Song just him on acoustic... He also did a mean Lively up Yourself
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley, Jason Mraz [ tickets ], Natasha Bedingfield [ tickets ] and Big Head Todd and the Monsters are among the artists confirmed to play Sept. 12-14 at the West Beach Music & Arts Festival [ tickets ] in Santa Barbara, CA, one of the only US festivals that takes place right on the beach, according to a press release.
Excerpt: Watch!
Excerpt: beyond Ziggy’s innate musical gift and the prominence of the Marley name, he is definitely a legend in the making. He is a Grammy award winning musician, a talented composer, writer and a dedicated husband and father of five children.
Excerpt: he has unforgettable memories of treasured moments spent with his dad. "The last birthday I have with my father I remember I was the one who was serving the cake but that is the last birthday I remember of him."
Excerpt: "We [my brothers and I] use to jam when the band rehearsing and daddy and the Wailers, the I-threes everybody de deh. Them rehearse, them finish rehearse, mi and mi brother would then go and bang on the instruments and that was fun."
Excerpt: "I haven’t started working on them yet but I am planning to do a children’s album this year … I’m developing an animated program for children also,” he said. Ziggy is putting his heart into this project because being a father himself, he says he wants to educate children on the concepts of love, charity, poverty and reality. “My father seh tell the children the truth," he added. He is determined to educate children on the realities of life not only because his father saw it fit but also because of his personal beliefs of its necessity.
Excerpt: A photo gallery
Excerpt: A close up shot
Excerpt: PBS Kids Sprout, the digital cable channel aimed at children, this week began running a campaign featuring a cover of Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds."
Excerpt: This is not the first time the Marley family has been involved in commercial ventures aimed at children said Ziggy Marley, one of Bob's children, and head of the Marley estate. "It's less about the regular marketing of things and more about the philosophy that kids have an open mind. From the marketing point of view, my father's music is kid friendly music," he said. Other Marley projects focused on children in the past have included books, and kid friendly films and TV shows such as Shark's Tales and Dora the Explorer as well charities such as Little Kids Rock and Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment.
Excerpt: "We've kind of realized we've been singing for all the older folks and maybe we should focus on the kids. Our brand is kid friendly and parents who love the Marley ideal teach their kids that philosophy," said Marley. "We've been doing this stuff for a while but we wanted to step it up a little. Our mission in life is to make a change in the world, we're not just here to grab some cash."
Excerpt: Wynonna, Ziggy Marley, Liza Minnelli, and more than 20 other artists, songwriters, and producers explain who they “love to love” as PopMatters studies the remarkable four-decade career of Donna Summer.
Excerpt: The title track is a whole different kind of stew. With Ziggy Marley in tow, Summer adopts something of a West Indian accent. “Crayons” is an appreciation of the cultural and racial differences between people. Written by Summer with Marley, Greg Kurstin (Pink, Lilly Allen), and Danielle Brisebois (Natasha Bedingfield, the New Radicals), the song’s mantra—“We’re like crayons melting in the sunshine”—symbolizes the “tossed salad” culture of the United States.
Excerpt: By extension, “Crayons” also celebrates interracial relationships. Donna Summer recently contributed an essay on that very subject to Essence magazine. “As black people, we need to accept the diversity that is emerging out of this culture,” she says. “We can’t all walk around holding fast to ‘this is who we’re supposed to be.’” The reality, however, is that people in the U.S. still have grave reservations about interracial anything. In her own life, Summer has sensed disapproval for being married to an Italian American, even without anyone overtly expressing criticism.
Excerpt: At the Santa Monica Pier, Ziggy Marley, Taj Mahal and Juliette Lewis and the Licks played to a joyous crowd of thousands in the California sun.
Excerpt: Video at YouTube
Excerpt: Alongside Stephen, I think Ziggy is the closest sounding to Bob, and listening to him deliver renditions from his dad’s catalogue – “Concrete Jungle,” “Jammin’,” “No More Trouble,” “Is This Love” – is both soothing and inspiring. To see Ziggy hop around stage reggae-style and sway his hips is truly reminiscent of the elder Marley.
Excerpt: The Roots, Los Lonely Boys, the Neville Brothers, Ziggy Marley and Taj Mahal are just a few of the names that will grace this year's eight-city Green Apple Festival. The free concert event, which last year was held only in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, will be hosted at several outdoor parks and destinations on the same date, April 20.
Excerpt: Eight U.S. cities will host festivals on April 20th to honor Earth Day. The Green Apple Festival and Earth Day Network will stage the events, which will feature performances by the Roots, Gov’t Mule, Mickey Hart’s Mass Drums, Ziggy Marley and other jam-happy acts spread over the eight cities.
Excerpt: Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2008 -- Little Kids Rock (LKR), a program providing free instruments and instruction for public school students, today announced events in conjunction with national Music in Our Schools Month (MIOSM), presented by The National Association for Music Education every March. The purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children - and to remind citizens that all children should have access to music in schools.
Excerpt: During Mr. Marley's 90 minute visit, the Little Kids Rock students will play eight songs which will include cover and student written pieces, a Ziggy Marley song titled, "Love is my religion" and a Bob Marley selection titled, "Three Little Birds." Following the performances there will be a Q&A session between the students and the artist. Ziggy will present an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe guitar to Belvedere Middle School, courtesy of Ovation Guitars, a Fender PA courtesy of Fender musical instruments along with a number of other musical gifts.
