Melody Makers: Press Room

AWARD-WINNING ARTIST ZIGGY MARLEY TO RELEASE FIRST-EVER SOLO RECORDING; SIGNS EXCLUSIVE RECORDING AGREEMENT WITH THE RCA VICTOR GROUP

Award-winning artist Ziggy Marley has signed an exclusive recording contract with BMG’s RCA Victor Group, it was announced today by David Weyner, the Group’s executive vice president/general manager.

Ziggy is currently recording his highly anticipated BMG debut, due for release on Private Music in the third quarter of 2002. This album produced by celebrated producer Scott Litt (Incubus, REM) will also serve as Ziggy’s solo debut, following his years as leader of the Melody Makers, the acclaimed and highly successful band featuring his brother Stephen and sisters Cedella and Sharon. Artists performing with Ziggy on his new recording will include bassist Flea and guitarist John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, drummer extraordinaire Steve Jordan, bassist Delroy "Chris" Cooper and Franklin "Bubbler" Waul on keyboards.

Said Weyner, "Ziggy Marley’s brilliant, soulful music-making is all about spirit and the human condition. His creativity spans such an amazing range….from the profound to the celebratory. Ziggy is a genuinely vital force on the international stage with signs of his influence to be heard in the music of some of today’s biggest acts. I am so pleased Ziggy has chosen to take the next step of his musical journey with The RCA Victor Group and we welcome him to BMG’s global artist family."

Over the course of their career, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers achieved tremendous success with eight album releases. They sold records by the millions and garnered three Grammy awards for the critically acclaimed Conscious Party (1988), One Bright Day (1989) and Fallen is Babylon (1997). The group’s most recent studio release was 1999’s Spirit of Music, produced by Don Was (Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan). In 2000, the band released its first live album, Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers Live, Vol 1, featuring some of its biggest hits and a cover of Bob Marley’s "Could You Be Loved."

Comprised of Private Music, Bluebird, Windham Hill, RCA Red Seal and RCA Victor Group, BMG’s RCA Victor Group features an eclectic mix of musical genres, including roots music, R&B, singer/songwriters, pop instrumentals, world music, jazz, classical, Broadway, film soundtracks and new age. Key artists signed to the label group include, in addition to Ziggy Marley, Etta James, The Chieftains, Cesaria Evora, Fourplay, George Winston, Jim Brickman, Dave Douglas, Eliane Elias, Michael Tilson Thomas, Evgeny Kissin, Denyce Graves, and James Galway, among others.