[April 11, 2022]: Today, acclaimed reggae progeny Stephen Marley announced additional dates for his 2022 Babylon By Bus Summer Tour. The eight-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist will perform with a full band on the 20-date run.
The bi-coastal tour kicks off in Monterey, California May 26 at the Cali Roots Festival, and features seven California dates, including three produced by Nederlander Concerts: SOMO Concerts (June 3), Vina Robles Amphitheatre (June 4), and City National Grove of Anaheim (June 10) – all on sale Friday, April 15, at 10AM. Additionally, the tour features performances in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts and New York.
Stephen Marley will showcase a mixture of original songs from his illustrious 40-year career, as well as revitalized classics from his father Bob Marley’s iconic catalog.
Highlights include a special sold out Red Rocks performance with Ben Harper and brother Ziggy Marley, who will also link up with Stephen Marley again in Vienna, Virginia July 27. Skip Marley will be on seven dates on the tour, along with other hand-picked support artists such as Kabaka Pyramid, Hirie and Mike Love.
A dollar from each ticket sold on the 2022 Babylon By Bus Tour will benefit the Ghetto Youths Foundation, a nonprofit Stephen Marley founded with brothers Damian Marley and Julian Marley to provide aid, resources and opportunities to communities in need, including his father’s birthplace of Trenchtown, Jamaica, where nearly 100% of the population lives below the poverty line.
The critically acclaimed vocalist, songwriter, producer and philanthropist, whose debut album, Mind Control, was dubbed “the best Marley album of a generation” by Entertainment Weekly, recently released an EP collection of songs he produced with female vocalists as an homage to legend Nina Simone, Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone, featuring Joss Stone, Cedella Marley, Etana and more via Ghetto Youths International, and now streaming on all digital platforms.
Stephen Marley is currently putting the finishing touches on his forthcoming full-length album, slated to release later this year.
Stephen Marley is an award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and philanthropist. From his solo works to family collaborations and production credits, Stephen Marley’s music has earned him eight Grammy Awards. He is the second eldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley and Rita Marley, raised in Kingston, Jamaica. Stephen started singing professionally at 7 years old with his elder siblings Ziggy, Sharon and Cedella in The Melody Makers.
Stephen has garnered recognition as a solo artist for his Grammy-winning albums Mind Control (dubbed “the best Marley album in a generation” by Entertainment Weekly), Mind Control Acoustic and Revelation Part I: The Root of Life, while also receiving multiple Grammys as as a producer – most notably for Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley’s massive crossover hit Welcome To Jamrock. The second installment of Stephen Marley’s Revelation album series, Revelation Part II: The Fruit of Life, was released in 2016 on the Marley family’s Ghetto Youths International label. Whereas The Root of Life offered a traditional roots reggae album, The Fruit of Life emphasized the far-reaching impact Jamaican music has had on various genres – especially hip hop. Album guests included Rick Ross, Pit Bull, DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Wyclef Jean, Shaggy and more. In 2018, Stephen Marley released a five-track EP, One Take: Acoustic Jams, which showcased raw, deconstructed versions of his and his father's original songs. He took that stripped-down set on the road, performing for thousands during three North American tours, before the pandemic hit in 2020.
Summer 2022 marks the triumphant return of Stephen’s North American “Babylon By Bus” Tour which includes a cavalcade of hand-picked support artists appearing at various venues across the country, including a sold-out tour kickoff at Red Rocks Amphitheater with Ziggy Marley and Ben Harper. Additional dates will include Skip Marley, Kabaka Pyramid, Hirie and Mike Love with more to be announced.
In recent years, Stephen Marley established his own Kaya Fest as an annual music festival that debuted in 2017, featuring rare family performances by The Marley Brothers and the Marley’s 3rd Generation of talented offspring, alongside notable reggae and hip-hop legends such as Wycelf Jean, Pit Bull, Busta Rhymes – instilling an experiential component to raise awareness on the benefits of cannabis guided by the mantra “Education Before Recreation.” Plans to continue this festival tradition is currently in the works for 2023.
Stephen continues to champion charitable endeavors centered in Jamaica as a co-founder of Ghetto Youths Foundation, along with his brothers Damian and Julian Marley.
With a prolific work ethic in his Lion Den Studios, Stephen just released an EP collection of songs he produced with female vocalists as an homage to legend Nina Simone, Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone, and is currently putting the finishing touches on his own new album projects, with the first solo LP slated to release in fall of 2022.
For more information and tour dates, visit www.stephenmarleymusic.com