Excerpt: Little Kids Rock teaches kids how to play pop, rock, reggae, funk, blues, rap and hip-hop music. LKR students not only perform, but they also compose and record their own music. They have released four full-length CDs as well as music videos featuring student-written originals. To date, the Little Kids Rock program has served more than 15,000 students in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Washington D.C.
Excerpt: very pop and very commercial but interesting.. truly interesting.. with thoughtful commentary and (on ram fm) rolling south african accents that many might be guilty of (and possibly forgiven for) confusing with other commonwealth inflections..
Excerpt: "I like to involve myself in positive things, so this is something that is important to me," Marley said by phone from Los Angeles.
Excerpt: "It's very simple. I came up with some ideas and got opinions on them. The words say enough and mean enough that I think it was appropriate to keep those words on the forefront, instead of doing something like a drawing. Those words are artistic words. To keep that message out there, I believe, is the most important thing to do. This is a concept; it's an evolution of thoughts, an evolution of consciousness. I put that evolution of my thoughts onto the record, and it became the title of my album, but I don't want "Love Is My Religion" to be identified just as the title of my Grammy-winning album, because it means more than that. It's like a rebirth. Born again has to mean more than going back into the same old way of thinking. Born again means a new way of thinking. Love is my religion is a new way of thinking about that whole spiritual realm and the whole concept of what religion is."
Excerpt: Q: Tell us about the significance of your new film "Africa Unite." A: "The significance of it is to reignite the consciousness, to reignite the message of African unity; to put it back on the table. It hasn't been on the table for a little while now. Through the celebration that we had for our father in Ethiopia, it was a great opportunity to be in Ethiopia, where the Organization of African Unity was founded by Haile Selassie I. It was a good opportunity to bring that message to the African continent once again and let them understand that we believe it is fundamental in solving the problems of Africa. In Africa, we have several egomaniacal leaders who want to hold on to power, we have AIDS, malaria and more. Until Africa unites, we are not going to solve the problems. The (film) documents the discussions with different youths from Africa who were there regarding the problems of Africa, and African unity. And then it has musical segments - we did a concert there - the Marley brothers, Angelique Kidjo and different artists. It's a multifaceted film with different angles."
Excerpt: Riz speaks with Ziggy Marley, son of legendary Reggae musician Bob Marley.
Excerpt: A news piece with ABC
Excerpt: Phone interview with Ziggy on WJFK
Excerpt: Plum shot a portion of the concert and sat down with the artist to talk about his musical influences, his thoughts on the purpose of music, and his hopes for the future.
Excerpt: In 2005 Bob Marley would have been 60 years old. Since his death in 1981, Marley’s music and words have continued to not only entertain, but also inspire people around the globe into becoming politically and socially aware.
Excerpt: “We did this concert not only to commemorate my father’s birthday, but to reignite [the concept] of African unity,” Ziggy said. “The DVD really celebrates the event, but also speaks with people about the unity of Africa, and it documents the journey.”
Excerpt: “We continue to find ways outside of music to get across what we want to get across, whether it’s through movies and DVDs or other means,” Marley said of Tuff Gong. “Two or three years from now, you’ll see even more creative things from us … and more films.”
Excerpt: Marley: We believe that one of the greatest things that can be done in Africa is for Africa to unite. It has been a dream of many of our forefathers and many African leaders in the past—just like the unity of the U.S. and Europe. But for Africa, it is even more important, because the resources in Africa, if put to the right use, can benefit Africa. To do this in Black History Month is a way to shed more light on the issue.
Excerpt: Marley: It’s the substance. The artists that have substance in their music—the music that means more than a fad, music that lasts longer than the time they made it in—are the people that last forever. It has no time in mind, like some particular beat today. My father was not like that. It was done on a different level, a more spiritual level. It’s music that will endure, that has substance. That’s the reason why he made it, and what he was saying all still exists. It’s deep; it’s not shallow.
Excerpt: David "Ziggy" Marley was in town last weekend for a concert at Kualoa Ranch, a wrap-up to his "Love is My Religion" tour. "We try to end in Hawaii, so we can chill," says the reggae star, one of Bob Marley's 13 children. But he wasn't chilling last Saturday, because midday his entourage remembered he was supposed to do an in-store appearance at Sam Goody's Ala Moana. "They threw me in a van, saying go, go, we're late," says Marley. Ziggy brought the love. Unfortunately, he forgot his guitar. "It always works out, man. There was a guy with a guitar in line. I borrowed it, and now he has a nice story to tell his family."
Excerpt: After spending most of the past two years on the road, Ziggy Marley is ready to do something else. "I'm winding down the traveling," he said via telephone from Los Angeles earlier this week. "After Hawaii, that's it."
Excerpt: "Our music have meaning," Marley explained. "We have a purpose in life, and it don't depend on the popularity of what we're doing. "We always could play live, no matter what's happening, no matter if we don't have a record out. That never stop."
Excerpt: "I wasn't always this way," he said. "I've grown to be more open, and the more experiences I have, the more I can relate with other people ... it's important to get out there with other human beings, not just my own group. "I'm really excited about how I'm approaching the messages I want to get across to the kids. My point of view is missing ... (so) there's a gap that I want to fill there."
