Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley ADD

Marley Brothers Release 'Cornerstone' Single for Bob Marley's 77th Birthday

02/02/2022 by Reggaeville

In addition to the official announcement for Bob Marley's 77th Earthstrong Celebration [read the news here], a new press release provides more details about the upcoming events. 

The most exciting news is the release (February 4, 2022) of a single recorded by The Marley Brothers (Ziggy, Stephen, Damian, Julian and Ky-Mani) titled Cornerstone [LISTEN HERE]. The song is a cover of the early Wailers song from 1970. The release was originally planned for Marley's 75th birthday celebrations in 2020 as the Jamaica Observer reported in October 2019: 

Ziggy Marley told the Observer: "Stephen took up the reins as producer for the track and we decided that that it had to be one of the old songs, something that is not one of the more popular ones, but something that has a lot on meaning. We decided to give it a real modern twist.[…] We gonna record Cornerstone. That's one of those early tracks... the stone that the builder refused shall be the head cornerstone... yeah, that one. That song is full of so much meaning, not just for my father, but for all of us here today as his family -- children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and just all of us." 

The press release below describes the single as "The Marley Brothers have not released music together in over a decade".  But to our knowledge this is the first time ever, that the five Marley Brothers recorded and released a song together! 

Press Release - February 2, 2022 (Toronto, ON) The Marley Family and UMe (Universal Music Enterprises) will honor the legacy of Bob Marley, commemorating his 77th birthday by honoring his life, legacy, and music with a multitude of in-person, virtual, and philanthropic events.
 
The Marley Family is celebrating the occasion by returning to Marley's Roots. Seven different events over seven days have been curated to give back to the community in Jamaica in observance of his birthday. The scheduled events include a newly curated exhibition at the Bob Marley Museum, titled The 7 Roots of Bob Marley's Livity, which features the work of young, up-and-coming artists. In addition, a new web series of the same name will premiere on Tuff Gong TV, which explores the natural mystic of Reggae Legend and his enduring influence on Jamaica and the world. Marley's Earthstrong festivities culminate on February 6, with a limited-capacity concert celebration at Tuff Gong International, in Kingston, Jamaica which will be live-streamed on Bob Marley's official YouTube channel. In addition, an extraordinary Lion's Den Concert by Stephen Marley from Miami, FL., will also premiere on February 6. 

Adding to the birthday festivities, "Dreams Of Freedom," the ninth episode of the Webby-nominated 12-part documentary series Legacy, will premiere February 3 at 7am PT/10am ET on Bob Marley's Official YouTube Channel. Dreams Of Freedom highlights Bob Marley's aspirations for Tuff Gong International to become Motown of Reggae and his spirit of self-reliance. The episode features the voice of Bob Marley, along with interviews with Marley's wife and the matriarch of the Marley Family, Rita Marley, Marley family members, children Cedella, Ziggy, Julian, Rohan, Ky-Mani, and Damian, granddaughter, Donisha Prendergast, along with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt of the I-Threes, and more. 

The Marley Brothers (Ziggy, Stephen, Damian, Julian and Ky-Mani Marley) have not released music together in over a decade. “Cornerstone” (a cover of their father Bob Marley's song) is out February 4, the day before the Brothers headline the Cali Vibes Festival in Long Beach, CA in celebration of their father's birthday. “Cornerstone” will be available via Ziggy Marley's Tuff Gong Worldwide and Stephen Marley's Ghetto Youth labels. 

Ziggy will offer an exclusive livestream of his special tribute concert, in honor of his father’s birthday reggae icon Bob Marley, which took place on May 30, 2021 at Petco Park in San Diego. Fans around the world can tune in on Friday, February 11th to stream the epic special event.