Jamaica inspires reggae icon’s son
As the son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy Marley grew up in Jamaica surrounded by music. “Jamaica is the root of my music,” says the Grammy Award-winning musician. “I was born there, I was raised there and Jamaica is always inside of me. It’s an impactful place in general for many people. For example, Ian Fleming wrote several James Bond novels in Jamaica at Goldeneye near Ocho Rios.” Marley’s latest series of concerts is the “Rebellion Rises” tour in support of his album of the same name.
An edited version of our conversation follows.
A: Miami and Kingston are similar in weather — hot: humid, tropical. LA and Kingston are very different. Kingston is a very small city compared to LA. I think the transition from Kingston to Miami, and then Miami to Los Angeles was good in regards to easing in stages into larger, busier cities.
A: Hawaii is definitely a place that I love playing at, and I make a point to vacation there. The people in Hawaii are mellow and wonderful, and they love reggae music. The island vibes are great. The weather there is fantastic, and the ocean is beautiful. It is a relaxing place. It is for sure a place where I get nice quiet time. It is a place that gives me a chance to be at peace. It reminds me of Jamaica. I actually recommend (visitors) to do nothing and just relax. Don’t make any plans. Just disconnect and chill. A vacation for me is relaxation and meditation.
A: Hellshire Beach in St. Catherine, Jamaica. It is not a typical tourist area. It is beautiful with whitesand beaches. You can get amazing fried fish there. I would tell everyone to go check it out.
QA: Not to have any preconceived ideas or stereotypes of places or people until you get there and discover it for yourself. It is always a nice surprise to find nice people in different places.
A: A weekend staycation in Malibu or a weekend at El Capitan.
A: One of my best trips was spending the summer in Israel. I was on tour in Europe, which ended in Israel, and I stayed to explore. I really enjoyed the history and learning about the ancient lands and its people.