Excerpt: Marley told The Gleaner that "this was the first exclusive deal with Target. With the re-release the album will be more accessible to the public. We completely revamped the album, different technical things which make it kind of different. We also added three new tracks which mi really like. Dem lively and energetic. I've never done a more popular cover of my father's song (Jammin'); hopefully that will attract more people to the album".
Excerpt: The re-release of the album is but one of many new projects Marley will be doing for the Christmas and the New Year. Ziggy is also looking to release a live DVD, in early 2008. The DVD was recorded at Los Angeles' Avalon during the 2006 Love Is My Religion world tour.
Excerpt: "In February, there will be no doubt I will be coming home. It's been a long time and I'm excited. I'm coming to do something centred around Africa Unite in February, which is my father's birthday. Mi and mi brothers been talking about doing a Marley brother record. That's the next t'ing we doing together, with a whole tour," he said.
Excerpt: But there’s something wrong with those saying ‘I have the right to teach you about God,’ because there’s too much division. It doesn’t work. And the only way we can fix it is to come to an understanding: The way to bring people together or to spirituality is to love them, it’s not to condemn or to judge. It’s to love. In my greatest dream, I wish that everybody would stop being Christian, Muslim, whatever, and just say, ‘You know what, love is my religion.’
Excerpt: Over the years I’ve learned how I need to approach things. I don’t want to beat people over the head with the message. I want to give it to them in a way that they can receive it and come to it on their own, and not get offended or put off by me being over-aggressive.
Excerpt: I’ve reached a point in my life right now to where I see my father, as my father, yes. But more, I see him as a brother. Just like how I see Miles and Fela. I feel like I’m part of a brotherhood, a fraternity of musicians. Each of us go through that same struggle of artistic freedom that, even when my father was doing his music, there were many criticisms from a lot of people from his culture who thought he was selling out or doing this or that
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley performs at Dubai Desert Rhythm 2007 Festival in Dubai Media City Amphitheatre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Friday, Oct. 26. (AP Photo / Nousha Salimi)
Excerpt: Photos from the show!
Excerpt: Love is the message Ziggy Marley wants to send with his album, "Love is My Religion." "It's not more complicated than that," he said. A loving and peaceful vibe drifted through the crowd as Marley spread his religion of love in the Bell Memorial Union Auditorium on Thursday. A crowd made up of the young and old swayed together as Marley jammed to his newest songs and some old favorites.
Excerpt: He warns young and up-and-coming musicians who are on the path to create real art and express themselves that creatively is a long road. "It's a harder road, but if you're a true artist, it's the one you have to take," he said. "It's the road of a rebel, the road of an adventurer, the road of a searcher who might not appreciated at the time." As for everyone else, "My advice to people is don't ever stop traveling 'cause life is a journey."
Excerpt: Marley appeared at the BMU with his nine-member band and mesmerized the audience, delivering his driving reggae rhythms and "Love is My Religion" message
Excerpt: Blending blues, rhythm and blues, hip-hop and reggae, Marley had the crowd in the palm of his hand, showering the audience with his message of love, hope, peace and spirituality, which is the driving force behind his music and the underlying message of his current album.
Excerpt: You certainly didn't need to love reggae to love Ziggy Marley, just an appreciation for great music, performed by an outstanding and multi-talented performer.
Excerpt: "My next work is going to be about the man-made world that we're living in," Marley said in a recent phone interview. "That's what I've been thinking about. It might include some politics. It might include ... oppression, injustice and these things."
Excerpt: "Let's say what religion is," Marley says, explaining the meaning of the album title. "Religion is (an) institutionalized concept of a higher deity, of higher concepts and higher philosophy. I tell people that the true religion of this thing that you're looking for which you call God ... is love."
Excerpt: Photos from the show!
Excerpt: Marley says his struggle is "spiritual," unlike the "physical" striving embodied in the protest anthems that gave hope to the downtrodden and made an international superstar of his late father, who died in 1981.
Excerpt: "The solution for mankind is of a spiritual nature. It is not a political or religious solution. It's the ability to love each other. That's the only solution I see."
Excerpt: "We were talking about changes in Africa," Marley recalls. "We were asking, 'Is it possible for you to change millions of people on the physical level? Or is the mission more to sing music so people can look into themselves?' I was about changing things, but things weren't changing, not at the rate they should."
Excerpt: "They were lessons I learned from my father," says Marley. "He was an entrepreneur. He was a good businessman. He started the Tuff Gong record label and record stores in Jamaica. There were always rumors of him wanting to own his own music, so the idea was always in my subconscious. When I had the opportunity, I did it."
Excerpt: Ziggy - Well that, I mean, what it is, is a gradual realization of the true concept of spirituality or the true concept of God. You know, because from when I was a young child coming up, we were about God, you know, we went through Christianity. We were still lookin’ for the truth. How do I identify myself in terms of that aspect, in terms of this religious aspect, spiritual aspect… What is it really? What do I call it? Am I a Christian? Am I a Rasta? What am I? And what is the direction that I should be goin’? So after a while, it just gradually come to me that love is really… Love is the answer. Love is the answer to everything that I was questioning.
