Melody Makers In 1979, a seven-year-old Marley started his musical career as part of the child band
Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers alongside older siblings
Ziggy, Sharon and Cedella – the children of Bob Marley and wife, Rita. The Melody Makers recorded the song "Children Playing in the Streets" written by their father
Bob Marley. Proceeds of the sale of the song went to the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). In 1980, Stephen performed the lead on the Melody Makers' single "Sugar Pie". Stephen and older brother Ziggy – Bob Marley's two eldest sons – were directly mentored into music by their father and performed alongside
Bob Marley and the Wailers at the 1978
One Love Peace Concert in Kingston, Jamaica, 1979
Reggae Sunsplash in
Montego Bay and at Zimbabwe's independence celebrations in Salisbury, Rhodesia (
Harare, Zimbabwe) in 1980. The brothers performed, alongside the Wailers and the
I Threes, at their father's funeral on May 21, 1981. After Bob Marley's death, the Melody Makers continued with Ziggy taking over as the group's leader, composing songs such as "What a Plot" in 1982, as well as "Lying in Bed" and "I Met Her on a Rainy Day" in 1984. In 1985, the group released their first album,
Play the Game Right. With their third album,
Conscious Party, the group was now called "Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers" with Ziggy performing the lead vocals, and Stephen playing instruments, the group gained fame with hits such as "Tomorrow People", "Tumblin' Down", "Lee and Molly" and "Conscious Party". The album went
platinum in the United States, and the Melody Makers would become the youngest recipients of the
Grammy for Best Reggae album for Conscious Party. Their follow up album
One Bright Day released in 1989 featured the hit "Look Who's Dancing" written by Ziggy and Stephen. Just 17 at the time, Stephen shared the lead vocals with his big brother and performed
dancehall toasting on the song, which also featured energetic backing female vocals by Sharon, Cedella and Erica. Stephen earned the nickname "Raggamuffin" or "Ragga" as he was the first Marley to engage in dancehall rap/deejaying. Other albums released in the 1990s included
Jahmekya,
Free Like We Want to B,
Joy and Blues,
Fallen is Babylon and
Spirit of Music. Stephen played a mostly background role, as an instrumentalist, songwriter, and co-producer; but performed the lead vocals on some songs such as "Keep On", "Postman", and "One Good Spliff". Stephen shared the lead with Ziggy on songs such as "Works to Do", a track produced by Stephen himself, and "Water and Oil" adding ragga toasting to Ziggy's singing. Another Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers song written and fronted (lead vocals) by Stephen was "Tipsy Dazy" featured in the soundtrack of the 1997 Hollywood film Anaconda. Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers won a total of three Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album.
Music producer In 1999, Marley produced
Chant Down Babylon a remix album of Bob Marley's music, modernised to appeal to a modern audience, featuring hip-hop, R&B and rock stars including
Lauryn Hill,
Erykah Badu,
Guru,
Busta Rhymes,
MC Lyte,
Steven Tyler,
Joe Perry,
Chuck D, and
The Roots. The single "Turn Your Lights Down Low" featuring Lauryn Hill became a huge hit internationally, Marley modernising a song that had received little attention as a B side song in the 1977 Exodus album. In 1996, Stephen produced debut albums by younger brothers Julian and
Damian Marley (Bob Marley's sons from relationships outside his marriage to Rita). Stephen was particularly successful in Damian's musical success, producing his brother's first three albums,
Mr Marley (1996), as well as the Grammy Award-winning
Halfway Tree (2001) and
Welcome to Jamrock (2005). Stephen contributed production of three songs to Damian's collaboration album with Nas, "Distant Relatives" (2010). On that album, Stephen produced the songs "Patience", "Leaders" and "In His Own Words", lending vocals to the latter two tracks. Marley also worked with the
Fugees in their mid 1990s remake of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry", and produced music for popular hip-hop artists such as
Krayzie Bone ("Revolution" from 'Thug Mentality' album 1999), Erykah Badu ("In Love with You" from 'Mama's Gun' album 2000), Eve ("No, no, no" from her 'Scorpion' album, 2001), and Mr Cheeks ("Mama Say" and "Till We Meet Again" from the 'John P Kelly' album, 2001) . He also produced music for dancehall artists such as
Capleton, ("Sunshine Girl" from the "Reign of Fire" album, 2004) and reggae legends
Inner Circle, ("Smoke Gets in My Eyes" from the 'State of Da World' album, 2009). In 2022 he produced an EP in tribute to
Nina Simone,
Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone, featuring
Queen Ifrica,
Cedella Marley, and
Etana.
Solo career After spending many years in the background as a producer, and backing big brother Ziggy as a Melody Maker, Marley finally became a solo artist, releasing the albums
Mind Control (2007),
Mind Control Acoustic (2008),
Revelation Part I: The Root of Life (2011), and
Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life (2016). His first three solo albums won Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album, adding to the three Grammy Awards he had already won as a member of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers and the two other Grammy Awards he earned for producing younger brother Damian's albums
Halfway Tree and
Welcome to Jamrock."
Mind Control, which featured the single "Hey Baby" featuring
Mos Def peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100, while
Revelation Part I: The Root of Life reached position 92 and "Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life" peaked at position 129. All Marley's albums reached the number 1 position on the
Billboard Reggae charts. In its
Mind Control album review published on April 13, 2007, the
Austin Chronicle wrote: :Stephen Marley's solo debut is everything a modern reggae album should be. Producer of myriad Marley family recordings, Stephen has developed an ambitious ear... Mindful of the music's deep roots yet awash in dancehall toasts and hip-hop beats, Mind Control layers sound skilfully...the tradition rests in strong hands. In reviewing
Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life, Jon Pareless, writing in
The New York Times on July 20, 2016, noted that: :Being Bob Marley's son has given Stephen Marley a voice with archetypal familiarity, some instant brand recognition and a cultural responsibility. On "Revelation Pt. I," Mr. Marley stayed close to the roots reggae sound Bob Marley perfected in the 1970s with the Wailers, though his album added a few guest rappers. "Revelation Pt. II" is far less purist; it strives for both innovation and radio-friendly crossover. Mr. Marley's aching voice suits love songs just as well as protests...and more often than not, Mr. Marley lives up to the ambition that his last name demands of him. On April 3, 2017, Marley and
Pitbull performed on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, playing their single, "Options". In June 2023, Marley released the single "Old Soul". On August 18, 2023, he announced his fourth studio album, also titled
Old Soul, which was released on September 15, 2023. ==Personal life==