Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers
Ziggy Marley during a performance, picture courtesy
melodymakers.com
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ZMMM Biography
Known to fans as the leader of the group, Ziggy maintains that the name of the group is simply Melody Makers and that each of his siblings offer their special "thing" that makes the group work.
Singing, writing and producing with the group for the past twenty years, he is always in the process of recording lyrics and melodies on his microcassette recorder.
Presently he is busy making his love for charity official by incorporating U.R.G.E. (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment) which will do work in Jamaica, Ethiopia and other less wealthy nations.
Stephen shows his diverse talents on Melody Makers albums, singing, deejaying, writing and producing.
Bob's second son is never far from musical instruments and is often heard humming a tune.
He is presently working on various Ghetto Youth United projects and a remix of some of his father's greatest hits featuring R&B performers like Erykah Badu, Lost Boyz and Lauryn Hill.
Sharon balances her prowess on stage with the Caribbean business of Ghetto Youth United, the Melody Makers support group and as curator of the Bob Marley Museum.
With a major refurbishing of the stellar Jamaican attraction just finished, Sharon is working on opening one of the first day care training centers in Jamaica.
The eldest of the four, she is "on the road ER" as she makes sure everyone is eating right and getting enough rest.
Bob's eldest child balances her life as a Melody Maker with the considerable demands of both raising children and her ongoing work as CEO of Tuff Gong International.
A naturally charismatic performer, Cedella has in recent years developed her talents as a singer and songwriter both within the band and through special projects with the Marley Girls. In addition to her vocal prowess, she is an expressive and tireless dancer whose presence on stage is an integral part of the band's appeal.
In all her work Cedella has been deeply involved in the safeguarding and development of her father's great legacy. It is a challenge she has always met with determination, self-confidence and energy.
The oldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley and his wife Rita, Ziggy Marley was the natural heir to the throne left vacant by his father's untimely 1981 death; along with backing band the Melody Makers, a unit comprised of his brothers and sisters, he successfully carried on the tradition of communicating the music's message to a growing global audience, in the process even scoring a U.S. Top 40 single -- a claim neither of his parents could make. Born David Marley in Kingston, Jamaica on October 17, 1968, he received guitar and drum lessons from his father, and began sitting in on Wailers recording sessions at the age of ten. In 1979, Ziggy -- so nicknamed in honor of his love of David Bowie -- his sister Cedelia, brother Stephen and half-sister Sharon all joined Bob in the studio to record the single "Children Playing in the Streets"; christened the Melody Makers, the four siblings continued playing together at family events, and even performed at their father's state funeral.Marley was not even 17 when he and the Melody Makers issued their EMI debut LP, Play the Game Right; the burdens of becoming a second-generation star weighed heavily on the youth -- who looked and sounded almost eerily like his father -- and he allowed the record and its 1986 follow-up Hey World! to veer closely towards pop music, resulting in derision from reggae purists. Poor sales, combined with EMI's public desire to market Marley as a solo act, prompted the band to jump to the Virgin label, where they entered the studio to record their masterpiece, 1988's Conscious Party. Produced by Talking Heads' Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, the album was both a critical and commercial smash, with the single "Tomorrow People" reaching number 39 on the pop charts. The follow-up, 1989's One Bright Day, continued the Melody Makers' artistic growth; it was also their best-selling effort to date, cracking the Top 20 and like its predecessor winning a Grammy.Marley and the Melody Makers resurfaced in 1991 with Jahmeyka, another assured and creative effort; it sold well, edging into the Top 20, but failed to generate much radio or video airplay. 1993's Joy and Blues barely charted, despite adding elements of contemporary dancehall (a showcase for Stephen's rapping skills.) The record was the Melody Makers' last for Virgin, and they moved to Elektra for 1995's Free Like We Want 2 B; Fallen Is Babylon followed in 1997, and scored a third Grammy. Like his father, Marley emerged as a leading political voice, and was named a Goodwill Youth Ambassador for the United Nations; at home in Kingston, he also founded his own record label, Ghetto Youth United, created to spotlight the next generation of reggae talent. In addition to the four siblings in the Melody Makers, three other Marley children -- Damian, Julian and Ky-Mani -- also pursued careers in music. The music continued well into the new millennium, for Marley released Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers Live, Vol. 1 in fall 2000. ~~~~~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide, cdnow.com
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Beatiful Day performed on the David Letterman Show
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