Excerpt: Ziggy - Yeah, yeah weh… You know, we’re transmittin’ vibrations, ya know. We’re communicatin’ with more that words and more than music. We’re communicatin’ with vibrations. So that is a form… that is a way of communication from me. So, ya know, puttin’ up my hands is very symbolic of just trying to soak up and tryin’ to give back healing power, ya know?
Excerpt: Ziggy - I believe in what I’m doing. I know what I’m doing have a purpose. So, there’s no detractors or negative energy that could make me even double think what I’m doing or think twice about what I’m doing ’cause I know what I’m doing, ya know?
Excerpt: These days, the charge is being led by Damian (nicknamed Jr. Gong), 28, Stephen, 35, and Ziggy (né David), 38. At press time, their surname dominates Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart: No. 1 (for nine consecutive weeks), Stephen's long-awaited solo debut, Mind Control, released March 20; No. 2, Damian's third disc, 2005's Welcome to Jamrock; No. 3, Forever Bob Marley, the latest of countless collections of Marley's pre-Island Records output; and No. 7, Ziggy's second solo CD, 2006's Love Is My Religion. As if that weren't enough, collectively Stephen, Damian, and Ziggy have scored a dozen Grammy wins, something their dad did not live to achieve. (Grammys were not given out for reggae until 1984.)
Excerpt: ''Our father is a very strong role model in our life,'' says Stephen, who oversees Tuff Gong, the label founded by his dad in 1970. ''He gave us so much more than material [things] because they can fade away. It's like him teach me how to fish more than giving me fishes, so that me can fish for me self.''
Excerpt: Being Rastafarian has a lot to do with their standoffishness and unpretentious style (they prefer beads to bling and Adidas to Gucci). Rooted in the belief that Haile Selassie I, Ethiopian emperor from 1930 to 1974, was the messiah, they shun material excess in favor of earthly riches: family, community, and home. And while they're the heirs of an artist who ranked No. 13 on Forbes' 2006 list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities, Ziggy, Stephen, and Damian still abide by the Rastafarian tenets of humility and modesty. ''We're privileged, but militant,'' says Stephen, who now lives within blocks of Damian and Cedella in Miami. He credits growing up in Jamaica — which remains their home base — with keeping them grounded. ''We had to know how to cook, iron — all of that. Me used to come from school, take off me uniform, go down to the cow pen, and milk them.''
Excerpt: You won a Grammy Award for this album in America… Yes. This is my fourth Grammy, but my first as a solo artist. The greatest thing about winning it is getting more promotion for the message. It was worth winning it for the statement Love Is My Religion to be mentioned everywhere.
Excerpt: So what’s an average day in the life of Ziggy Marley like then…? Haha! Ziggy don’t have average days man! But when I’m not touring or working on the music I wake up, go for a run, make some cornmeal porridge, drink lots of water, play some football and watch some TV. I watch a lot of news, I like to keep informed about what’s going on. I’ll read some magazines, play some music and watch some movies.
Excerpt: Anything else you’d like to say to our readers? Love. Love is the message…
Excerpt: Download PDF of LeftLion Magazine: http://www.leftlion.co.uk/issue17/leftlion_issue_17_web.pdf
Excerpt: He reveals his influences for the album. "I would say my father, as well as Fela Kuti and Miles Davis. I'm really into those artists. Their music doesn't follow trends. It's unique and creative and that's what I try to be. I think it's important to try and set yourself apart from other artists and be confident in doing your own thing."
Excerpt: Having interviewed Stephen Marley earlier this year, he described his father as "strict, but also a lot of fun." Does Ziggy corroborate this description of his father? "Oh yeah. And I think both Stephen and I are like that too - strict, but fun at the same time. Discipline was a big part of our growing up. We were taught the importance of manners and treating people with respect - not just by our parents, but also by our grandaunt, who took care of us when our parents were away. That upbringing has made us who we are today."
Excerpt: "I'm the biggest brother. I've been whooping their asses for many years! They're my little brothers so there is no competition there. I'm very proud of them. Our work is not a work of egos. The Almighty has given me my duty so I'm in competition with nobody. But it seems to be the norm for the media to try and create rivalry between us, so there's nothing new about that."
Excerpt: Marley says: "I like collaborating with musicians more than with singers as I can learn more from the experiences".
Excerpt: Marley plays Rock City on June 26 and brings with him and eight-piece band to capture the full reggae sound. So what should the crowd expect? Marley says: "I want people to come with an open mind, if they don't, they may as well stay home and watch tv. There should be no expectations - I don't even know what I'm going to do yet!"
Excerpt: Despite being a devout Rastafarian, it is clear that Ziggy has no faith in organised religion. “Organised religion has nothing to do with God, religion is a political tool which uses the concept of God to gain political motives,” Ziggy continues emphatically. “Rastafari is not an organised religion, it is a freedom of thinking,” he says in defence of his own beliefs, before concluding: “It is love that is the only way to fully realise the concept and the philosophy of God. The way to God is love and, until people can grasp that, the world will always be in turmoil.”
