The legendary reggae singer Bob Marley is notorious for having children with multiple women. His first born child was with fellow Jamaican singer Rita Marley. Cedella Marley, Bob Marley’s first daughter has made a name for herself in the music industry too and is a celebrity in her own right. Born on August 23, 1967, in addition to being a singer and performer, Cedella is also a thriving fashion designer and businesswoman. As a vocalist, she was a member of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers with her siblings Ziggy Marley, Stephen Marley and Sharon Marley and as a part of the Melody Makers she released three Grammy Award winning records.
Cedella was born in Kingston, Jamaica to Jamaican singers Bob and Rita Marley and is the first child out of ten of Bob Marley’s children. Cedella has been brought up in a musical background like her other siblings. Growing up in Jamaica, music and dance have been an integral part of the singer’s life. Born into a celebrity family, it’s expected of celebrity children to lead a free and aristocratic lifestyle but Cedella and the other Marley children were raised with strict rules and attended Catholic boarding schools. She has been married to David Minto since 1993 and has three sons with him, two teenagers Soul Rebel and Skip and the youngest named Saiyan.
As one fourth of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, Cedella has toured around the globe selling millions of records worldwide. Led by her brother Ziggy Marley, the reggae band has more than ten studio albums released, out of which three albums namely Fallen Is Babylon, One Bright Day and Conscious Party have won Grammy Awards. The band split in 2002. Even after the disbandment, their songs Tumblin’ Down, Tomorrow People, Power to Move Ya and Everyone Wants to Be to name a few have lived on in the hearts of their fans. During that period of her life, Cedella also appeared in a handful of movies like The Mighty Quinn in 1989 and in the Richard Edson starring Joey Breaker in 1993. In present day, Cedella has her hands full with heading Bob Marley’s record company established in 1965, Tuff Gong International, as its CEO since 1993. The record label is the home to several Jamaican artists including the sons of Bob Marley. With her mother, she manages the Marley family charity called 1Love. She also serves as the head of The Bob Marley Foundation which is a non-profit organization working to provide economical assistance to important causes. The foundation has been providing financial help to hospitals and sponsoring scholarships for needy students in Jamaica. She is also involved in overseeing Hope Road Merchandising, LLC and House of Marley. She debuted as a fashion designer in 2001 with the release of her clothing line called Catch A Fire. The line was commercially successful with mentions in Women’s Wear Daily and Vogue and stores at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstorm. In 2012, she launched a line with apparel company PUMA for the Jamaican athletes competing in the Olympics of 2012 which included Usain Bolt. She is also working as a designer for Zion Rootswear.
Cedella has also been successful as an author. She has written more than a few books like The Boy from Nine Miles, One Love, Every Little Thing and Three Little Birds. Her books have been inspired from the life and songs of her father. She is a Global Ambassador of the Jamaican football team, the Reggae Girlz. In late 2014, she launched Marley Natural, world’s first commercial brand of cannabis.
Cedella has also been continuing her stride as a vocalist. She has released commercially successful singles like Can You Feel the Love Tonight and Get Up, Stand Up, the latter of which was featured in Every Mother Counts Volume 2.