Üritus: Catch A Fire Tour 2015 Featuring: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Stephen "Ragga" Marley, Morgan Heritage, & Tarrus Riley at CrossroadsKC

Üritus: Catch A Fire Tour 2015 Featuring: Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Stephen "Ragga" Marley, Morgan Heritage, & Tarrus Riley at CrossroadsKC

The 2015 "Catch A Fire Tour" feat. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Stephen "Ragga" Marley, Morgan Heritage, & Tarrus Riley hits Kansas City Friday, September 11th!

Tickets on-sale now!
www.crossroadskc.com

✦ Damian Marley ✦
https://twitter.com/damianmarley
https://soundcloud.com/damianmarley
https://myspace.com/damianmarley

Damian Marley was only two when his father died, but the youngest of the Marley sons must have learned something. At the age of 13, he formed his first band, the Shepherds, which also included the son of Third World's Cat Coore and the daughter of Freddie McGregor; the group even opened up the 1992 Reggae Sunsplash festival. By 1994, Damian was working on his own solo project, and with the help of his father's label, Tuff Gong, he recorded Mr. Marley. Also lending a familial air to the sessions was the presence of Stephen Marley, who produced and co-wrote several songs for the LP. Halfway Tree from 2001 earned a Grammy nomination, but the public generally overlooked the ambitious album. Not so for the reggae-meets-hip-hop single "Welcome to Jamrock," which became an urban phenomenon soon after its summer 2005 release. Street-level mixtapes began featuring it, urban radio couldn't get enough of it, and remixes -- both legal and not so legal -- began appearing at a fast pace. The well-rounded album Welcome to Jamrock delivered on the promise of the single that same year, reaching the Top Ten.

✦ Stephen Marley ✦
www.stephenmarleymusic.com/
http://twitter.com/StephenMarley1
https://soundcloud.com/stephen-marley

Bob Marley's second son, Stephen Marley, first appeared on record in 1979, when he was only six years old. With his brother Ziggy, the young Stephen recorded the single "Children Playing in the Streets," a charity single with the profits going to the United Nations to aid its efforts during the International Year of the Child. The single would also mark the beginnings of the Ziggy-fronted Melody Makers, a band that included Stephen's other siblings. Stephen played a supportive role in the Melody Makers from the beginning as guitarist, singer, and occasional songwriter.

To satisfy his creative interests outside the group, Stephen decided to become familiar with the music industry from behind the scenes. Production work began in 1996 with Stephen contributing ideas to albums by his brothers Damian and Julian. Remixing the Fugees the same year was the first public display of Stephen's love of hip-hop and R&B. Work with Eve, Krayzie Bone, and Erykah Badu would follow along with a new role as "executive producer" of the Bob Marley remix compilation Chant Down Babylon, released in 1999. The album drew criticism from reggae purists who thought Stephen's mixing of hip-hop and his father's music was blasphemy, but the album's success encouraged the young producer.

In 2001, his production work for brother Damian's Halfway Tree helped win the Grammy for Best Reggae Album, while Stephen's version of "Master Blaster" landed on the Stevie Wonder tribute Conception the same year. Work began on a debut solo album, but the 2002 formation of production house/promotion firm Ghetto Youths International with brother Ziggy kept Stephen from finishing it. Work on brother Damian's successful 2005 album Welcome to Jamrock pushed his debut all the way back to 2007. It was March of that year when Mind Control finally landed. An acoustic version of the album, simply titled Mind Control Acoustic, was distributed exclusively online in 2008 with the physical CD following in 2009. In late 2010 the “Jah Army” single announced the coming of his album Revelation Part 1: The Root of Life, his roots-oriented 2011 release.