Excerpt: The Marley family remain a tight, cohesive unit, with the majority of releases now coming out on Tuff Gong, most recently Damian and Stephen’s albums. “Solo work is in fact a lesson for me, growing up and leaving the pride, experiencing the jungle and becoming a man on my own,” Ziggy says in reference to leaving the Melody Makers to focus on his own artistry. “And it helps me to help my family too. Every now and again, somebody has to leave the pride and see what’s going on out there and report back,” he laughs.
Excerpt: So, what does it mean to be a member of the Marley family in the 21st Century? “I don’t know,” Ziggy answers candidly. “I don’t look at myself as a Marley, Marley is just a name. I’m a human being before I’m a Marley. For me, regardless of the name, love is my philosophy and love is my religion so if you want to put that as what it means to be a Marley, then it’s the love. It means to bring and give people the truth.” And that, one imagines, is what the Marley pride were born to do.
Excerpt: Give Ziggy Marley credit - who else could get so many middle-aged white men shaking their rear ends in such unabashed fashion? That was the case Wednesday night at the Minnesota Zoo, where Marley's upbeat reggae music had a sellout crowd of 1,500 shaking its collective booty for almost two hours.
Excerpt: Marley had the crowd in the palm of his hand anyway, bouncing around and seeming possessed by the music as his body shivered and shook to the beat.
Excerpt: Temperatures are rising, and Charlottesville got a double bill of warm-weather music on Thursday, June 7 from New Orleans R&B legends the Neville Brothers and from Ziggy Marley, son of Jamaica's favorite son.
Excerpt: If they were looking for the same sort of energetic performance for which Ziggy's father Bob was famous, they were not disappointed. Bounding across the stage shaking his long dreadlocks, Marley performed original hits like "Black Cat" and "Into the Groove," along with plenty of Bob covers like "Roots, Rock, Reggae," "Is This Love," and "Jammin'."
Excerpt: While Ziggy's style is undeniably reggae, his influences abound. His songs include elements of jazz, blues, R&B and often even a little rock. "I don't really listen to any one type of music a lot," he says. "I listen to public radio more than anything. But I do put on a lot of Jamaican music, African music and sometimes I'll even put in a little Green Day. I really like the African element in my music because I'm trying to bridge the gap between Africa and what I do. I like music that has a spiritual component, and African music has just that."
Excerpt: "I've been reading a lot of books about writing screenplays, and trying to do some writing," he says. "I also play a lot of video games and I've been working on making my own. I can't tell you what either project is abut now, but know that when something with my name on it comes out, it'll have a purpose and a message - but it'll still be fun."
Excerpt: Ziggy says that his entire career has been about just that: finding the balance between thought provocation and just having a good time. And in case anyone's wondering, Ziggy says to expect a Marley brothers' collaboration sometime in 2010.
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley has released the single "Into the Groove" from his second solo album Love is My Religion, on the Podsafe Music Network (PMN), supporting the release with a rare, in-depth interview with PodShow power couple, Dawn and Drew. With this release on the PMN, Marley is enabling thousands of podcasters to play the track on their shows for free, supporting the free licensing of music to the podcasting community and creating millions of 'spins' with audiences around the globe.
Excerpt: "Ziggy is a rare combination of musical talent and industry vision," said PodShow CEO and Co founder Ron Bloom. "He is one of a new breed of artists who are blazing a trail and finding innovative ways to reach their fans and new audiences outside the traditional label system. Producers and fans love having him on the SHOW!"
Excerpt: "Ziggy's interview with Dawn and Drew adds an extra element to his music," added Adam Curry, President and Co founder of PodShow. "Releasing his material to be shared by podcasters with audiences worldwide is a huge endorsement for our Network. I am very appreciative of Dawn and Drew, as well as the Marley family for adding their magic to PodShow and the PMN."
Excerpt: ZM) Yeah, that's why music is my religion. It's a higher standard, not just an everyday thing. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's not easy. A lot of times songs aren't written and you have to write them, but sometimes they're already written and they just come to you.
Excerpt: ZM) Hey, I don't even know why the world would pull away from love, I don't know why that happened. Love is my religion and that's what we need, to have an awakening of love.
Excerpt: ZM) Yeah, it's like: you don't condemn, I don't convert. It's a calling. And I don't need to worry about converting them. All I need to do is love. If they follow my example of love, then they will reach the place that I am at. This is the way of peace, of no problems, to realize that we won't need to fight wars.
Excerpt: Stephen, Bob's 34-year-old second son, recently released his first solo album, "Mind Control.'' We asked him to evaluate the stylings and personalities of each of his music-making siblings. Who's the most business-oriented? The most spiritual?
Excerpt: But first, let Stephen tell you who gets the best ganja: "I do. I am the distributor. Everyone brings it to me. They know that Damian's going to get a piece, Ky-Mani's going to get a piece. Not that they would hog it. But they gravitate to me because that's me, the general. If you play soccer, I am the midfielder.''
Excerpt: Visit the article for: "an introduction to the musical Marley family in Stephen's words".
Excerpt: Which of your father's messages do you think is most relevant in today's time? Get up, stand up, definitely. Stand up for your rights; don't give up the fight. Because a lot of basic rights are being taken away because of this policy of fear. And you have to fight back.
Excerpt: What excites you in your spare time? Right now, the sunshine excites me. And the wind is blowing, and that excites me too. I'm excited by simple things, by nature. I don't jump up and down for buzzes and shit like that.
