When Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 at age 36, he left behind a timeless catalog of music now estimated to be worth $100 million.
His death also inspired the lion's share of his 11 biological children to continue his mission of promoting peace, love, and liberty through song.
These days, the charge is being led by Damian (nicknamed Jr. Gong), 28, Stephen, 35, and Ziggy (né David), 38. As of June, their surname dominates Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart: No. 1 (for nine consecutive weeks), Stephen's long-awaited solo debut, Mind Control, released March 20; No. 2, Damian's third disc, 2005's Welcome to Jamrock; No. 3, Forever Bob Marley, the latest of countless collections of Marley's pre-Island Records output; and No. 7, Ziggy's second solo CD, 2006's Love Is My Religion.
As if that weren't enough, collectively Stephen, Damian, and Ziggy have scored a dozen Grammy wins, something their dad did not live to achieve. (Grammys were not given out for reggae until 1984.)
All this — the sales, the awards, the credibility — signals the brothers' emergence as the rare progeny of music royalty to successfully foster their own careers while honoring their lineage. ''I don't think anybody ever before has had a second generation of three children carrying on a legacy,'' says Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, which signed Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1972.
''These boys have actually carried Bob's message further in that they have reached the black American audience. That was the one thing I would say Bob felt that he failed to do. Had he lived, he would have done it.''
Marley may have struggled to crack the U.S. R&B charts, but by the end of his brief life he'd achieved...
Want the rest of Margeaux Watson's feature? Entertainment Weekly has it>>>
His death also inspired the lion's share of his 11 biological children to continue his mission of promoting peace, love, and liberty through song.
These days, the charge is being led by Damian (nicknamed Jr. Gong), 28, Stephen, 35, and Ziggy (né David), 38. As of June, their surname dominates Billboard's Top Reggae Albums chart: No. 1 (for nine consecutive weeks), Stephen's long-awaited solo debut, Mind Control, released March 20; No. 2, Damian's third disc, 2005's Welcome to Jamrock; No. 3, Forever Bob Marley, the latest of countless collections of Marley's pre-Island Records output; and No. 7, Ziggy's second solo CD, 2006's Love Is My Religion.
As if that weren't enough, collectively Stephen, Damian, and Ziggy have scored a dozen Grammy wins, something their dad did not live to achieve. (Grammys were not given out for reggae until 1984.)All this — the sales, the awards, the credibility — signals the brothers' emergence as the rare progeny of music royalty to successfully foster their own careers while honoring their lineage. ''I don't think anybody ever before has had a second generation of three children carrying on a legacy,'' says Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, which signed Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1972.
''These boys have actually carried Bob's message further in that they have reached the black American audience. That was the one thing I would say Bob felt that he failed to do. Had he lived, he would have done it.''
Marley may have struggled to crack the U.S. R&B charts, but by the end of his brief life he'd achieved...
Want the rest of Margeaux Watson's feature? Entertainment Weekly has it>>>
Hey, check out this funky jam by Damian Marley,
featuring his brother Stephen:
featuring his brother Stephen: