Ziggy Marley
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David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born October 17, 1968, St. Ann's Perish, Jamaica) is a Jamaican musician, the oldest son of Rita and Bob Marley, the legendary roots rock reggae singer. He learned how to play guitar and drums from his father. His mother Rita called and baptised him David, but his father Bob nicknamed him "Ziggy" in reference to a big spliff.
In 1979, Ziggy and his siblings, Cedella, Stephen and Sharon, made their recording debut with their father, "Children Playing in the Streets". The Melody Makers, as the group came to be known, played occasionally for several years, including at their father's funeral in 1981. Their debut LP was Play the Game Right, which was a very pop-oriented album, earning Ziggy some derision from critics. The band's label, EMI, wanted to market Ziggy as a solo act, and so the Melody Makers moved to Virgin Records, where they recorded Conscious Party (1988, produced by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth). The album was critically and popularly successful, as was One Bright Day (1989) and Jahmekya (1991).
As the 1990s continued, the Melody Makers' sales slowly declined, beginning with Joy and Blues (1993), Free Like We Want to Be (1995). Ziggy had become politically active by this time, working with the United Nations and creating a record label called Ghetto Youths Crew. A solo album, Dragonfly was released on April 15, 2003.
He voiced a Rasta jellyfish in the 2004 film Shark Tale, and also collaborated with Sean Paul on a cover of his father's song "Three Little Birds" for the soundtrack. The cover was the title song for the film, although gained less exposure than "Car Wash" by Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott possibly due to not being released as a single.
Ziggy also sang the theme song for the popular PBS children's show "Arthur". In addition to his work in 2004 he also decided to marry a VP at William Morris Agency, with whom he has a daughter.
Ziggy also was mentioned in an episode of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
On July 2, 2006, his second solo album Love is my Religion, was released.
[edit] Sound samples
- Download sample of The Chieftains and Ziggy Marley covering Bob Marley's "Redemption Song"