Excerpt: How old are you now? Umm, 250. Me count everything, past life, future life, and the right now life!
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley jams with Santa Rosa Charter School students, from left, Tyler Haas, 11; Bailey Margarite-Lowell, 11; and Jenna Sheppard, 12, who Tuesday were taking part in Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit program that provides guitars and instruction to children.
Excerpt: “Seek love,” he said in a May 3 phone interview with the Santa Maria Times. “If you’re seeking spirituality, if you’re seeking God, or even if you don’t believe in God,” he said. “Love is the answer to the problems. It’s very simple.”
Excerpt: Marley believes his natural instinct toward love and peace has evolved over time, “because of my spiritual search,” he explained. “I’m searching for the truth all of the time,” he said. “I have to know for myself.” He believes that by opening his mind to new ideas, he gains knowledge, which eventually leads to the truth. “Let me look and see,” he said. “Just enough to let the truth come in.”
Excerpt: Marley says his struggle is “spiritual,” unlike the “physical” striving embodied in the protest anthems that gave hope to the downtrodden and made an international superstar of his late father, who died in 1981. “That generation that had that fight made a good fight,” says the 38-year-old singer-songwriter and keyboardist, who as a child often sang and danced with his father on stage. “But that time for physical struggle is now changing into a spiritual struggle. That is where I am. “The solution for mankind is of a spiritual nature. It is not a political or religious solution. It’s the ability to love each other. That’s the only solution I see.”
Excerpt: “When it came out, it was like it completed the album,” he says. “It kind of put its arms around the other songs and gave them a big hug, like `We are one. We are all together here.’” On it, Marley sings, “I don’t condemn, I don’t convert ... I don’t want to fight,” sentiments that might make more militant reggae fans blanche, especially coming from Bob Marley’s son.
Excerpt: Though purists may carp about Marley’s attitude toward his father’s legacy, he draws inspiration from dad in a way that may surprise them - Marley recorded and produced “Love is My Religion” independently, and negotiated an exclusive yearlong distribution deal with Target. “They were lessons I learned from my father,” says Marley. “He was an entrepreneur. He was a good businessman. He started the Tuff Gong record label and record stores in Jamaica. There were always rumors of him wanting to own his own music, so the idea was always in my subconscious. When I had the opportunity, I did it.”
Excerpt: The affable and deeply spiritual son of Bob — the father of Jamaican reggae — was, at one point in his life, considering a profession in the medical world. "I wanted to be a doctor, so I studied a lot of biology," Marley said. But it was when his mother, Rita, and father brought him and his siblings into the studio in 1979 that his focus changed.
Excerpt: "Music is a powerful tool and reggae is very strongly related to the vibrations within human beings as they connect with the vibrations within the Earth," Marley said.
Excerpt: Trying to spread a message of hope, love and peace in this day and age through reggae is something that Ziggy finds difficult, he said many people are "jaded" by the political systems. His music is not about social or political change so much as it is about the human condition, when he sings in "Still the Storms," "vengeance is no glory, hate is no pay, truth is my call and peace is my way."
Excerpt: "There can be no political solution" to the problems of hate in this world today that will be permanent without love, Marley said. "If we don't find a way to love each other, social change will never last."
Excerpt: recorded at the 4th and b in san diego. all of ziggy's albums have a positive message. on this one, it's love.
Excerpt: interviewed by: hannah lazar and tiffany interviewed on: december 07, 2006
Excerpt: He says he’s not into marijuana despite the culture associated with reggae music: "Smoking herb is a spiritual thing, a cultural thing. So it's not something that should be taken so lightly. It is not something we do for fun. It's something that the youth should not get too caught up in because that is not the answer.”
Excerpt: He says: “I don't make music because I want to make my own name, to strike out (on my own). I'm inspired to write songs and I sing them. That's what I do. So I don't worry and think about, 'I have to make a name for myself.' That's not the most important thing.”
Excerpt: Audio interview: http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200704/r135485_457427.mp3
Excerpt: The Marleys, of course, knew from an early age that their father was different. "There was always something interesting happening in those years, with the people coming around and being in the studio, music playing, going to Zimbabwe for the independence celebration," Marley said. "The best way to put the time I spent with my father when he was here physically is that I was a sponge, soaking up all the things that were happening."
Excerpt: “Stephen and Damian use more hip-hop and dance vibes,” said Ziggy, whose singing voice, like Stephen’s, sounds much like his father’s. “I kind of go for more of a real instrument, more organic sound.” Validation, Marley said, comes from his father, whom he occasionally communicates with through his dreams. “He gives me the stamp of approval that what I’m doing is right —acknowledging the work that I’m doing.”
Excerpt: "I've been around, I've done the other tings so me nuh miss nutten," he said in his typical blend of English and Jamaican dialect, patois. "I've done dat already inna me younger days." Matrimony has grounded him, in a good way, he says. "Married life, it kinda balancing and settling. Less stress, yuh nuh haffi lie and dem ting de," he added with a wide grin. Some of that balance and maturity is evident in the Grammy Award-winning album whose promotional tour took him to China.
Excerpt: The title and first lines of the song, Ziggy has said, spilled from his lips when a Catholic lady asked the dreadlocked singer what religion he practises.
