Julian Marley
Artist. Reggae, revival
- Active
- 1989-present
- Sunrise
- June 4, 1975, London, England
Julian Ricardo Marley is the ninth of Bob Marley's children and the only one of his sons born in England. His mother, Lucy Pounder, is Barbadian. He was raised between London and Jamaica, plays keyboards, drums, bass, and guitar, and joined Ziggy and Stephen Marley in the production company Ghetto Youth International in 1989.
His solo albums are Lion in the Morning (1996), A Time and Place (2003), Awake (2009), and As I Am (2019). Awake, recorded at Tuff Gong and credited to Julian Marley and the Uprising, features Tyrone Downie and his siblings Stephen, Sharon, and Cedella, and was nominated for the reggae Grammy. He plays guitar on Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998) and has toured with Damian Marley's band, including on Lollapalooza.
Colors of Royal (2023), made with the Greek producer Alexx Antaeus, won the Grammy for best reggae album in February 2024, ahead of records by Buju Banton, Beenie Man, Collie Buddz, and Burning Spear. It is an eight-track album that sets his singing against electronic production rather than a band, and its title comes from his nickname, Ju Ju Royal. Antaeus accepted the award, Marley being on tour in Australia, and dedicated it to Jamaica. Marley has said publicly that reggae and dancehall should not share a Grammy category.
Last updated October 21, 2026
Connections
- Bob Marley (parent)
- Cedella Booker (grandparent)
- Tyrone Downie (collaborator)
- The Tamlins (collaborator)
Notes
- DancehallMag describes him as born in London to Bob Marley and "Barbados-born Lucy Pounder." "Julian Marley Shares Story Behind His Grammy-Winning 'Colors Of Royal' Album," DancehallMag, February 27, 2024, https://www.dancehallmag.com/2024/02/27/news/julian-marley-shares-story-behind-his-grammy-winning-colors-of-royal-album.html.
- Wikipedia. "Julian Marley," Wikipedia, accessed October 2, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Marley. Wikipedia also says the brothers formally incorporated Ghetto Youths International in 2002. "Julian Marley."
- Wikipedia. "Julian Marley." Discogs dates Lion in the Morning to 1997, credited to Julian Marley and the Uprising and recorded at Tuff Gong. "Julian Marley and the Uprising, Lion in the Morning," Discogs, accessed October 2, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/1986626.
- Discogs credits Awake (2009) to Julian Marley alone and lists no musicians; Wikipedia names Tyrone Downie, Stephen, Sharon, and Cedella Marley among the players on Lion in the Morning. "Julian Marley, Awake," Discogs, accessed October 2, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/2024147; "Julian Marley." DancehallMag counts nominations for Awake and for As I Am (2020). Dani Mallick, "Julian Marley, Antaeus' 'Colors Of Royal' Wins 'Best Reggae Album' At 2024 Grammy Awards," DancehallMag, February 4, 2024, https://www.dancehallmag.com/2024/02/04/news/julian-marley-antaeus-colors-of-royal-wins-best-reggae-album-at-2024-grammy-awards.html.
- The album credits him on guitar for "Forgive Them Father." "Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," Discogs, accessed October 2, 2026, https://www.discogs.com/release/19150522. The Lollapalooza tour is from Wikipedia, which dates it to 1997. "Julian Marley."
- Mallick, "Colors Of Royal Wins."
- Marley: "Juju Royal is my nickname, so Colors of Royal is different colours of me." He called it "a different type of sounding album," with dancehall, Afrobeat, and Latin elements. "Julian Marley Shares Story." Mallick describes it as an eight-track album released on Antaeus's Monom Records in March 2023 and calls Antaeus "Greece-born." Mallick, "Colors Of Royal Wins."
- Antaeus, accepting: "I'd like to dedicate this to the people of Jamaica, who have accepted me as one of their own." Mallick, "Colors Of Royal Wins."
- Marley: "One of the biggest politics is reggae and dancehall sharing the same category. Tha part deh no mek no sense to me." "Julian Marley Shares Story."
