Perhaps it was less than a surprise when Bob and Rita Marley’s youngest son Stephen took the best reggae album category at the recent Grammy awards.
Annual predictions often submit to a notion that in any given year any nominated Marley will be favored by voting music insiders at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
The six-time Grammy winner won this time for his CD “Revelation Pt. 1 – The Root Of Life.”
The recording won over Monty Alexander’s “Harlem – Kingston Express Live:” Israel Vibration “Reggae Knights;” Shaggy – “Summer In Kingston” and “Wild & Free” by his big brother Ziggy Marley from the same parents.
The most–winning member of the Marley family previously won as a solo artiste in 2008 with “Mind Control” and again in 2010 for the acoustic version of the same album. He also shared success collaborating with his siblings who recorded as Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.
The family group triumphed with “Conscious Party” in 1989, “One Bright Day” the year after and again in 1998 for their recording of “Fallen Is Babylon.”
He leads in winning the most Grammy awards in the sole category dedicated to the Jamaica-popularized beat.
Ziggy has won five Grammy awards while the youngest of the Marley recording clan, Damian AKA ‘Junior Gong’ follows behind with three.
Damian is the only reggae artist to win two Grammy awards on the same night.
In addition to scoring a win in the reggae category in 2006 for his mega-hit “Welcome to Jamrock,” Damian also won in the best urban/alternative performance category for the same track.
It should be noted that every son of Bob Marley who pursued a career in music has been nominated for a Grammy award.
Other Marley off-springs to be nominated include Julian and Ky-Mani.
Kymani was nominated in 2001 for his “Many More Roads” but lost to his younger brother Damian’s “Half-way-Tree.”
Julian’s “Awake” CD lost out in 2010 when his brother Stephen won for his acoustic follow-up to “Mind Control.”
Brothers Robert and Rohan Marley bypassed the entertainment industry to pursue unrelated careers.
In another category, British singer Corinne Bailey Rae won another Grammy for her interpretation of Bob Marley’s “Is This Love.”
She took the miniature, gold, gramophone in the best rhythm and blues performance category beating Charlie Wilson, Ledisi, Kelly Price & Stokely and Marsha Ambrosius.
The Marley name has been associated with winning recordings for several recording artists.
Bunny Wailer, who as a member of the Bob Marley’s Wailing Wailers began his music career as a member of the trio with Peter Tosh, is the recipient of three Grammy awards.
Two are tributes to his time-honored, legendary collaborator.
In 1990, he won for “Time Will Tell: A Tribute To Bob Marley” and six years later he scored again with “Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley.”
The acclaimed king of reggae did not win a Grammy award in his lifetime.
He died May 11, 1981 before a reggae category was established.
However, in 2001 Bob Marley received a posthumous lifetime achievement honor from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, presenters of the Grammy awards.
AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta
