Damian Marley
📅 1996
🌍 Kingston, Jamaica
🎵 Reggae
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley (born July 21, 1978) is a three-time Grammy Award winning Jamaican reggae artist. Damian is the youngest son of Bob Marley. Damian was two years old when his father, Bob Marley, died; he is the only child born to Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976. Damian's nickname Junior Gong is derived from his father's nickname of Tuff Gong. Marley has been performing since the age of 13. He cultivates, along with most of his family, a full-time career in music. Marley has described his music as "dancehall and reggae. I've noticed...people trying to separate the two of them," he continues. "It's Jamaican culture in general. I don't try to classify or separate." At age 13, he formed a musical group by the name of the Shephards, which included the daughter of Freddie McGregor and son of Third World's Cat Core. The group opened the 1992 Reggae Sunsplash festival. The band fell apart in the early 1990s and Damian started his solo career. With the backing of his father’s label, Tuff Gong, he released his 1996 debut album Mr. Marley which surprised many who were unaccustomed to hearing a Marley deejaying rather than singing. Damian’s brother, Stephen Marley, was a producer and co-author for this album.
