Post by messenger on Aug 18, 2004 19:21:37 GMT -5
STOKING THE REGGAE FIRES: Bob Marley's sons take the stage in tribute to their legendary dad
August 18,2004
BY KELLEY L. CARTER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
He misses Daddy.
On stage. In the studio. At home.
Wherever.
Ky-mani Marley, the sixth son of the legendary reggae artist Bob Marley, tries to honor his father, who he says still plays a daily role in his life, despite having died of a brain tumor in 1981.
"My father is my greatest influence in life. And I'm not just saying that because he is my father," the 28-year-old Marley says. "When I'm on stage, when I'm writing, whatever -- you know what I mean -- I'm always paying respect to him. In my everyday life I live in his honor."
He's been sending praises and honor up to dad all summer long.
The Marley boys -- that includes Ziggy, Stephen, Julian and Damian -- have been headlining packed houses as part of the Bob Marley Roots Rock Reggae Festival. Tonight they perform at the Meadow Brook Music Festival, along with Nappy Roots, Toots & the Maytals, Slightly Stoopid and Looner.
The concert is a celebration of all things Marley, a chance to remind the believers -- and some new ears -- of their dad's enormous influence on the Jamaican-bred musical style.
The elder Marley is still the best-selling reggae artist of all time, and his posthumous celebrity ranks up there with Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
"I say it all the time -- I travel the world and I've never been in a country . . . and not hear a Bob Marley song or see a person walk around in a Bob Marley T-shirt," Ky-mani Marley says. "I was in Germany once and 98 percent of the audience knew no English but knew every song of my father's, word-for-word, and I find that to be amazing."
It's a blessing and a curse to be the son of such a legend.
No slackers themselves, the Marley children have fared well over the years.
Children Cedella, Stephen, Sharon and Ziggy have been honored with a couple of Grammys and an NAACP award. Ky-mani, who does a mixture of reggae and dancehall, has worked with Pras of the Fugees, is doing a little acting and is tightening up his third CD, which will have him exploring hip-hop.
"For me, it's difficult for people to allow me to be myself. They're always making a comparison and have their own conception of what I am supposed to be like," he says. "I have lived my own life and lived my own struggles and that's all I can be. I am not Bob Marley. I am a seed. There is no way to compare his sons, but sometimes it gets a little weird."
Not this summer. Sure, comparisons for this tour are to be expected. The brothers are covering several of their dad's songs.
"The tour is going great so far. It's the first time a tour like this is going on on the road, so for me it's something that I've been looking forward to for some time and I'm really enjoying it so far," he says. "The crowd has been great. The atmosphere, the vibe -- everything has been good."