ON music’s biggest night, when the death of one of its best loved icons, Ms Whitney Houston, overshadowed everything else, the Reggae Grammy went to another member of the Marley family; a sure sign that the magic produced by the patriarch, Mr Robert Nesta ‘Bob’ Marley still endures 31 years after his passing.

Mr Stephen Marley, last child for Bob — reggae and the Third World’s first superstar — and Rita Marley, won his third Grammy Award as a solo artiste in the Best Reggae Album category at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California on Sunday.

The album — Revelation Part 1: Root of Life, which we are told is largely unknown in Jamaica — beat four other Jamaican rivals: his sibling Mr Ziggy Marley; jazz pianist Mr Monty Alexander; Mr Orville ‘Shaggy’ Burrell; and the singing group Israel Vibration comprising Messrs Lascelle ‘Wiss’ Bulgin, Albert ‘Apple Gabriel’ Craig and Cecil ‘Skelly’ Spence.

Mr Marley, now an actor, also won as a solo artiste in 2008 with Mind Control and in 2010 for the acoustic version of the same album. The latest trophy is his sixth Grammy overall, having won jointly with his siblings on previous occasions in the singing group Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers doing Conscious Party (1989), One Bright Day (1990) and Fallen Is Babylon (1998), as the Marley family continues its dominance of the Best Reggae Album category.

Ziggy and a younger brother, Mr Damian ‘Junior Gong’ Marley, have also both won twice in that category.

In fact, such is the dominance that some in the music industry have argued, perhaps with understandable envy, that the Grammy selectors favour the Marleys and it is almost impossible to win against them. We note, of course, the bemused response of Stephen to that suggestion in an interview with the Observer: “Well, dem have a lot to talk ’bout this year. Is two of us this year,” he said, referring to his brother Ziggy’s nomination for Wild And Free.

Mr Stephen Marley is among the other illustrious winners of the Reggae Grammy, including Black Uhuru backed by Sly and Robbie, the first winners in 1985; Messrs Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Shabba Ranks, Shaggy, Sly and Robbie, Beenie Man, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Burning Spear, Sean Paul and Buju Banton.

While we rejoice in the fact that reggae is recognised annually by the Grammy Awards, we continue to wonder why the trophy has not been deemed important enough to be presented on the main stage on Grammy night. Along with a slew of much lesser known music genres, it is presented backstage, despite the international growth of the music from its modest origins in the sprawling slums of Western Kingston.

Observer sources reported that Mr Stephen Marley did not attend Sunday’s award ceremony and was in Jamaica working in the studio. While we have no idea why he did not go to receive his award himself, we hope that it is regarded as a call from the artiste that more respect should be accorded the Reggae category.

Moreover, we noticed that the country music representatives were prominently included in the main show for the 2012 staging. Outside of the United States, country music holds no more sway than reggae.

Perhaps what is needed is a more serious and organised lobby which has the backing of the Ministry of Culture.