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Family Tradition
Stephen Marley adds his voice to reggae legacy
By Alan Sculley
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Stephen Marley and his brothers will rock the
Bayfront Park Amphitheater on March 1. |
If there is an ultimate example of music being a family
affair, it is the first family of reggae, the Marleys.
A tradition that began with the late Bob Marley and his
backing band, the Wailers, has carried forward to many
of his children, beginning with Ziggy Marley and on to
younger brothers Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley, Julian Marley
and Ky-Mani Marley.
Then there is Stephen Marley, who along with sisters
Cedella and Sharon made up Ziggy’s backing band, the
Melody Makers. Stephen Marley made plenty of waves last
year with his stirring debut CD, Mind Control.
In a music world where siblings are more often noted for
dysfunction and tensions (think of the Everly Brothers,
Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks, or Chris and Rich
Robinson of the Black Crowes), the Marley clan has
always been a picture of harmony and support.
That image, Stephen Marley said in a recent phone
interview, is not an illusion. It is just one of the
many legacies left by his father, who died from cancer
at age 36 in 1981.
“I think one of the reasons is our father plays such a
dominant role in our lives as far as being our mentor,”
Marley said when asked about his family’s teamwork. “His
physical presence not being here, it kind of makes a
bond. You appreciate the brothers, and you appreciate
each other so much because of that. It makes the bond
strong.”
Bob Marley, of course, is the single most important
figure in reggae music. Emerging from the original
Wailers singing group (which also included Bunny Wailer
and Peter Tosh), Marley went on to make several of the
definitive reggae albums of all time, including
Burnin’ (1973) and Babylon by Bus (1978).
For Stephen Marley, there was never much question that
he would follow his father into music. He was just 7
years old when Ziggy formed the Melody Makers in 1979.
“As far as I can remember, I was always writing little
songs,” Marley said. “So that was something that
came natural.”
And even though he was just 9 when his father died,
Marley said he was old enough to appreciate and be
influenced by the many days he spent watching his father
and the Wailers work in the studio or perform onstage.
In particular, he was influenced by his father’s work
ethic and dedication.
“In rehearsal, you would hear my mother complain about
being there for hours and hours and hours to get it
right,” Marley said. “His whole approach to the music
and the wholesomeness of it and the pureness of it, that
is what we learned from him.”
Until now, though, Stephen Marley has largely stayed out
of the spotlight. Instead, his role in the family’s
music has been behind the scenes, as a songwriter and
producer of his brothers’ albums.
For instance, he co-produced and collaborated on songs
on Damian Marley’s two acclaimed CDs, Halfway Tree
and 1995’s Welcome to Jamrock, which sold more
than 500,000 copies and netted Damian and Stephen a
Grammy award. He has had similar roles on albums by
Julian, whose most recent CD, A Time and Place,
was released in 2003. Stephen also produced the 1999 Bob
Marley tribute album, Chant Down Babylon.
Now, Mind Control strongly suggests that this
Marley has what it takes to be a compelling artist in
his own right.
Like on Damian Marley’s albums, Stephen Marley liberally
mixes a variety of styles with reggae on Mind Control.
In fact, only a couple of songs, “Chase Dem” and “Lonely
Avenue,” come close to being pure reggae tracks.
Instead, the song “Iron Bars” deftly mixes hip-hop beats
and raps with the rhythms and clipped chords of reggae.
“Fed Up” weaves together acoustic and electric
instrumentation in a mid-tempo track that suggests, but
doesn’t stick strictly to, the lilting pulse of reggae.
In fact, several tracks offer little in the way of a
reggae influence. “Hey Baby” (which features guest
vocals from Mos Def) is a melodic R&B track anchored
with a potent straight-ahead beat, while “You’re Gonna
Leave” is a simmering ballad that shows a hip-hop
influence in its percolating rhythm track.
Marley has been touring behind Mind Control for
much of the past year. He's on a March 1 bill at
Bayfront Park Amphitheater that also features Ky-Mani,
Julian and Damian Marley; Joseph Israel; and Capleton.
The show, he said, encompasses more than the CD.
“Of course Mind Control is in the loop,” he said.
“I’m [also performing songs] from my Melody Makers time,
songs of my father’s. Damian is on the road with me
also, so it will be good experience.”
Stephen Marley will perform at the 15th annual Caribbean
Festival, which takes place from 1 p.m. to midnight
Sunday, March 1, at the Bayfront Park Amphitheater, 301
N. Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
Tickets are $35 in advance with the donation of four
canned goods. Call 305-740-7344. |
