Murphys, CA…An eight-time GRAMMY winner, Emmy winner, author, philanthropist, and reggae icon, Ziggy Marley has released thirteen albums to much critical acclaim. Now with his own label, Tuff Gong Worldwide and publishing company, Ishti Music, Marley has complete control of his master recordings and publishing. His early immersion in music came at age ten when he sat in on recording sessions with his father, Bob Marley.

As front man to Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, the group released eight best-selling albums that garnered three GRAMMYs, Ziggy’s first solo album, Dragonfly (RCA Records), was released in 2003. His second solo release, Love is My Religion (Tuff Gong Worldwide), won a GRAMMY in 2006 for “Best Reggae Album.” His third solo studio album, Family Time (Tuff Gong Worldwide), scored a 5th GRAMMY award for “Best Children’s Album. Ziggy’s fifth solo studio album, Fly Rasta was released to mass critical acclaim in 2015, and earned his 7th GRAMMY for “Best Reggae Album”. 2016 marked the release of Marley’s self-titled album, which garnered his
8th GRAMMY. His GRAMMY-nominated ‘Rebellion Rises’ is out now via Tuff Gong Worldwide.

Michael Franti believes that the great battle taking place in the world today is between cynicism and optimism because he feels it in himself. So he made an album to remind himself, and anyone else who’s listening, that there is still good in the world and that it is worth fighting for. The album Stay Human Vol. II, which is an accompaniment to the film Stay Human, is all about how we hold on to our humanity in the challenging times we are living in today and features 14 uplifting, life-affirming songs that, at their core, are about being your authentic self and standing up for the greater good.

“It’s a constant battle for me to stay on the side that believes your goodness will always win and that there’s goodness within each person,” Franti says. “Sometimes it’s hard to really hold onto that as my moral compass, but I really do believe in that.”

The songs on Stay Human Vol. II were inspired by Franti’s new self-directed documentary Stay Human, which won the RWJ Barnabas Health Award at the 2018 Asbury Park Music & Film Festival, audience awards at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival and the 2018 ILLUMINATE Film Festival, the Voice for Humanity Award at the 2018 ILLUMINATE Film Festival, the Inspiration Award at the 2018 Tahoe Film Fest and the Soul in Cinema Award at the 2018 Maui Film

One tempestuous weekend in March 1979 was not only the date of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident but also, in Birmingham, England, the very first show by a nascent band known as The Beat. Introduced as “the hottest thing since the Pennsylvania meltdown”, the band had a sense that the next few years could well be explosive! The Beat hailed from working class, industrial Birmingham, England. When The Beat rushed on to the music scene in 1979, it was a time of social, political and musical upheaval. Into this storm came The Beat, trying to calm the waters with their simple message of love and unity set to a great dance beat.