Bob and Zoh Hieronimus met with reggae superstars Ziggy
Marley and his brother Stephen Marley, one half of Ziggy Marley and The Melody
Makers, on August 16, 1997 in Baltimore. The children of reggae legend, Bob
Marley, were in Baltimore on tour with their latest album, Fallen Is Babylon.
Before their sound check they stopped at the 67x22 foot mural, “A Little
Help From Our Friends”, designed by Bob Hieronimus, which depicts a 20
foot high portrait of their father in the very center (see The Hieronimus
& Co. Newsletter #7).
Located at 3333 Greenmount Ave. on the outside wall of Johns Hopkins University’s
Safe and Smart Center, Hieronimus’ mural “A Little Help From Our
Friends” is dominated by portraits of varied historical figures who have
become heroes and role models for all the world. Other “Friends”
looking down on and inspiring the neighborhood include Mahatma Gandhi, Jackie
Joyner-Kersee, Liu Gang (Tiananmen Square organizer), Rachel Carson, Bob Marley,
Bob Dylan, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, Bob Levi (Baltimore
philanthropist), and Leon Day, HOF ‘95.
Blessed both by heredity and by singular talent, The Melody Makers have carried
on their father’s legacy by delivering stirring “roots” music
and a dizzying array of other styles on the eight acclaimed albums they have
released since the mid ‘80s. Along the way, they have sold millions of
records, won two Grammy awards and played to countless devotees worldwide.
Their new album “Fallen Is Babylon” is infused with an unfailingly
optimistic outlook. “ ‘Fallen Is Babylon’ is our message for
the new millennium,” explained Ziggy Marley. “It’s very timely.
For people who have spiritual knowledge, we feel it’s a wise album.”
Ziggy Marley was a guest on 21st Century Radio on 11/24/96 when he said “This
is the most interesting interview I’ve ever done. Of all the interviews
I’ve done all these years, this one is very special.” The following
pages show photographs of Ziggy and Stephen Marley at the mural and eagerly
receiving books and tapes on UFOs and other Hieronimus & Co. topics, areas
that fascinate the Marleys intensely.
Artist, Dr. Bob Hieronimus, shows reggae superstar,
Ziggy Marley, the detail in his 1996 mural,
"A Little Help From Our Friends" located at
3333 Greenmount Ave. in Baltimore
"The Best Mural in Baltimore"
Hieronimus' "A Little Help From Our Friends"