Excerpt: "Right now, we in the process of speaking with different companies to distribute it on a wider basis," he told the Observer. "We still a work out the deal; we have a few interested parties. But the Target ting, it was a adventure," he added with a smile. Just not one he wants to repeat.
Excerpt: "I wouldn't do it again because it limited the exposure to only people who went to Target, yuh nuh. So, I mean, I learn a lesson," he admitted. Not only had he learned a valuable lesson, he said, but he had also made history. "It was the first time that had been done in the history a music, so it play a part in history," he said, "but I wouldn't do it that way again."
Excerpt: Like his father, Ziggy has imbued his works with reflective lyrics, writing about slavery, spirituality and other subjects in his latest release.
Excerpt: How important is it for you to write songs that have not-so-typical messages? See, I don't sit and think about writing; I don't say, 'I need to write a song that's gonna be a message.' It's stuff that comes to me, you know what I mean? It's inspired work. I guess it is important, wherever that is coming from, that it comes through me. I don't think about it too much.
Excerpt: "Love is the ultimate expression of spirituality. People everywhere look for God in different ideologies and call Him by different names. Yet I believe the only way to God is through true love."
Excerpt: Ziggy is that kind of person: Deep.
Excerpt: "I do but not because people expect or want me to. I sing his songs because when I do, I feel a connection between us. My dad has taught us a lot; about discipline, hard work and love. I have been a son of Bob Marley for a long time now and will always be so proudly."
Excerpt: Grammy Award-winning artist Ziggy Marley ignited the reggae flame at Beijing's Star Live House on Monday night. Reggae's favorite son began his performance with the classic, Shalom Salaam.
Excerpt: Hundreds of fans, mostly expats in Beijing, packed the hall and swayed to Ziggy's rhythm. Ziggy will wrap up his first China tour at the Shanghai Yun Feng Theater tonight.
Excerpt: Reggae's favorite son, four-time Grammy winner, Ziggy Marley, will make his Chinese mainland debut in Beijing and Shanghai next week. The one-night-only Shanghai concert will be next Tuesday at the Yunfeng Theater in the center of the city.
Excerpt: "I am very curious about China as a great nation in the history of Earth," said the Grammy winner in an earlier interview. "I would love to visit the Shaolin Temple - I want to study some Chinese martial arts. I want to experience some of the culture."
Excerpt: "Love" is exactly the message Marley wants to deliver to China and his fans here, since "what more can you ask for? What more can you give?" he asked.
Excerpt: For the first time in more than 10 years the Jamaican-born artist will bring his soulful tunes to Australia next month, when he takes to the stage at the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival. "I am looking forward to spreading my message of love and peace all over the world," the 38-year-old told AAP from his home in California.
Excerpt: Australian fans are likely to witness Ziggy Marley, the eldest of the Marley clan, playing his father's songs when he takes to the stage. "My father's stuff is my stuff too. When I do my stuff I mix his stuff into mine and have no problem with that," he said. "I mix it all together and create one big positive experience."
Excerpt: We gotta realize, the pop charts or the Billboard charts realize that we're touching people it don't matter because the music is forever. Our music is not the music that is going to come in bum rush nothing. We are for the long run. We are here forever.
Excerpt: Some other things are like shooting stars, they shoot bright for a second and then pfft. We are like the sun shining, we shine forever. We'd rather be like the sun, then a shooting star that gets bright and then after a while it disappears you know.
Excerpt: "The other times I was part of a big record company. This time I own my own record company. I own my own music, it's 100-percent mine, so that make it kind of special," Marley, the eldest son of Rita Marley and late reggae legend, Robert Nesta Marley, told HBN in a recent one-on-one interview in the aftermath of his coveted win.
Excerpt: The album itself delivers a "message of freedom, freedom to love." "Really, freedom to open up one's self to love, to give love and to be loved," Marley stated empathically. "Love is not some sort of weakness you know, love is strength." And the singer acknowledged that oftentimes, "We as human beings, we get tight and closed, so we trying fi open up people's mind and dem consciousness and dem heart without feeling stupid."
Excerpt: Looking ahead, the talented musician and songwriter said it will not be business as usual. "I want to try and expose more Caribbean music through this label but I want to do it in a way where it has significance for history, for the future generations," he revealed to HBN And he hopes his music will contribute to keeping track of the history of the Caribbean and its people. "I don't think we keep good history, we don't teach history to our children enough. Music is one way we can do that for future generations," added Marley, formerly of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.
Excerpt: More than a musician, Ziggy Marley is a messenger, delivering love to the youth across the world. Carrying on his father's universal message of peace, love and empowerment, Marley won over the Grammys at the 49th ceremony in Los Angeles, nabbing his fourth win in the Best Reggae Album category for Love is My Religion.
Excerpt: Marley, who was in the studio during the ceremony, described the album as "a burning in him that needed to be released". "Di future album is a follow up to this. You'll see a likkle more ... mi face gonna more frowned. Two faced on the next album, let's put it dat way. I tink it might be more stern, sometimes children need more discipline. Dis one is about love, the concept of love, if dem learn di message, dem gonna haffi feel it."
