Stephen Robert Nesta Marley (born April 20, 1974) is a

Jamaican-American Jamaican Americans are an ethnic group of Caribbean Americans who have full or partial Jamaican ancestry. The largest proportions of Jamaican Americans live in South Florida and New York City, both of which have been home to large Jamaican commu ...

musician. The son of

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements ...

, Marley is an eight-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

winner, three times as a solo artist, twice as a producer of younger brother

Damian Marley Damian Robert Nesta "Jr. Gong" Marley (born 21 July 1978) is a Jamaican DJ, singer, lyricist and rapper. He is the recipient of four Grammy Awards. Early life, education and family Damian Marley is the youngest son of reggae musician Bob Marle ...

's ''Halfway Tree'' and ''Welcome to Jamrock'' albums, and a further three times as a member of his older brother

Ziggy Marley David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician, actor and philanthropist. He is the son of reggae icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 20 ...

's group

Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers were a Jamaican-American reggae family group whose line-up consisted of the children of musicians, Bob Marley and Rita Marley, which includes lead singer Ziggy Marley with Sharon Marley, Cedella Marley, an ...

. Marley's 2011 album ''

Revelation Pt. 1 – The Root of Life ''Revelation Part 1: The Root of Life'' is the second studio album of Stephen Marley, released on 24 May 2011. The album won a Grammy Award in 2012 for Best Reggae Album. Reception The album debuted at No. 92 on Billboard 200, and No. 1 on Regga ...

'' won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2012.Grizzle, Shereita (2014)
Stephen Marley Lets 'Rock Stone' Loose
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2014. His follow-up, ''Revelation Pt. 2 – The Fruit of Life'', was released on July 22, 2016.
Stephen Marley announces the release of his new album
, bobmarley.com, May 16, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016. In several of his self-produced solo albums ''Mind Control'' (2007), ''Mind Control Acoustic'' (2008), ''Revelation Part I: The Root of Life'' (2011) and ''Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life'' (2016) he has composed and produced all the songs on his album, and he has played a variety of the musical instruments himself. On April 3, 2017, Marley and

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

performed at

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

, playing their single, "Options".

Early life

Marley was born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington (Unami language, Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North ...

, and raised in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inte ...

Career

Melody Makers

In 1979, a five-year-old Marley started his musical career as part of the child band

Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers were a Jamaican-American reggae family group whose line-up consisted of the children of musicians, Bob Marley and Rita Marley, which includes lead singer Ziggy Marley with Sharon Marley, Cedella Marley, and ...

alongside older siblings

Ziggy Ziggy is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Zigmunt and other names. It is also a nickname. Notable people with the name include: Nickname or hypocorism * Ezekiel Ansah (born 1989), National Football League pla ...

, Sharon and Cedella – the children of Bob Marley and wife, Rita. The Melody Makers recorded the song "Children Playing in the Streets" written by their father

. Proceeds of the sale of the song went to the

United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid t ...

(UNICEF). In 1980, Stephen performed the lead on the Melody Makers' single "Sugar Pie". Stephen and older brother Ziggy – Bob Marley's two eldest sons – were directly mentored into music by their father and performed alongside

Bob Marley and the Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

at the 1978

One Love Peace Concert The One Love Concert (OLPC) was a large concert held on 22 April 1978 at The National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. This concert was held during a political civil war in Jamaica between opposing parties Jamaican Labour Party and the People's ...

in Kingston, Jamaica, 1979

Reggae Sunsplash Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival. The festival ran annually until 1996, with a final event in 1998, befo ...

Montego Bay Montego Bay is the capital of the parish of St. James in Jamaica. The city is the fourth-largest urban area in the country by population, after Kingston, Spanish Town, and Portmore, all of which form the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area, h ...

and at Zimbabwe's independence celebrations in Salisbury, Rhodesia (

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

, Zimbabwe) in 1980. The brothers performed, alongside the Wailers and the

I Threes Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Rober ...

