ZIGGY MARLEY BIOGRAFIA

Singer and songwriter Ziggy Marley is the oldest son of the reggae giant Bob Marley, and is best known as a talented reggae musician in his own right.


Synopsis

As the son of reggae legend Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley made a name for himself as one of the genre's leading artists. Ziggy and his siblings formed the band Melody Makers in 1981 after their father's death. Their 1988 album, Conscious Party, won a Grammy and helped the group break through to mainstream audiences. After a few more successful albums with the band, Marley began a solo career in 2006.

Early Life

Ziggy Marley was born as David Nesta Marley on October 17, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica. The oldest son of reggae great Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley has continued the family's involvement in the music scene, making a name for himself as one of the genre's leading artists in the process. He spent some of his early years growing up in Trench Town, one of Kingston’s poorest neighborhoods as his father tried to make a success of his band, the Wailers (later Bob Marley and the Wailers). A singer in her own right, his mother joined the group in the mid-1970s.

Also in his youth, Marley spent some time in Wilmington, Delaware, where his younger brother Stephen was born in 1972. He already had an older sister, Cedella, and an older half-sister, Sharon, from his mother's previous relationship. The four siblings recorded their first song together, "Children Playing in the Streets," in 1979. Written by their father, the single addressed the horrible poverty that many children in Jamaica were living in. Royalties from the song were donated to the United Nations Children's Fund.

Melody Makers

After his father's death in 1981, Marley performed with Stephen at his funeral. They went on to form the Melody Makers with Sharon and Cedella. While all four members provided the vocals, Ziggy also played guitar, an instrument his father had taught him. Stephen played the guitar as well and the drums. Performing as the Melody Makers, they released their next single, "What a Plot," later in 1981.

In 1985, the Melody Makers released their first album, Play the Game Right. But it failed to catch on. Their next effort, Hey World! (1986), met a similar fate, though it did receive many positive reviews.

Breakthrough Album

Changing names, the group became Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers and released Conscious Party (1988) with Virgin Records. The album helped the group break through to mainstream audiences. Produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads, it incorporated elements of reggae, pop, and rock. Handling much of the song writing, Marley managed to imbue the songs with an upbeat, positive quality while remaining topical and thought-provoking. The song “Tomorrow People” became popular with many listeners, and the album did well on both the pop and R&B/hip-hop charts in the United States. That year, the group brought home the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Recording.

With their next album, One Bright Day (1989), Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers had another critical success on their hands. They won the 1989 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Recording. But their record sales did not match their previous record. They made several more albums together in the 1990s, including the Grammy Award-winning Babylon Is Fallen (1997), before later disbanding.

Solo Efforts

Continuing to explore social, political and personal topics in his songs, Marley released his first solo album, Dragonfly, in 2003. He had a number of guests on the recording, including Flea and John Fusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the entire album had a strong rock and hip-hop flair to it. His next effort, Love Is My Religion (2006), won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

In addition to his music, Marley established the U.R.G.E. (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightment) organization to help children in poverty.


ESPAÑOL


David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (Trenchtown, 17 de octubre de 1968) es un músico jamaicano ganador de un Grammy. Es el hijo mayor de Rita Marley y Bob Marley, el legendario cantante de reggae. Desde pequeño su padre le dio lecciones de guitarra y batería.

Su madre Rita le llamó y bautizó David, pero su padre Bob lo apodaba "Ziggy" como referencia al cigarro de marihuana. Una explicación alternativa al apodo es que comenzó a ser conocido con el apodo de "Ziggy" por ser un fan de David Bowie y su álbum The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Sus hermanos son Stephen, Cedella y Sharon (Damian fue adoptado debido a la generosidad del Rey de Etiopía Haile Selassie I).

Carrera

Solitario

En fechas más recientes ha publicado los discos "Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers Live, Vol. 1" (2000) y "Dragonfly" (2003). En su ciudad natal de Kingston creó su propio sello discográfico llamado "Ghetto Youth United", con el objetivo de lanzar nuevos valores del reggae, entre los que figura su hermano paterno Damian Marley.

Al igual que su padre, siempre ha estado involucrado en actividades humanitarias, fue nombrado "Embajador Joven de las Naciones Unidas" y ha formado parte de proyectos benéficos relacionados con "UNICEF", además de fundar la organización sin ánimo de lucro "U.R.G.E." (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment).

También ha ejercido como actor ocasional, interpretándose a sí mismo en la comedia "The Shrink is In" (2001) y como invitado en las series "Parker Lewis nunca pierde", "Cosas de casa", "New York Undercover" y "Embrujadas". Ha intervenido en diversos documentales como "The Reggae Movie" (1996), "Marley Magic" (1996), "A Fishified World" (2005) o la miniserie "I Love the 70's" (2003). En 2004 prestó su voz a la medusa rastafari Ernie en la película de animación "El espantatiburones", donde además hizo un dueto con Sean Paul interpretando uno de los temas centrales de la banda sonora titulado "Three Little Birds".

El 2 de julio de 2006, grabó su segundo álbum como cantautor "Love Is My Religion".

El 12 de octubre del 2012 lanzo el remix oficial de mucha cosa buena- canción del boricua Sie7e junto con la colaboración de Laza Morgan.

En el año 2013 colabora con Cody Simpson, participando en la canción "Love", la cual seria parte del reciente álbum del joven australiano; "Surfers Paradise". El 5 de Febrero de 2014 es lanzado el video de dicha canción por el canal de youtube AwesomenessTV.

Vida Personal

Ziggy está casado con Orly Agai Marley. Ellos tienen dos hijos: Judah Victoria Marley (nacido el 7 de abril de 2005) y Gideon Robert Nesta Marley (nacido el 6 de enero de 2007).Tiene otros dos hijos de su anterior matrimonio ; Daniel "Bambaata" Marley ( que inicio su carrera como músico con su primo Joseph "Jo Mersa" Marley , hijo de Stephen Marley) y Justice Marley.

Discografía

Conscious Party (1988)
Time Has Come (1988)
Play the Game Right (1989)
One Bright Day (1989)
Jahmekya (1991)
Joy And Blues (1993)
Free Like We Want 2 B (1995)
Fallen Is Babylon (1997)
The Spirit of Music (1999)
Dragonfly (2003)
Love Is My Religion (2007)
In Jamaica (2008)
Family time (2009)
Wild And Free (2011)
Fly Rasta (2014)

HOME