Stephen Marley is the second oldest of Bob Marley's children with Rita, and although he has been performing with Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers since he was a child, "Mind Control", released just last year, was Stephen's first record as a solo artist.
That record won a Grammy and solidified him as a strong solo act. He has been appearing on numerous TV shows and Festivals lately, often accompanying brother Damien who he has a song with. He did the song, about getting hassled by the fuzz, at First Ave. dig the official video:
"Ragamuffin", as Stephen is known, looks and sounds more like his father than his other brothers, and has a lot of the charm and charisma on-stage that made Bob a legendary performer. This was definitely among the top reggae shows I have ever seen, along with seeing both Stephen and Ziggy perform separate sets at last year's Austin City Limits Festival.
Joining Stephen on-stage were two percussionists and two backup singers/dancers, one of whom sang the Eryka Badu parts during the song "In Love" and had an incredible voice. Also present were bass, guitar, and two dedicated wavers of the Rasta flag, one of whom was no more than four years old. It was nearly impossible to take my eyes off this adorable little dude who was working so hard to represent Haile Sallassie.
It's not only Stephens stage presence and beaming smile that make him an impressive talent, he is apparently somewhat of a studio genius as well:
"A highly sought after producer, Stephen has laid down tracks for Erykah Badu, Buju Banton, Eve, Spearhead and brothers Julian, Ziggy and Damien, whose best selling Welcome to Jamrock won Best Reggae Album in 2006. Mind Control is a mash-up of classic roots and genre bending collabos that include appearances by rapper Mos Def, Ben Harper and a cover of Ray Charles' "Lonely Avenue." As a producer, co-writer and now, solo artist, Stephen Marley has taken home a total of six Grammys, more than any other reggae artist."
-http://www.bobmarley.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080211&contentid=13815
After an opening DJ spun records by Bob Marley, Damien Marley, Julian Marley and Ziggy Marley, Stephen took the stage in front of a thrilled audience. The show started with a lively "Punky Reggae Party", then continued with the relatively obscure "Duppy Conqueror". The crowd lit up at the opening of "Mind Control", Stephen's single form the Grammy winning record of the same name, and the crowd was equally excited to hear "Hey Baby", a fantastic song off the new album that features Mos Def. We could not have been more blessed to hear Stephen's renditions of his father's beloved classics "Redemption Song", "No Woman No Cry", "Could You be Loved", "Jammin", "Three Little Birds" and a brilliant "One Love/Get Up Stand Up" encore.
It's hard to tell in this picture, but I'm pretty sure Stephen is looking directly at me while playing a hand drum:
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