, at their father's funeral on May 21, 1981. After Bob Marley's death, the Melody Makers continued with Ziggy taking over as the group's leader, composing songs such as "What a Plot" in 1982, as well as "Lying in Bed" and "I Met Her on a Rainy Day" in 1984. In 1985, the group released their first album, ''Play the Game Right''. With their third album, ''Conscious Party'', the group was now called "Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers" with Ziggy performing the lead vocals, and Stephen playing instruments, the group gained fame with hits such as "Tomorrow People," "Tumblin' Down," "Lee and Molly" and "Conscious Party." The album went

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

in the United States, and the Melody Makers would become the youngest recipients of the

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for Best Reggae album for Conscious Party. Their follow up album ''One Bright Day'' released in 1989 featured the hit "Look Who's Dancing" written by Ziggy and Stephen. Just 17 at the time, Stephen shared the lead vocals with his big brother and performed

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...

toasting on the song, which also featured energetic backing female vocals by Sharon, Cedella and Erica. Stephen earned the nickname "Raggamuffin" or "Ragga" as he was the first Marley to engage in dancehall rap/deejaying. Other albums released in the 1990s included ''Jahmekya'', ''Free Like We Want to B'', ''Joy and Blues'', ''Fallen is Babylon'' and ''Spirit of Music''. Stephen played a mostly background role, as an instrumentalist, songwriter, and co-producer; but performed the lead vocals on some songs such as "Keep On," "Postman," and "One Good Spliff." Stephen shared the lead with Ziggy on songs such as "Works to Do," a track produced by Stephen himself, and "Water and Oil" adding ragga toasting to Ziggy's singing. Another Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers song written and fronted (lead vocals) by Stephen was "Tipsy Dazy" featured in the soundtrack of the 1997 Hollywood film Anaconda. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers won a total of three Grammy awards for Best Reggae Album.

Music producer

In 1999, Marley produced ''Chant Down Babylon'' a remix album of Bob Marley's music, modernised to appeal to a modern audience, featuring hip-hop, R&B and rock stars including

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...

Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer, best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, piano, and percussion. ...

, Joe Perry,

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D helped crea ...

, and

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

. The single "Turn Your Lights Down Low" featuring Lauryn Hill became a huge hit internationally, Marley modernising a song that had received little attention as a B side song in the 1977 Exodus album. In 1996, Stephen produced debut albums by younger brothers Julian and

(Bob Marley's sons from relationships outside his marriage to Rita). Stephen was particularly successful in Damian's musical success, producing his brother's first three albums, ''Mr Marley'' (1996), as well as the Grammy Award-winning ''Halfway Tree'' (2001) and ''Welcome to Jamrock'' (2005). Stephen contributed production of three songs to Damian's collaboration album with Nas, "Distant Relatives" (2010). On that album, Stephen produced the songs "Patience," "Leaders" and "In His Own Words," lending vocals to the latter two tracks. Marley also worked with the

Fugees Fugees (; sometimes The Fugees) is an American hip hop group formed in the early 1990s. Deriving its name from a shortening of the word "refugees", the group consists of Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, and Lauryn Hill. The group rose to fame with i ...

in their mid 1990s remake of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry," and produced music for popular hip-hop artists such as

Krayzie Bone Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973), better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper, singer, producer, and entrepreneur. He is a member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Personal life Henderson comes from a fourth generation fami ...

("Revolution" from 'Thug Mentality' album 1999), Erykah Badu ("In Love with You" from 'Mama's Gun' album 2000), Eve ("No, no, no" from her 'Scorpion' album, 2001), and Mr Cheeks ("Mama Say" and "Till We Meet Again" from the 'John P Kelly' album, 2001) . He also produced music for dancehall artists such as

Capleton Clifton George Bailey III (born 13 April 1967),Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 67–69 better known by his stage name Capleton, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician. He is also referred to as Kin ...

