Damian(left) and Ky-mani.TWO SONS of the late reggae megastar Bob Marley, Ky-Mani and Damian, were nominated for Best Reggae Album in the 44th Annual Grammy Awards nominations, officially announced yesterday.
Ky-Mani, the son of former table tennis star Anita Belnavis who now resides in Florida, was nominated for his album, "Many More Roads" (Artist Only! Records), while Damian (Junior Gong), the son of Miss World 1977 Cindy Brakespeare, was nominated for "Half-Way Tree" (Motown).
The "Half-Way Tree" album was the first to be released under a distribution agreement between Ghetto Youths International, a company formed last year by two other sons of Marley, Ziggy and Stephen, to encourage promising young acts, and the U.S. R&B label, Motown Records.
Marley, who died in May, 1981, was honoured last year with a Lifetime Achievement award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), the U.S. group which stages the Grammy annually. The Melody Makers comprised of his children, Ziggy, Stephen, Cedella and Sharon, have already won three reggae Grammys.
The other nominees for this year's reggae Grammy are: "Music Is Life," Beres Hammond (V.P. Records); "A New Day," Luciano (V.P. Records); and "Island Warriors," various artistes (Hobo House On The Hill Records).
"Island Warriors," the only non-Jamaican album among the nominees is a collection of the biggest and brightest talents in contemporary Hawaiian music. Over the past decade or so, Hawaiian pop music has become so heavily influenced by Jamaican reggae, that it has been named "Jahwaiian" music.
