Stephen Marley releases “Old Soul,” via Tuff Gong Collective/UMe/Ghetto Youths International. The award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer chronicles his growth and innocence as the second son of reggae King Bob Marley.
Old Soul is an acoustic track also takes the listener on a coming-of-age journey through allusions to personal legends and eras of musical influences that “made it all possible.”
The song release will accompany a well-crafted retrospective lyric video, revealing never-before-seen old family photos, vintage vinyl album covers, and a collage of Jamaican music history, released the following week on Stephen Marley’s Official YouTube Channel.
The 4/20 baby sings on the new track “April 1972, my mom and poppa brought me through.”
The 51 year old reflects in song, “I’m an old soul, living in the body of a 9-year-old.”
Stephen’s son Joe Mersa died at the age of 31 last December after he was found unresponsive in his car in Miami Florida.
Meanwhile to celebrate Stephen’s new single release as well as his 4/20 birthday , Bob Marley’s Tuff Gong Radio (SiriusXM channel 19) played “Old Soul” all day, every hour on the hour.
All the musical Marley Brothers also made their first-ever appearance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, presented by Kaya Fest. The performance yesterday (4/19) included opening sets from Sean Paul and Protoje.
On 4/20, the Marley Brothers bring night 2 of their Soul Shakedown Party to the iconic venue and welcome opening sets by Steel Pulse and a special Lee “Scratch” Perry Memorial Set by the Subatomic Sound System and Mykal Rose.
Before the pandemic, Stephen “Ragga” Marley and his band toured incessantly, sharpening their live show while tackling material from Stephen’s dense catalog of Grammy-winning albums and the coveted Bob Marley songbook. During the COVID lockdown, Stephen set up a new make-shift studio on a remote family farm in the Florida countryside, holding nightly jam sessions in a converted garage studio. With a stripped-down ensemble of binghi drums, bass, acoustic guitar, and flute, he played whatever he felt like—original compositions, old favorites, and both soul and reggae rarities.
“Irie vibration,” Stephen says of the sounds he and his friends made together on the farm. “Old Soul” was recorded during these unplugged jam sessions, the spirit of which will permeate the vibe of his upcoming tour dates and his forthcoming solo album. “You have to be true to yourself,” he says. “I refuse to be put into any category. I am inspired by everything. So, if I feel like I want to play some jazz music, I will play some jazz music. Who dig it, dig it.”
“Old Soul” showcases Marley’s versatility, and the message within his music remains consistent. “We come to free the people’s minds,” says the multi-Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, and producer Stephen Marley. “Only way you can free your soul is to free your mind. My father said, ‘No chains on my feet, but I’m not free,’ and then he come to say, ‘Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery.’ Anywhere the music calls us, we are going to be there to spread the message of love and unity.”
Stephen goes on tour for the rerun of Babylon By Bus this summer. The roots reggae track across the U.S: will include a cavalcade of hand-picked support artists appearing at various venues across the country including Fortunate Youth, Skip Marley, Jesse Royal, Hirie, Arise Roots and Roots of Creation. The tour will begin in San Diego, CA in June with multiple stops in California before heading to Colorado, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Chicago, Cape Cod, Brooklyn, NY and more – and ending in Florida in August.
SEE BABYLON BY BUS SUMMER TOUR DATES BELOW:
Sat 6/24 Del Mar, CA – San Diego County Fair
Sun 6/25 Paso Robles, CA – Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Sat 7/1 Costa Mesa, CA – OC Fair
Sun 7/2 Saratoga, CA – Mountain Winery
Mon 7/3 San Rafael, CA – Marin County Fair
Thu 7/13 Las Vegas, NV – Virgin Theatre
Fri 7/14 Tempe, AZ – Marquee
Sat 7/15 Santa Fe, NM – The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing
Mon 7/17 Wichita, KS – Wave Outdoors
Tue 7/18 Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
Thu 7/20 Chicago, IL – Millennium Park Music Series
Fri 7/21 St. Louis, MO – The Big Top
Sat 7/22 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverfront Live Outdoors
Sun 7/23 Kalamazoo, MI – Bell’s Outdoors
Wed 7/26 Hyannis, MA – Cape Cod Melody Tent
Thu 7/27 Webster, MA – Indian Ranch
Fri 7/28 Cohasset, MA – South Shore Music Circus
Sat 7/29 East Hampton, NY – The Clubhouse
Sun 7/30 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel
Tue 8/1 Nantucket, MA – Nantucket Dreamland
Wed 8/2 Nantucket, MA – Nantucket Dreamland
Fri 8/4 Asheville, NC – Salvage Station
Sun 8/6 Charleston, SC – The Refinery
Thu 8/10 Orlando, FL – Hard Rock
Fri 8/11 St. Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheater Backyard
Sat 8/12 St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live