✦ Morgan Heritage ✦
www.morganheritagemusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/morganheritage
https://twitter.com/morganheritage

The legacy of reggae vocalist Denroy Morgan has been passed on to his sons, who have performed as Morgan Heritage since 1991. While its mellow, R&B-influenced vocals and Rastafarian lyrics have been compared to Garnett Silk, the group has continued to pave its own musical path. The band's many hits include "Let's Make Up," "Tell Me How Come," "Set Yourself Free," "Mama and Papa," and "Protect Us Jah." Initially an octet featuring eight of Morgan's 29 children, Morgan Heritage began recording in the early '90s. Although they attended school in Springfield, Massachusetts, they spent their weekends in their father's recording studio in Brooklyn. Their debut single, "Wonderful World," was produced by their father and released in 1991. An album, Growing Up, followed shortly afterward. The first break for Morgan Heritage came the following year when they performed at Reggae Sunsplash. Their performance was so impressive that MCA offered a recording contract almost as quickly as they were off the stage. Their first album for MCA, Miracle, released in 1994, was a major disappointment as the album clung to mass market reggae formulas. Touring the Ivory Coast in 1995, Morgan Heritage rediscovered their musical roots. Toward the end of the year, the group traveled to Jamaica to record their next album. Recording during the day with Lloyd "King Jammy" James and at night with Bobby "Digital" Dixon, the group took a major leap forward. Shortly after releasing their second album, Protect Us Jah, in 1997, Morgan Heritage were reduced to a five-piece. In addition to Una Morgan (born 1973), the group included keyboardist/vocalists Peter Morgan (born 1977) and Roy "Gramps" Morgan (born 1975), rhythm guitarist Nakhamyah "Lukes" Morgan (born 1977), and percussionist Memmalatel "Mojo" Morgan (born 1981). Don't Haffi Dread from 1999 and More Teachings from 2001 continued to carry the roots reggae torch while Three in One from 2003 broadened their sound a bit with a guest appearance from the alt-rock band Good Charlotte. Full Circle from 2005 featured the massive Jamaican hit "Tell Me How Come" and was followed a year later by the live album Live: Another Rockaz Moment. Mission in Progress arrived in 2008 with the singles "Raid Rootz Dance" and "Love You Right." The 2009 compilation The Journey Thus Far rounded up their hits, while their 2013 effort Here Come the Kings featured the single "Perfect Love Song" along with a guest appearance from Shaggy. Shaggy returned for 2015's Strictly Roots which was released by the band's own label CTBC (Cool to Be Conscious). The album also featured appearances from J. Boog, Chronixx, Bobby Lee of SOJA, plus solo artist and son of Gramps, Jemere Morgan.

✦ Tarrus Riley ✦
www.tarrusriley.com/
https://twitter.com/TarrusRileyJA
https://soundcloud.com/tarrusrileyja

One of the most promising of the second generation of Jamaica roots reggae singers, Tarrus Riley is the son of Jimmy Riley, who has had a long career as a solo artist as well as being a former member of the Uniques and the Techniques. Like his father, Riley has a sweet, nuanced tenor vocal style, although his first connection with the Jamaican music scene was as a DJ (under the name Taurus). Riley taught himself to play keyboards and several percussion instruments and began writing his own songs, many of which had strong Rastafarian and consciousness-leaning themes. His first album, Challenges, was produced by the great Jamaican saxophonist Dean Fraser and released on Yaman Records. It yielded a couple of big reggae chart hits, including the song "Larger Than Life." Fraser also produced 14 of the 15 tracks (the other was produced by Chris Chin) on Riley's sophomore effort, Parables, which appeared in 2006 from VP Records and featured the legendary rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. It, too, generated a big single in "She's Royal." Riley has done several concert appearances with his father, who is, along with Tarrus' mother, Lavern Tatham, very active in mentoring and supporting his son's career. Riley's songs retain ties to the Jamaican roots tradition while still managing to sound distinctly contemporary. In addition, his strong stage presence gives him crossover appeal and marks him as a coming force on the international reggae scene.

With special guests Jo Mersa Marley & Black Am I