Ziggy Marley

David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican reggae musician, songwriter, producer, author and philanthropist. The eldest son of Bob Marley and Rita Marley, he led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 2002, releasing eight studio albums, before launching a solo career on his label Tuff Gong Worldwide. He has won eight Grammy Awards and a Daytime Emmy Award.

Beyond recording and touring, Marley is active in philanthropy through the U.R.G.E. (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment) Foundation, which supports education, health and environmental projects for children in Jamaica, Africa and North America.

In 2024, he served as a producer of the biographical film Bob Marley: One Love; the companion compilation Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe) won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. His recent projects include the children’s picture book Pajammin’ (June 24, 2025), and a North American “Do The Reggae” co-headlining tour with Burning Spear in fall 2025.

Marley also reunited with his brothers for the Marley Brothers’ Legacy Tour in 2024, the siblings’ first collective tour in two decades, performing their father’s catalogue in major U.S. cities.

Early life

David Nesta Marley was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on 17 October 1968. He grew up in Trenchtown, a poor neighbourhood of Kingston, and in Wilmington, Delaware, where he attended elementary school for a few years. Ziggy grew up very active, playing soccer and running in the mountains, a lifestyle passed on by his parents. As the oldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy grew up surrounded by music. He has 5 half-brothers, one brother, and two sisters. He received guitar and drum lessons from his father and began sitting in on Wailers recording sessions by the age of ten.

Career

1979–1984: Family beginnings

In the earliest known record of his musical career, Marley performed as part of a singing group called The Seven Do Bees, made up of him and his classmates, and wherein he was given the stage name "Freddie Dic". The name never stuck, however, and instead, David went on to become known as "Ziggy", a nickname often reported to have been given to him by his father Bob Marley, meaning "little spliff". However, Ziggy stated the following to Melody Maker magazine in 1988: "Me name David but me big Bowie fan. So at the time of the Ziggy Stardust album, me call meself Ziggy and now everyone do."

During the late 1970s, Ziggy could also be seen alongside his brother Stephen at some of their father's larger concerts around Jamaica and abroad. In 1978, the duo appeared on stage at the One Love Peace Concert in Kingston, and the following year at Reggae Sunsplash II in Montego Bay.

1985–2002: Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers

In 1979, Ziggy and his siblings Sharon, Cedella and Stephen formed the Melody Makers (named after the British weekly pop/rock music newspaper, Melody Maker) and made their recording debut with "Children Playing in the Streets". The track was written for them by their father, who had composed the song for them four years earlier. All royalties from the single were pledged to the United Nations to aid its efforts during the International Year of the Child.
 

The Melody Makers made their onstage debut as a group on 23 September 1979, performing on the same bill as their father for the first and only time at the "Roots Rock Reggae" two-day concert series in Kingston's National Arena. Ziggy was 11 years old at the time. Notable other early moments in Ziggy's musical history include a performance with Stephen at their father's funeral in 1981, and later that year, the Melody Makers released their second single, "What A Plot", under the family's Tuff Gong record label. The Melody Makers recorded an unreleased album titled Children Playing in 1979.

Following Bob Marley's death in 1981, Ziggy began performing in his place alongside the Wailers at various shows around Jamaica, and in 1984, the group went on tour in support of the year's Bob Marley Legend compilation album release. The Melody Makers' first fully released album was Play the Game Right in 1985. Their 1988 album Conscious Party was a major worldwide hit and received a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. In 1996, the band performed the theme song "Believe in Yourself" for the animated children's show Arthur. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers won three Grammy Awards and five nominations in total before disbanding in 2002.

2003–2006: Dragonfly/Solo Career beginning

After the Melody Makers disbanded, Ziggy Marley launched a solo career. His debut solo album, Dragonfly, was released in April 2003. The album featured the single "True To Myself", which remains one of his biggest hits. The track "Rainbow in the Sky" features both Flea and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, while "Melancholy Mood" features only Flea.

2006–2011: Tuff Gong Worldwide (independent artist)

In July 2006, his second solo album, Love Is My Religion, was released on his independent record label Tuff Gong Worldwide. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, making it Marley's 4th Grammy win.
 

Marley performed a duet with Donna Summer for her 2008 album Crayons. In May 2009, his third solo album, Family Time, was released on Tuff Gong Worldwide. Family Time was presented as a children's album and features family and friends: Rita Marley, Cedella Marley, Judah Marley, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson, Toots Hibbert, Laurie Berkner, Elizabeth Mitchell, and more. This album won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Album for Children. In June 2011, Marley released his fourth album, Wild and Free. The title track, featuring Woody Harrelson, was available for free with the pre-order of Ziggy's first comic book, Marijuanaman.

2012–present: Two more albums

In 2013, Marley's song "I Love You Too" won him a Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Original Song – Children's and Animation category, after it was used in the CBeebies animation 3rd & Bird. Ziggy released the children's book, I Love You Too, based on the song and illustrated by Agnieszka Jatkowska. In April 2014, Ziggy Marley released his fifth solo studio album, entitled Fly Rasta. Fly Rasta won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album at the 57th Grammy Awards. Marley later announced his sixth solo album, Ziggy Marley, to be released spring of 2016.

In May 2018, Marley released his most recent studio album, Rebellion Rises, through Tuff Gong Worldwide. The album received rave reviews upon release. Cryptic Rock gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, stating "Politically and socially relevant, Rebellion Rises is a war of music, creating peace with a purpose.". Island Stage called the album "a 10-track masterpiece that continues his father's tradition of promoting emancipation from mental slavery through education, social activism, and healthy living." Reggaeville said the album "is not an angry record. It is not a bitter record. But it is not a record of hope, either. The time of hoping for change is a notion Marley considers past due. This is a record of action, and for Ziggy Marley, the time for action is now."

Personal life

Ziggy Marley is the eldest son of Bob Marley and Rita Marley. His brothers are Stephen Marley, Julian Marley, Ky-Mani Marley, Robert "Robbie" Marley, Rohan Marley, and Damian Marley. His sisters are Sharon Marley, Cedella Marley, Karen Marley, Stephanie Marley, and Serita Stewart.

He is married to Orly Agai, an Israeli of Iranian-Jewish descent, who is a former vice-president of William Morris Agency. They have four children: one daughter, Judah Victoria, and three sons, Gideon Robert Nesta, Abraham Selassie Robert Nesta, and Isaiah Sion Robert Nesta. He also has three children from previous relationships: a son, Bambaata (b. 1989), a daughter, Justice (b. 1991), and a daughter, Zuri (b. 1995). He lives in the Toluca Lake area of Los Angeles.