Stephen Marley has teamed up with Playing For Change to re-record father Bob’s 1974 reggae anthem “No Woman, No Cry” with Brazilian icon Gilberto Gill and other musicians from around the world in honor of the song’s 50th anniversary. It’s the latest chapter of Playing For Change’s Song Around The World series, and will appear on their upcoming LP Songs For Humanity.
“Was an honor being a part of such a great project,” Marley says in a statement. “My father and Gilberto are friends…the legacy continues.”
“We started this song a few years ago on the streets of Italy with a steel guitar and a click track,” says Playing For Change co-founder Mark Johnson. “Since that day it has evolved into a Song Around The World featuring 22 musicians from 10 different countries. Everywhere you go someone is playing the music of Bob Marley and this version is a tribute to his legacy around the world. ‘No Woman, No Cry’ is an anthem that brings us all together around the campfire honoring our past and building a future where everything is gonna be alright.”
Gilberto Gil, who released his own version of “No Woman, No Cry” on his 1979 LP Realce, recorded his part in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “It is a beautiful tribute to Bob Marley’s legacy, of whom I am a fan,” he says. “My own version of the song also found a home in Brazil, reinforcing the power of music as a force of unity and hope among people.”
Other artists on the song include Argentinian guitarist Adrian Buono, Jamaican drummer Courtney “Bam” Diedrick, Brazilian bassist Alana Alberg, and Japanese organ player Keiko Komaki. Playing For Change facilitated the global video shoot with assistant from sponsors Audio Technica and Traditional Medicinals.
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In the past few years, Playing For Change created Songs Around The World videos with Robbie Robertson (“The Weight”), John Paul Jones (“When The Levee Breaks”), Peter Gabriel (“Biko”), Jackson Browne (“Doctor My Eyes”), and Carlos Santana (One Como Va”). Over the past two decades, they’ve partnered with the United Nations, The White House, and the Winter Olympics.
Stephen Marley, meanwhile, recently wrapped up a tour celebrating the music of his father along with his brothers Ziggy, Julian, Ky-Mani, and Damian. On October 25, he’s performing at the World Creole Music Festival on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica.