Excerpt: For Marley, winning the Grammy is an acknowledgement that self-reliance is worth it. "Dere was no big company behind it. Mi feel good to achieve it cause there was no big help behind it. Mi like the concept, Marcus Garvey concept, we being dependent on ourselves," he commented. "Entrepreneurs owning di music, that was one of my father's dream so we haffi live up to dat. We hope di sales pick up but it's about di message. That's why I do di music. We still haffi do di hard work, like right now we ready to go China. But we can't depend on selling records, but if that's what we're willing to do to get the message out, that's my ministry," he claimed.
Excerpt: The eldest son of icon, Bob Marley, proved his mettle when he beat four other nominees to take the Best Reggae Album award at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards which honoured the music industry's finest at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last night.
Excerpt: The now four-time winner told The Gleaner recently that the album holds special meaning. "This record is the first independent record that I own fully and growing up that was a dream of my father because record companies always take a big chunk," he said.
Excerpt: The third act on stage was Ziggy Marley, and he did not hesitate to take the crowd higher. Red Rocks is notorious for attracting a crowd that enjoys its recreational marijuana, but somehow that was compounded by Reggae on the Rocks. With clear undertones to "legalize it," Ziggy joined the crowd in a desire to reach the highest mountain tops of music and religion. "Forever Lovin'Jah"was a crowd favorite while Ziggy Marley was on stage, as was, "Love is My Religion."
Excerpt: ''If there is a message, it's really summed up by the title; I don't think I can say it more clearly,'' Marley says in his still-thick Jamaican accent. ''The only way to go forward and to live better lives is through love and by taking care of each other.''
Excerpt: Understand, though, that Marley is not offering some Pollyanna optimism and naively saying all you need is love. He understands the world's complexities, but he also recognizes that there are certain truths we cannot get around. ''There is much too much hatred and conflict, and we just can't go on in that path. Some of the hatred is deep and has been for years, but we must realize that that path will only lead to pain and destruction,'' he says. ''When I say love is my religion I'm just saying that it has to be our guiding principle. Much suffering and hatred has come about in the name of religion. It doesn't and it shouldn't be that way. There are ways to a better life and world.''
Excerpt: ''I think music can help people transcend their situations, but I also believe that music can drag people down,'' he says with a somewhat leaden voice. ''I see images of women that are degrading and there's a promotion of greed and a great deal of sexuality. Yes, you see a lot of this in hip-hop, but you also see it in a lot of different genres.
Excerpt: ''People are feeding today's youth the wrong messages, knowing full well that it is a means of keeping them ignorant and wanting foolish things like flashy cars with cool rims and jewelry. With that, music is helping to keep people from achieving the things that are really important in their lives. I don't blame the artists as much as the powers that be in the music industry that are telling the musicians that these are the messages they need to deliver in order to be successful or to continue to make records. I do believe, though, that the truth will win out.''
Excerpt: Ziggy Marley was in Montreal on Saturday to perform a concert but he spent the afternoon handling some other business. The reggae star joined the Canadian soccer team on the pitch at the Claude Robillard Centre as it continued preparations to face Jamaica in an international friendly Monday. The dreadlocked Jamaican kicked the ball around with a some of Canada's best and said he was taking mental notes to pass on to the Reggae Boyz. "I'm a spy, this is intelligence," he joked afterwards. "The Jamaican team is supposed to come to my show, so I'll tell them what I saw.
Excerpt: "I wasn't thinking too much of making an album at the time this album started taking shape," Marley said by phone from Los Angeles. "I was just writing songs about love. And then I thought about the words and realized that love is my religion. And that's where the album's title came up." Marley said that title is his answer to the turmoil in the global community, with unrest in the Middle East and nuclear testing in North Korea. "With the state of the world being as it is, with people fighting and citing religion as their cause, I thought about how negative religion is becoming. So my purpose of the album was trying to get back to religion that focuses on unity and love."
Excerpt: Marley is also passionate about the children of the world by setting up URGE (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment), a nonprofit organization that helps children's causes in his home country of Jamaica, Ethiopia, and other developing nations. He has worked with Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, PBS's Arthur, and Shark Tale, a DreamWorks picture in which he played the character of Bernie, the Jamaican jellyfish. There are plenty of dates on Ziggy%u2019s tour do a little %u2018Jamaica jammin%u2019 as he remains on tour throughout early December. He is also scheduled to appear on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson/CBS, December, 6th.
Excerpt: Marley played with his back to a huge banner that simply spelled out LOVE. It is his religion, and for the last song of the lengthy encore, he had everyone blissfully singing along. Damian may be a more exciting performer these days, but Ziggy remains the torch barer holding the Marley family flame.
Excerpt: YardFlex was in the House of Revolutions last night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where Ziggy Marley was on a leg of his 'Love is My Religion' tour. Ziggy and his band have been on the road since June '06, and the grueling tour ends next year August 2007. According to Ziggy, it's a hectic schedule and a lot of work However, he is amped about the experience nevertheless, "I don't mind the work, I love to work, it makes it more meaningful," he told YardFlex.com.
Excerpt: "This record is the first independent record that I own fully and growing up that was a dream of my father, because record companies always take a big chunk," Ziggy says in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner. Ziggy says he came up with the concept for the album through a conversation with a woman. "She was Catholic and when she asked me what was my religion I said 'love is my religion' and when I said these words, there was a burning in me and I knew that was it," Ziggy says.
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