As the youngest son of reggae icon Bob Marley, Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley continues his father’s musical legacy.
Born on this day in 1978 to Marley and Miss World 1975, Cindy Breakspeare, Damian started performing when he was 13 in a band called Shephards. The band also included the children of other Jamaican musical legends such as Freddie McGregor and Cat Core.
When the band broke up in the early 1990s, Marley started his solo career, releasing his first album, Mr. Marley, in 1996. His second album, Halfway Tree was released in 2001, with the title as an acknowledgement being the halfway between his father’s poor background and his mother’s wealthy upbringing.
His critically acclaimed album, Welcome to Jamrock, was released in 2005, followed by his collaboration with Nas, Distant Relatives in 2010 and Super Heavy in 2011.
His most recent album, Stony Hill launched in 2017, won a Grammy for best reggae album.
Away from music, Marley is also an entrepreneur. In 2016, he got into the cannabis business, converting an old prison into a weed farm.
Here are some of Junior Gong’s songs to add to your playlist.
