David Nesta Marley
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Awards
Ziggy Marley, born David Nesta Marley, is an eight-time Grammy Award-winning reggae musician and actor. He formed The Melody Makers with his siblings in 1979 and released multiple albums, earning Grammys for Best Reggae Album and a Daytime Emmy. Marley also appeared in films such as Shark Tale 2004 and Bob Marley: One Love 2024. He is the son of Bob and Rita Marley.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Ziggy Marley — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Ziggy Marley by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Ziggy Marley — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
David Nesta Marley, later known as Ziggy, was born on October 17, 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica, to Bob and Rita Marley. His father nicknamed him Ziggy. Growing up surrounded by music, he formed The Melody Makers at age 11 with siblings Sharon, Cedella, and Stephen. The band’s first single was Children Playing in the Streets 1979. Marley attended St. George’s College in Jamaica.
Ziggy Marley’s career took off with The Melody Makers, winning their first Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1989 for Conscious Party. He won seven more Grammys, including Best Musical Album for Children. As a solo artist, his album Love Is My Religion 2006 won a Grammy. He also acted, voicing Lenny in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 and appearing in Hawaii Five-0 as Bones. He performed at major festivals and collaborated with artists like Lauryn Hill.
Ziggy Marley is married to Orly Marley, and they have five children: Daniel born 1989, Justice 1991, Zuri 1995, Judah Victoria 2005, and Gideon Robert Nesta 2007. He also has a son named Bambaata Marley from a previous relationship. Marley has several siblings, including Stephen, Damian, and Julian Marley. He is brother-in-law to singer Lauryn Hill.
Ziggy Marley carried forward his father Bob Marley’s legacy while forging his own path. With eight Grammy Awards, he is one of the most awarded reggae artists. He inspired a new generation of reggae musicians and continues to tour and release music. His work with The Melody Makers helped popularize reggae worldwide. Marley’s foundation supports education and environmental causes. He is remembered for his Grammy-winning albums and commitment to reggae.
The complete filmography of Ziggy Marley — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Ziggy Marley — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Ziggy Marley — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Want People to Get Over the Stigma About Hemp. These Seeds Can’t Make You High, but They Will Make You Feel Good.
God Is Like the Sun. When the Sun Shines, It Shines for Everyone. God Is for Everyone.
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Pharmaceutical Drugs Are Legal, but They Can Hurt a Lot of People.
I Am Not Reggae, I Am Me. I Am Bigger Than the Limits That Are Put on Me. It All Has to Do with the Individual Journey.
The Political System Is Not for the People. the People Are Secondary to the Economy. It’s About What Generates Money, Not About What Benefits the People.
This Dragonfly Came up to Me. He Was Hovering Right in Front of My Face, and I Was Really Examining Him, Thinking, How Does He See Me? I Became Enlightened.
Everyone Will Someday Be Judged for What They Do, and Jah Is the Only Judge.
There Is a Physical Relationship with a Woman That You Don’t Have with Anybody Else, but That’s Not About Love. Love Is a Spiritual Thing.
I Want to Be Fulfilled in Myself, Rather Than Try to Follow Exactly in My Father’s Footsteps.
I Am a Leader. Leaders Always Get Heat. They’re Always Going Against the Grain. Jimi Hendrix Got Heat; Bob Marley Got Heat; Miles Davis Got Heat. Every Great Artist Got Heat. Heat Means You’re Doing Something Right.
I Don’t Have to Wait to Realize the Good Old Days.
Reggae Has a Philosophy, You Know? It’s Not Just Entertainment. There’s an Idea Behind It, a Way of Life Behind the Music, Which Is a Positive Way of Life, Which Is a Progressive Way of Life for Better People.
I Was Born by Myself but Carry the Spirit and Blood of My Father, Mother and My Ancestors. so I Am Really Never Alone. My Identity Is Through That Line.
If Food Is Labeled, Some People Might Choose to Eat Stuff That’s Genetically Modified. They Might Decide They Love It. but Give Us a Choice.
My Dream Is to Live a Good Life and Be Loving, Be Close to God and Be a Good Human Being and Bring Peace to People.
We Believe in the Almighty and We Believe in God and That Music Is from God and We’re Inspired by God to Give Messages and Ideas to People.
The Sun Is Always Shining. We Have Oxygen, Trees, Birds. There’s so Much Good Things on Earth, Still. We Haven’t Destroyed Everything.
URGE Is a Grassroots Charity. We Organized to Get Some Incubators to Give to the Hospital for the Kids. We Donate Money to Orphanages.