, ("Sunshine Girl" from the "Reign of Fire" album, 2004) and reggae legends Inner Circle, ("Smoke Gets in My Eyes" from the 'State of Da World' album, 2009). In 2022 he produced an EP in tribute to

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

, ''Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone'', featuring

Queen Ifrica Ventrice Morgan (born 25 March 1975), better known by the stage name Queen Ifrica, is a reggae singer and disc jockey from the hills above Montego Bay, Jamaica. She is the daughter of ska musician Derrick Morgan but was raised by her mother and ...

Cedella Marley Cedella Marley Minto (born 23 August 1967) is a Jamaican singer. She is the daughter of reggae singers Bob Marley and Rita Marley and the mother of Skip Marley. She was in the group Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers along with her sister and b ...

, and

Etana Etana (, ''E.TA.NA'') was the probably fictional thirteenth king of the first dynasty of Kish. He is listed in the ''Sumerian King List'' as the successor of Arwium, the son of Mashda, as king of Kish. The list also calls Etana "the shepherd ...

Solo career

After spending many years in the background as a producer, and backing big brother Ziggy as a Melody Maker, Marley finally became a solo artist, releasing the albums ''Mind Control'' (2007), ''Mind Control Acoustic'' (2008), ''Revelation Part I: The Root of Life'' (2011), and ''Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life'' (2016). His first three solo albums won Grammy awards for Best Reggae Album, adding to the three Grammy awards he had already won as a member of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers and the two other Grammy awards he earned for producing younger brother Damian's albums ''Halfway Tree'' and ''Welcome to Jamrock''." ''Mind Control'', which featured the single "Hey Baby" featuring

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100, while ''Revelation Part I: The Root of Life'' reached position 92 and "Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life" peaked at position 129. All Marley's albums reached the number 1 position on the Billboard reggae charts. In its ''Mind Control'' album review published on April 13, 2007, the ''

Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogra ...

'' wrote: :Stephen Marley's solo debut is everything a modern reggae album should be. Producer of myriad Marley family recordings, Stephen has developed an ambitious ear... Mindful of the music's deep roots yet awash in dancehall toasts and hip-hop beats, Mind Control layers sound skilfully...the tradition rests in strong hands. In reviewing ''Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life'', Jon Pareless, writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' on July 20, 2016, noted that: :Being Bob Marley's son has given Stephen Marley a voice with archetypal familiarity, some instant brand recognition and a cultural responsibility. On "Revelation Pt. I," Mr. Marley stayed close to the roots reggae sound Bob Marley perfected in the 1970s with the Wailers, though his album added a few guest rappers. "Revelation Pt. II" is far less purist; it strives for both innovation and radio-friendly crossover. Mr. Marley's aching voice suits love songs just as well as protests...and more often than not, Mr. Marley lives up to the ambition that his last name demands of him.

Personal life

He lives in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, where he has a home and a private recording studio. His eldest son,

Jo Mersa Marley Joseph "Jo Mersa" Marley (born March 12, 1991 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a Jamaican American reggae artist. He is a son of Stephen Marley and grandson of reggae musician Bob Marley. Personal life Marley spent his early years in Jamaica, where he ...

, is a musician who recently released his EP "Comfortable".Jackson, Kevin (2014)
Jo Mersa: comfortable in his own skin
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an ...

'', June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014 His daughter, Mystic Marley, released "Beatdown", her debut single and music video on June 6, 2018.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Television appearances

* Marley appears in the second season of ''

Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...

''. In the episode "On and On", he performs "Chase Dem" on the stage of Harlem's Paradise as Bushmaster is taking over the club.

References

External links

Official Stephen Marley WebsiteStephen Marley on MySpaceGhetto Youths
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marley, Stephen 1972 births 20th-century Jamaican male singers 21st-century Jamaican male singers American Rastafarians Grammy Award winners Jamaican emigrants to the United States Jamaican people of Cuban descent Jamaican people of English descent Jamaican Rastafarians Jamaican reggae musicians Jamaican reggae singers Living people S Musicians from Wilmington, Delaware Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers members