LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts/ Stephen Marley Official Website/ www.stephenmarleymusic.com) - Stephen Marley, GRAMMY winning artist and producer has announced that he is launching a much anticipated tour this spring. Kicking off on March 30th, the tour is happening in association with the Ghetto Youths International Foundation and will feature special guest 'Jr. Gong.' The tour will run through May, hitting more than 40 cities with acclaimed artist K'naan also in tow.
Billed as the Mind Control North American tour, Ghetto Youths International will contribute one dollar from every ticket sold to the Marley's homegrown charity, The Ghetto Youth Foundation, which provides aid and programs to children struggling in impoverished and war-ravaged conditions around the globe. Highlights of the 3-month tour of Canada and the US will also include performances at the World Ski & Snowboard Championships in Whistler, British Columbia on April 15th, Coachella Music Festival in Indio, CA on April 27th, and Jazzfest in New Orleans on May 5th.
Stephen is preparing the cross-country trek in support of his soon-to-be released solo debut album Mind Control (Tuff Gong/ Ghetto Youths/ Universal-Republic) released on March 20, 2007. The album has been receiving accolades in the press with early reviews calling the release "irresistible...an impressive offering" (Urb Magazine) and "4 stars...heir to reggae's royal family honors dad's legacy....dance-hall-inflected reggae/ hip-hop jams, carefully balancing political fire and island-life vibe. His ease with both elements would make his father proud" (Spin Magazine).
Stephen will be showcasing new songs from the release, which includes guest appearances from Mos Def and Ben Harper. Standout tracks include gems such as the mesmerizing "Chase Dem," and the soulful serenade "Hey Baby." The album also features the hit track "The Traffic Jam," which is currently exploding onto charts in Jamaica and England and showing early spins on several US Rhythmic/Crossover stations. Marley, along with Damian, debuted the track live this past month on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.
For Stephen, 2006 was a coming-out party of sorts. He scored his fifth GRAMMY award for his triumphant co-production work on brother Damian 'Jr.Gong' Marley's acclaimed RIAA certified Gold disc Welcome To Jamrock, to date garnering him the most GRAMMY awards of any Marley and more than any other Reggae artist in history. Stephen also embarked on two U.S. concert tours last year, including the acclaimed "Bob Marley Roots, Rock Reggae Festival," where brothers Stephen and Ziggy Marley joined together for the first time ever with reggae pioneer Bunny Wailer.
Music heads have been up on Stephen's work for years, whether for collaborations with R&B stars like Erykah Badu or his part on the dancehall burner "It Was Written," and especially after Chant Down Babylon, the platinum-selling star-studded Bob Marley tribute he produced. A veteran of the family's fertile launching pad, Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers, Stephen has emerged in recent years as a pivotal production and creative force, helping to oversee Marley enterprises like Tuff Gong Records and its umbrella imprint Ghetto Youths.
Dates for Stephen's Mind Control North American Tour* are as follows:
Fri-Mar-30 Cleveland OH House of Blues
Sat-Mar-31 Chicago IL Vic Theatre
Sun-Apr-01 Minneapolis MN First Avenue
Wed-Apr-04 Iowa City IA University of Iowa - IMU Ballroom
Thu-Apr-05 Kansas City MO Voodoo Lounge at Harrah's Casino
Fri-Apr-06 Boulder CO Boulder Theater
Sat-Apr-07 Vail CO 8150
Sun-Apr-08 Aspen CO Belly Up
Mon-Apr-09 Park City UT Suede
Wed-Apr-11 Spokane WA The Big Easy Concert House
Thu-Apr-12 Portland OR Roseland Theater
Fri-Apr-13 Seattle WA Showbox
Sat-Apr-14 Vancouver BC Commodore Ballroom
Sun-Apr-15 Whistler BC World Ski & Snowboard Championships
Fri-Apr-20 San Luis Obispo, CA Cal Poly Recreation Center
Sat-Apr-21 Santa Cruz CA The Catalyst
Sun-Apr-22 San Francisco CA The Fillmore
Tue-Apr-24 Ventura CA Ventura Theatre
Wed-Apr-25 San Diego CA House of Blues - San Diego
Fri-Apr-27 Indio CA Coachella Festival
Sat-Apr-28 Las Vegas NV House of Blues
Mon-Apr-30 Albuquerque NM Sunshine Theatre
Wed-May-02 Fort Worth TX Ridglea Theater
Thu-May-03 Austin TX Antone's Nightclub
Sat-May-05 New Orleans LA Jazzfest
Sun-May-06 New Orleans LA House of Blues
Tue-May-08 Washington DC 9:30 Club
Wed-May-09 Boston MA Avalon Ballroom
Fri-May-11 New York NY Nokia Theatre Times Square
Sat-May-12 Philadelphia PA Theatre Of The Living Arts
Tue-May-15 Toronto ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
Wed-May-16 Pittsburgh PA Mr. Smalls Theatre
Thu-May-17 Norfolk VA The Norva Theatre
Sat-May-19 Saint Petersburg FL Jannus Landing
Sun-May-20 Orlando FL House of Blues
* Additional dates to be added