People Treat You According to Your Energy or What You Put Out There, so What I Put Out There Is Very Open. I’m Not Paranoid or Scared, I’m Open. That’s How I Treat People, with Respect and Speak Truthfully.
No Matter the Bad Things That Happened in Past Time, Let’s Try to Live the Best We Can Now.
If It Is, It Is, If It’s Not, It’s Not.
I Grew up with Coconuts as the Main Flavor in Food in Jamaica. It’s Part of Our Culture.
My Whole Family Is Spiritual. My Grandmother, Grand Aunt, Cousins, They’re All Preachers and Pastors. Spirituality Is a Part of My Family, from Generations Ago.
I Have Found That Children Are the Most Open-minded of All My Audiences. They Are Not Set in Their Ways. They Are Open to Ideas.
Love Is Cheering and Sharing and Compassion and Giving and Receiving. Love Is an Action Thing More Than a Word Thing, That Brings Comfort or Joy or Relief to Anyone or Anything.
I Am Expressing Myself Truthfully. That Is an Important Thing.
There’s More to Life Than Physical and Material.
I Don’t Fight Creativity. I Don’t Fight Against Not Being Creative. If I’m Not Being Creative, I’m Not Forcing It.
In My Songs, the Sex Is All Subliminal. It’s Subliminal, Spiritual.
I Was in My Yard and Thought That the Tree Was a Living Being. We Take Trees for Granted. We Don’t Believe They Are as Much Alive as We Are.
I Have a Satellite Radio Show Called ‘the Legends of Reggae.’ It’s a Cool Way to Branch Out and Do Other Things. I’m Paying Respect to the Legends of Reggae.
I’ve Tried Body Surfing. It’s Nice.
I’m Inspired to Do Music. I Really Can’t Stop Unless I Stop Being Inspired.
Each Father Wants Their Sons to Be Just Like Them, Really.
The Revolution Will Come from the People and the Willingness to Work Towards Something Better, to Fight for a Better Living.
Reggae Music Is Not an Easy Music to Like When It Comes to the Power in Society. ‘Cause It Talks About Changing Society. You Won’t Find It Readily Accepted.
Music Is One of the Most Essential Things in Life. It Is What Teaches Us.
Proud About My Father? What Am I Most Proud Of? I Think I’m Proud of the Legacy He Left I Think Is What It Is. He Has Left Us so Much.
I Like Doing Nothing, Actually. Doing Nothing Is Better Thing When I Am Not Working.
Love Is a Positive Effect. Love Can Never Have a Negative Effect, Only a Positive Effect.
I Think It’s Wrong the Way They Criminalize Herb. There Are Many More Uses Than Just Smoking. Beneficial to Mankind.
Religion Has Become so Many Different Things. Religion Is an Economic Thing for Some People. Religion Is a Gun.
Doing Something That Is Productive Is a Great Way to Alleviate Emotional Stress. Get Your Mind Doing Something That Is Productive.
Children Are the World’s Future, and We Need to Take Care of Them Like We Would Any Precious Resource.
If Religion Had a Good Purpose, Then Man Would Have Created Something Great. but We’re Man: We Mess up Everything. We Mess up Nature. We Mess up God. We Take What Is Given to Us and Make It into What We Think It Should Be.
The Roots of My Music Start from the Ghetto.
Old Music Used to Mean Something. There Is None of That Today.
The Long-term Study of GMO Foods Is Going on in Real Time and in Real Life. Not in a Lab.
In Jamaica, We Eradicated Polio Many Years Ago, but There Are a Lot of Kids Suffering in Africa Still.
The People Who Are Teaching Religion and Not Teaching Love Are Missing the Message.
Little-known facts about Ziggy Marley — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Bob Marley is his father.
Born David Nesta Marley in 1968, he received the nickname Ziggy from his father Bob Marley.
He is the brother-in-law of singer Lauryn Hill.
Rita Marley, his mother, authored a book about Bob Marley titled No Woman No Cry.
He is father to five children: Daniel born 1989, Justice 1991, Zuri 1995, Judah Victoria 2005, and Gideon Robert Nesta 2007.
Together with siblings Stephen, Sharon, and Cedella, he formed the band The Melody Makers.
His ancestry is one-quarter British and three-quarters Jamaican.
Rita Marley is his mother.
He has twelve siblings, including Sharon, Cedella, Stephen, Rohan, Damian, Julian, and Ky-Mani Marley.
He is of African descent.
He is the uncle of musicians Skip Marley, Nico Marley, Jo Mersa Marley, and Selah Marley.
His grandparents are Cedella Booker and Norval Sinclair Marley.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Ziggy Marley.
Celebrities similar to Ziggy Marley — same craft, ranked by reach.
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