Damian Marley

About Damian Marley

Damian Marley, also known as "Junior Gong," is a popular reggae artist, from the musical Marley family. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica on July 21, 1978. The youngest son of the legendary reggae artist Bob Marley, Damian is famous for his musical specialty "Deejaying" (Jamaican rapping style). Damian follows Rastafarian guiding principles (one love, one planet and freedom for all) and his music reflects these principles. nnDamian started his career at the age of 13, by joining The Shepherds, a group which included famous reggae children artists. In 1993, Damian released his debut single "Deejay Degree" under the Tuff Gong Record label (which was established by Bob Marley). In 1995, he performed at Reggae Sunfest and Sunsplash music festivals. nnIn 1996, Damian released his first album, "Mr. Marley," which included several updated classics of Bob Marley and the famous single "Me Name Junior Gong." He released the second album, "Halfway Tree," in 2001 which received the Grammy Award for the Best Reggae Album. The album was co-produced by his brother Stephen Marley. The famous tracks include "Educated Tools" (featuring deejay Bounty Killer), "It Was Written," "More Justice," "Give Dem Some Way" and "Stand A Chance." Damian recorded a song, "Ganja Bus" with hip/hop group Cypress Hill in 2004. nnIn 2005, Damian released his third album, "Welcome To Jamrock" (gold certified) which became the highest rated reggae album in US Billboard chart history. The hit album gained two Grammy awards (2006) - Best Reggae Album Award and Best Urban/Alternative Performance Award (for the title track). The single "Welcome to Jam rock," became the highest placed reggae track on the UK Top 40 chart. Other famous singles include "The Master Has Come Back," "Beautiful," "Road to Zion" and "For The Babies."nnDamian tours with his brothers and crew for the better part of the year. He performed in many popular stages including Central Park New York, Osheaga Festival, Bonnaroo Music Festival, KRQQ Weenie Roast, Peace Fest (Trinidad) and Extreme Makeover Home Edition (Season 3). Damian is the first reggae performer to play in "Austin City Limits," the famous PBS-show. Recently he recorded a song with pop artist Gwen Stefani.