Ziggy Marley Biography

(Jamaican Singer and the Son of Reggae Icon Bob Marley)

Birthday: October 17, 1968 (Libra)

Born In: Trenchtown, Jamaica

Ziggy Marley is one of the most popular and celebrated reggae singers of this generation. He is the son of the legendary Bob Marley. Like his father Bob, Ziggy’s songs are generally themed on socio-political issues and peace and convey the message of fraternity. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he started singing at a young age and recorded songs when his father was still alive. Today, he is not only famous as a singer, but also as a philanthropist, working towards a better world. In his singing style and themes, he is very similar to his father. Although, he has not been able to make an impact like his father, yet he has created his own place in the realm of reggae music. Some of his works, which include songs that hit the ‘Billboard Top 40’ chart, proved to be important in catapulting his career. It would not be wrong to say that Ziggy is on his own path of creating his legacy. Singing to a global audience about matters concerning the world, Ziggy has been able to create an impact by making his voice heard. His humanitarian works, especially for children, have benefited a lot to people around the world.

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Quick Facts

Also Known As: David Nesta Ziggy Marley

Age: 55 Years, 55 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Orly Marley

father: Bob Marley

mother: Rita Marley

siblings: Cedella Marley, Cerita Marley, Damian Marley, Julian Marley, Karen Marley, Ky-Mani Marley, Makeda Jahnesta, Robert Marley, Rohan Marley, Sharon Marley, Stephanie Marley, Stephen Marley

children: Abraham Selassie Robert Nesta Marley, Daniel Marley, Gideon Robert Nesta Marley, Judah Victoria Marley, Justice Marley, Zuri Marley

Born Country: Jamaica

Philanthropists Jamaican Men

Height: 5'9" (175 cm), 5'9" Males

Childhood & Early Life

Born as David Nesta Marley, Ziggy is the eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley. He spent some part of his childhood in the poor neighborhood of Trench Town in Kingston.

As he grew up, he learnt singing and in 1979, he along with his three other brothers and sisters, recorded ‘Children Playing in the Streets’, their debut single.
He, along with his brother Stephen, sang on his father’s funeral in 1981.
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Career
The band ‘The Melody Makers’, which consisted of Marley and his siblings, released their debut album ‘Play the Game Right’ in 1985, to poor reviews.
They released another album, which was also unsuccessful before they came up with ‘Conscious Party’ in 1988 - their breakthrough album.

Marley and his band released ‘One Bright Day’ in 1989, to immense critical success and huge popularity. However, the band’s next two albums failed to make a mark and there was a considerable fall in their sales.

In 1991, he and his band contributed the song ‘Give A Little Love’ to ‘For Our Children’, a Disney album.

Marley became politically actively and began working with the UN. He created a record album called ‘Ghetto Youths Crew’ and released a solo album, ‘Dragonfly’ on April 15, 2003.

He released his second solo album ‘Love Is My Religion’ under his father Bob Marley's label, Tuff Gong Worldwide on July 2, 2006.

His next album was for children titled ‘Family Time’, which he released on May 5, 2009. The album features his mother and siblings along with other artists.

‘Wild and Free’, his fourth studio album was released on June 14, 2011, which featured famous Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson.

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Major Works
The single ‘Tomorrow People’ from the album ‘Conscious Party’ peaked at no. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100. Vh1 voted the song, the 85th greatest one-hit wonders of the 80s.

Ziggy Marley's second solo studio album ‘Love Is My Religion’ was extremely popular, peaking no.6 on Billboard Top Reggae Albums and earned great commercial and critical appreciation.

‘Family Time’, a children’s album by him was also a critical success, which went on to earn a Grammy.
Awards & Achievements
Marley’s second solo album ‘Love Is My Religion’ received the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 2007.
‘Family Time’, another studio album by him, was awarded a Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children in 2010.
He won a Daytime Emmy Award for singing an 'Outstanding Original Song’ in the ‘Children's and Animation' category for his song ‘I Love You Too’, in 2013.
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Personal Life & Legacy

Ziggy Marley is married to Orly Agai, who previously worked with William Morris Agency as their vice-president. He has six children, Justice Marley, Zuri Marley, Judah Victoria, Gideon Robert Nesta, Abraham Selassie Robert Nesta, and Daniel Marley.

He is the founder of the organization, Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment (URGE), which helps children in need, particularly in Jamaica and Ethiopia.
He also supports the ‘Little Kids Rock’, which is a non-profit organization offering musical instruments for free to children in public schools all across US. All the celebrities who have signed up for the project also provide free music classes to these children.
Trivia
This famous reggae star lent his voice to the character, Ernie, a Rasta jellyfish henchman, in the 2004 animation film, ‘Shark Tale’.

Awards

Grammy Awards
2017 Best Reggae Album Winner
2015 Best Reggae Album Winner
2014 Best Reggae Album Winner
2010 Best Musical Album for Children Winner
2007 Best Reggae Album Winner
1998 Best Reggae Album Winner
1990 Best Reggae Recording Winner
1989 Best Reggae Recording Winner

See the events in life of Ziggy Marley in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Ziggy Marley Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/david-nesta-marley-3252.php

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