ZIGGY MARLEY ANNOUNCES 2012 WORLD TOUR

Los Angeles, CA – Iconic, five-time Grammy®-winning reggae artist Ziggy Marley has announced dates for his highly anticipated “Wild and Free” world tour in support of his Grammy®-nominated fourth studio album, Wild and Free (2011, Tuff Gong Worldwide).

 The worldwide tour begins with a string of dates in Hawaii, after which the band will hit Australia (including two appearances at Bluesfest) before launching the North American leg of the tour with appearances in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Toronto, New Orleans’ historic Tipitina’s, Austin’s prestigious Austin City Limits Live, all three locations of the Wanderlust Festival, and many others.

This year also marks the anticipated return of the annual Ziggy Marley & Tuff Gong Worldwide Salute Legends of Reggae Festival, in which they pay homage to a number of legendary reggae icons in a concert extravaganza. Performing at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on July 15 this year are legends Toots & the Maytals, Freddie McGregor, Maxi Priest, and Bob Andy.

Since early last year, Marley has been touring tirelessly around the world, including supporting dates with Shakira on her Pop Festival tour in South America, and appearing at such festivals as Lovebox and V Fest in the UK, Summer Sonic in Japan, and the Montreux Jazz Fest in Switzerland.

This year, Ziggy will thrill audiences at all three locations of the Wanderlust Festival (in Stratton VT, Copper Mountain CO, and Squaw Valley CA) as well as at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and at many other headlining shows and festivals in the U.S., Canada, and Europe throughout the summer, dates to be announced.

The “Wild and Free” tour comes on the heels of last year’s “Forward to Love” tour, which featured a number of small, intimate engagements at a variety of theaters and clubs in major U.S. and Canadian markets, as well as larger festivals like Earthdance in the Bay Area and Doheny Days in Orange County, CA.

Wild and Free, Ziggy’s fourth solo album which he co-produced with Grammy®-winning producer Don Was (The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elton John, George Clinton), has received multiple accolades since its early summer release. In a recent review, People Magazine said that Marley “scores from start to finish on this excellent set,” while Billboard lauded the “island rhythms and melodies with pop sensibilities” on this solid album” (Creative Loafing). It includes such unique pairings as the title track featuring Woody Harrelson, “It” featuring the recently-departed Heavy D, and “Changes” which was co-written by Linda Perry and features a guest rap by Ziggy’s son, Daniel Marley.

As with last fall’s “Forward to Love” tour, Marley is offering fans first access to pre-sale tickets direct from Ziggy at http://www.ziggymarley.com/tickets.php.  For a limited time at select shows, fans may also purchase an autographed CD, available only as part of a ticket bundle and only when purchased directly from Ziggy.

ABOUT ZIGGY MARLEY

A five-time Grammy®-winner, humanitarian, singer, songwriter, producer and Reggae icon, Ziggy Marley has had a fruitful career, in which he has released twelve albums to much critical acclaim. 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, with such chart-topping hits as ”Look Who’s Dancing”, “Tomorrow People” and “Tumbling Down.” 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 album, Family Time (Tuff Gong Worldwide), scored him a fifth Grammy award for Best Children’s Album. Ziggy continues his creative path this year with his new album as well as his first ever comic book, MARIJUANAMAN, which was released in April. For more information, visit www.ziggymarley.com and www.marjuanamancomic.com.

ABOUT TUFF GONG WORLDWIDE

The Tuff Gong label was founded in 1965 by Bob Marley, with the vision of producing, distributing and promoting his music free from the constraints of corporate label politics. In a time decades before artist-owned record labels were commonplace, the legendary Bob Marley’s vision was characteristically well ahead of its time. Now, nearly a half-century later, his dream is being realized. With Tuff Gong Worldwide, Ziggy Marley continues a dream of his father to own and manage not only his own music, but nearly every aspect of his career. From record label operations to book publishing, Ziggy not only records and releases all of his recent solo studio albums and DVDs via Tuff Gong Worldwide (including the Grammy-winning albums Love Is My Religion and Family Time, and the new release Wild and Free), but also has become a major player in the comic book / graphic novel industry with the release of the MarijuanaMan series. With such distribution partners as Image Comics, Entertainment One in the U.S. and Canada and a variety of distributors and label imprints around the world, Tuff Gong Worldwide’s reach has become, indeed, a global phenomenon. Most recently, Tuff Gong Worldwide has expanded beyond consumer products and into the world of television with Marley Africa Road Trip (Elixir Films). Even more new developments will be announced in 2012.

Since its inception in 2005, Tuff Gong Worldwide has established itself as a leader in the reggae community. Having consulted on such projects as The Disney Reggae Club (Walt Disney Records) and MARLEY (Shangri-La Entertainment), the company has become a sought-after expert in tapping into reggae culture. With unprecedented access to reggae creatives (artists, musicians, songwriters, etc.), Caribbean media (radio, online, press), and other promotional outlets, Tuff Gong Worldwide finds itself at the center of reggae culture in North America, the Caribbean, and beyond. www.tuffgongworldwide.com

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