Stephen Marley hits the road
MULTI-AWARD-winning reggae artiste Stephen Marley is currently on the road with his 2022 Babylon By Bus summer United States tour, and 0has announced more stops including Nantucket, Detroit, Chicago, St Louis, Big Lake, Flagstaff, Park City and multiple cities in Florida.
The eight-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist kicked off his tour in May with his full band and continues the 25 plus city run until the end of July.
The bi-coastal tour started in Monterey, California at the Cali Roots Festival, with sold out shows across the West Coast including a special performance at Red Rocks with his brother Ziggy Marley and Ben Harper. His nephew Skip Marley joined him on several dates at the start of the tour. Stephen will journey east in July, hitting stages in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Arizona, Montana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri and Florida. Stephen showcases a mixture of original songs from his illustrious 40-year career as well as revitalised classics from his father Bob Marley’s iconic catalogue.
Stephen will link up with Ziggy again in Vienna, Virginia, on July 27.
The year 2020 marked Bob Marley’s 75th birthday anniversary but, due to the pandemic, things have been somewhat subdued for the past two years so this is a rare performance to pay homage to their father and finally celebrate this milestone. Other hand-picked supporting artistes remaining on the tour are Kabaka Pyramid and Mike Love.
A dollar from each ticket sold on the 2022 Babylon By Bus tour will benefit the Ghetto Youths Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded by Stephen Marley with brothers Damian and Julian to provide aid, resources, and opportunities to communities in need, including his father’s birthplace of Trench Town, Jamaica. Stephen Marley recently produced an EP entitled Celebrating Nina: A Reggae Tribute to Nina Simone. The collection of timeless covers pays homage to the belated musical legend. The EP features female vocalists like Joss Stone, Cedella Marley, Etana et al, and is available on all digital platforms via Ghetto Youths International.
Stephen is currently putting the finishing touches on his forthcoming full-length album, slated for release later this year.
The dates for Stephen’s Babylon By Bus summer tour are as follows:
July 3 – High Point, North Carolina – Ziggy’s Outdoor
July 5 – Nantucket, Massachusetts
July 6 – Nantucket, Massachusetts
July 8 – Marshfield, Massachusetts
July 10 – West Hampton Beach, New York
July 13 – Dallas, Texas
July 15 – Tempe, Arizona
July 16 – Flagstaff, Arizona
July 17 – Park City, Utah
July 21 – St Louis, Missouri
July 22 – Detroit, Michigan
July 23 – Chicago, Illinois
July 24 – Big Lake, Minnesota
July 27 – Vienna, Virginia
July 29 – Jupiter, Florida
July 30 – Indialantic, Florida
July 31 – St Petersburg, Florida.