By Shelah Moody

Photos Courtesy of Tuff Gong Records

“A fire burns for freedom/the smell of dissent is high.”—Ziggy Marley, “Wild and Free.”

David “Ziggy” Marley is perhaps one of the world’s most influential artists. He is a Grammy winning musician, environmentalist, advocate of the healing qualities of cannabis, humanitarian and loving father of six. As the oldest son of reggae icon Bob Marley, he is also continuing his rich and expansive legacy.

This year, Ziggy Marley, and his family run company, Tuff Gong Worldwide, launched three major projects.

On Sunday July 30 and 31, Ziggy Marley and Tuff Gong Worldwide present a Salute to the Legends of reggae, featuring foundation artists such as the Mighty Diamonds, Toots and the Maytals, Ras Michael and the original I-Threes (Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths and Rita Marley, Ziggy’s mother), at

Delmar Fairgrounds in San Diego and the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA.

Marley, 42, is currently on a world tour that includes Europe, the U.S., Japan and Israel, promoting his latest studio album, “Wild and Free.” In 2010, Marley received his first non-reggae Grammy for his children’s album “Family Time.”

Marley wrote the lyrics for all 12 tracks on this rock-infused “Wild and Free,” co-produced by Don Was. Ziggy’s wife, Orly Marley, serves as executive producer. Guest artists include actor Woody Harrelson (who knew he could sing?) Heavy D. and Marley’s 21-year-old son, Daniel. Expected to catch a fire with diverse audiences, “Wild & Free” is creatively packaged in the shape of a book of matches. “Wild and Free” is sure to earn a 2011 Grammy nomination in this writer’s opinion.

On April 20, 2011, aka National Marijuana Day, Marley launched his first comic book, “Marijuanman.” (Image Comics). http://www.ziggymarley.com/marijuanaman.php. The concept of the graphic novel was conceived by Marley, written by Joe Casey and illustrated by Jim Mahfood. The storyline revolves around a “noble extraterrestrial champion” who has arrived on earth to deliver an important message, and at the same time save his own planet.

I caught up with Marley via telephone from London during a short break in his schedule.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the Salute to the Legends of Reggae concert?

A: I wanted to do something that would pay respect to and highlight reggae musicians who may not get the love or the recognition that others get. As a reggae musician myself, I feel like I want to pay homage to some of these artists and give them some kind of visibility and promotion.

“The Mighty Diamonds, I think, are the one of the premiere male vocal trios in our genre of music. You have their songs, “Pass the Kutchie” and I Need a Roof.” They are a group that I’ve loved since I was a kid. I respect them. Hopefully, we can do this more--expose a wider variety of musicians to people. Whatever I can do to show my love and give them some way to grow their recognition; that’s one of my missions I will continue in my career. It’s not just about me; it’s about the whole movement. We all help each other along the way, you know.”

Q: Now, on to your new album, “Wild and Free.” First of all, how did you hook up with Woody Harrelson on the title track?

A: Well, Woody is a friend of ours; a longtime friend. He came by the house, and we started jamming. I invited him to come sing on the song. I think the song is appropriate because we have similar ideas about hemp and cannabis and the benefits it can have for individuals on society. We express that in the song.

Q: I am always interested in artists, such as yourself, who follow in their parents’ footsteps in terms of music. I noticed that your eldest son, Daniel “Bam” Marley, co-wrote the track “Changes.”

A: Yeah, he’s coming along, doing his thing, kind of infusing his dancehall/hip hop vibes. But he’s writing some good songs and gaining some experience. Hopefully, I can give him good advice and guidance so that he can do what he’s here to do.

Q: Speaking of your children, I also like the sentiment of “Welcome to the World.” Was that song written for your new baby, Abraham?

A: Yes, the first half of the song was written for my older son, Gideon and the second half was for Abraham. It was written in two phases. When Gideon was maybe a few weeks from being born, I started writing “Welcome to the World.” It’s just how I felt. I feel that I can give my children love and give them everything that I possibly can. But I promise the state of the world, I don’t have any control over how the world is. I can’t promise that it’s good or cool or whatever. In this life, you have to fight sometimes…Growing up around me, my children receive a lot of love and a lot of ideas of peace…But once the kids go out into the world and go to school or whatever they are gonna come up on obstacles—and ideas that are different from ideas in our house. We are so peaceful and sharing and loving. But not everybody out there is like that. There’s going to come a time when the reality of the world outside the family is going to have to be dealt with, whether it’s somebody picking on you, or a bully trying to do something to you or people who are not nice. You have to learn how to deal with that.

Q: Tell me more about “Marijuanaman.”

A: “Marijuanaman” is a graphic novel that we created. Again, we think it’s important that we use every natural resource that we can that will benefit the people. We talk about environmentalism and the green revolution and all of these things. But for it to really mean something, the cannabis plant must be part of it, because that plant is the perfect resource for a green revolution. We created “Marijuanaman” to have a way to express that. How are we to express the plant as a hero and not a villain? I mean a real hero, not a comedic, stupefied or stereotypical representation of the plant. I wanted to express it in a way that is serious and have a real hero that is not a dumb, stupid guy. We are trying to change the image of a plant. Cannabis is a plant should be taken seriously without comedy and jokes. It has serious benefits for us.

Q: I congratulate you for your marijuana advocacy. I don’t smoke marijuana, but as a child of the seventies, I grew up around it, because my father was a musician.

A: You know, smoking is only one aspect of it; a small part of it. We are also talking about the industrial uses. The bigger part of it is the impact it can have on us in terms of creating products from this plant that are environmentally friendly. It can create a wide variety of products that if thrown away, don’t stay there forever and destroy the environment, but become part of the earth. So it’s not all about smoking.

Saturday July 30, Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, CA Ziggy Marley and Tuff Gong Worldwide's Salute the Legends of Reggae,

Sunday July 31 7 p.m., Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA

Ziggy Marley and Tuff Gong Worldwide Present:

Hollywood Reggae Night X (10)

With special guests I-Threes (Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt), Mighty Diamonds, Ras Michael, MC Jeremy Sole and others.

Ziggy Marley and his band perform in the Bay Area:

Sept. 20, Mountain Winery, Saratoga, www.mountainwinery.com

Sept. 24, Earthdance: The Global Concert for Peace, Solano County Fairgrounds, Vallejo, www.earthdancelive.com.