This past Sunday, October 30th on Halloween Eve at the chic Blue Martini Bar & Lounge in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, two-time Grammy award nominee, Julian ‘Juju’ Marley touched down on stage to deliver a scintillating live performance in conjunction with the venue’s ‘Island Vibes Sundays’. The evening’s event was dubbed ‘Don’t Ruin My World’ and also featured the legendary Visions Band based out of South Florida.
The night was well attended with a big crowd, and there were several notables in attendance as well, including: Lennie Chen (long time Wailers’ Manager who was also one of Bob Marley’s childhood friends); Ky-Mani Marley (son of Bob Marley and brother to Julian); Floyd and Aiesha Barret (son and daughter of the Wailers’ Aston ‘Familyman’ Barrett); and A.J. ‘Boots’ Brown (lead vocalist of the iconic Third World reggae band).
During intermissions, ‘chune juggling’ duties were expertly handled by DJ Mikey Mike of WZOP/WZPP FM radio of Ft. Lauderdale. DJ Mikey Mike kept the vibes active and bubbling with a selection of great tunes from the reggae, dancehall, afrobeat, and soca genres.
Visons Band impressed on stage with a steady flow of tunes that they covered from big name artists that included living legends as well as several no longer with us—including Beres Hammond, Dennis Brown, Buju Banton, Chronixx, just to name a handful.
Julian Marley, son of the late Reggae King, Bob Marley, has certainly drawn inspiration not only from his late father’s ethos, but also from life itself. In that spirit, Juju as he is often affectionately called, voices his own messages through reggae music which often airs the grievances of the oft-maligned, less fortunate and downtrodden peoples the world over. Julian certainly has remained beholden to reggae’s cultural and conscious roots background in having been raised in England by his Barbadian mother — Lucy Pounder. Throughout his childhood years, he also often traveled to Jamaica as part of his upbringing. And as far has Julian’s musicianship goes, he plays several instruments such as the guitar, drums, bass, and keyboards.
Photos by Nick Ford, who lives and works in South Florida.
