Bob Marley & The Wailers

"The Wailers" redirects here. For other uses, see The Wailers (disambiguation).

Bob Marley & The Wailers
Bob Marley & the Wailers performing at Crystal Palace, London (1980)
Background information
Also known as	The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers
Origin	Kingston, Jamaica
Genres	Reggae, ska, rocksteady, roots reggae
Years active	1963–1981
Labels	Island, Tuff Gong, Trojan, Studio One, Beverley's
Associated acts	The Wailers Band, The Original Wailers, The Upsetters, I Threes
Past members	Bob Marley Peter Tosh Bunny Wailer Cherry Smith Beverley Kelso Junior Braithwaite Constantine Walker Hugh Malcolm Aston Barrett Carlton Barrett Earl Lindo Alvin Patterson Rita Marley Marcia Griffiths Judy Mowatt Al Anderson Tyrone Downie Junior Marvin

Bob Marley & The Wailers were a Jamaican reggae band created by Bob Marley. The band formed when self-taught musician Peter Tosh met Neville Livingston (Bunny Wailer), and Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley) in 1963 and taught them how to play guitar, keyboards, and percussion. By late 1963 Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith had joined The Wailers. After Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the band in 1974, Bob Marley began touring with new band members. His new backing band included brothers Carlton and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson on lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo on keyboards, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on percussion. The "I Threes", consisting of Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, and Marley's wife, Rita, provided backing vocals.

History

The band formed when self-taught musician Peter Tosh met Neville Livingston (Bunny Wailer), and Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley) in 1963 and taught them how to play guitar, keyboards, and percussion. By late 1963 Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith had joined The Wailers. They were known variously as The Teenagers, The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and finally The Wailers. By 1966 Braithwaite, Kelso and Smith had left the band, which then consisted of the trio Livingston, Marley and Tosh (Neville Livingston being the birth name of Bunny Wailer).

Some of The Wailers most notable songs were recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band The Upsetters. During the early 1970s The Upsetters members Aston "Family Man" Barrett and his brother Carlton (Carlie) Barrett, formed the Wailers Band, providing instrumental backing for The Wailers.

The Wailers recorded groundbreaking ska and reggae songs such as "Simmer Down", "Trenchtown Rock", "Nice Time", "War", "Stir It Up" and "Get Up, Stand Up".

The Wailers disbanded in 1974 due to Tosh and Livingston's refusal to tour. Bob Marley formed Bob Marley & The Wailers with Bob Marley himself as guitarist, songwriter and main singer, the Wailers Band as the backing band, and the I Threes as backup vocalists. The Wailers Band included the brothers Carlton Barrett and "Family Man" Barrett on drums and bass respectively, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson playing lead guitar, Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo playing keyboard, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson playing percussion. The I Threes consisted of Bob Marley's wife Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths.

Livingston believed that producer Chris Blackwell, whom he called "Chris Whiteworst", was responsible for the bad relationship between the band members, as he thought Blackwell released their albums under "Bob Marley and the Wailers" instead of "the Wailers" since 1969, which tested their friendship. Perry released two compilation albums for Trojan Records in 1974, Rasta Revolution and African Herbsman, which contained songs from Soul Rebels and Soul Revolution, respectively, and he was the copyright holder of several songs from these albums. These changes caused a major dispute between Marley and Perry, when the former saw the albums, six months after their publication, in the Half Way Road in England.

Bob Marley & The Wailers, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer all enjoyed considerable success as reggae music continued to gain popularity during the 1970s and 1980s.

Several of the group's members have died subsequent to Marley's death in 1981: Carlton Barrett and Tosh in 1987, Braithwaite in 1999, and Smith in 2008. Bunny Wailer and Beverley Kelso are the only surviving members of the group's original line-up.

Members

• Bob Marley – guitar, vocals (1963–1981; died 1981)
• Peter Tosh – guitar, keyboard, vocals (1963–1974; died 1987)
• Bunny Wailer – percussion, vocals (1963–1974)
• Cherry Smith – backing vocals (1963–1966; died 2008)
• Beverley Kelso – backing vocals (1963–1965)
• Junior Braithwaite – vocals (1963–1964; died 1999)
• Constantine Walker – backing vocals (1966–1967)
• Hugh Malcolm – drums, percussion (1967–1972)
• Aston Barrett – bass (1970–1981)

• Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion (1970–1981; died 1987)
• Earl Lindo – keyboards (1973–1981)
• Alvin Patterson – percussion (1974–1981)
• Rita Marley – backing vocals (1974–1981)
• Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals (1974–1981)
• Judy Mowatt – backing vocals (1974–1981)
• Al Anderson – guitar (1974–1975, 1978-1981)
• Tyrone Downie – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals (1976–1981)
• Junior Marvin – guitar, backing vocals (1977–1981)

Bob Marley & The Wailers timeline

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Colors =

 id:vocals     value:red    legend:Vocals
 id:backing    value:orange legend:Backing vocals
 id:guitar     value:blue   legend:Guitar
 id:bass       value:purple legend:Bass
 id:drums      value:green  legend:Drums
 id:keyboards  value:yellow legend:Keyboards 
 id:percussion value:pink   legend:Percussion
 id:Lines      value:black  legend:Studio albums

Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom

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 bar:Bob         text:"Bob Marley"
 bar:Peter       text:"Peter Tosh"
 bar:Bunny       text:"Bunny Wailer"
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 bar:Beverley    text:"Beverley Kelso"
 bar:Cherry      text:"Cherry Smith"
 bar:Constantine text:"Constantine Walker"
 bar:Aston       text:"Aston Barrett"
 bar:Carlton     text:"Carlton Barrett"
 bar:Earl        text:"Earl Lindo"
 bar:JuniorM     text:"Junior Marvin"
 bar:Al          text:"Al Anderson"
 bar:Alvin       text:"Alvin Patterson"
 bar:Rita        text:"Rita Marley"
 bar:Marcia      text:"Marcia Griffiths"
 bar:Judy        text:"Judy Mowatt"
 bar:Tyrone      text:"Tyrone Downie"

PlotData=

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 bar:Aston       from:01/12/1970 till:end        color:bass
 bar:Carlton     from:01/12/1970 till:end        color:drums
 bar:Earl        from:01/01/1973 till:end        color:keyboards
 bar:JuniorM     from:14/02/1977 till:end        color:guitar
 bar:Al          from:01/01/1974 till:01/01/1976 color:guitar
 bar:Al          from:01/05/1978 till:end        color:guitar
 bar:Alvin       from:01/01/1974 till:end        color:percussion
 bar:Rita        from:01/01/1974 till:end        color:backing
 bar:Marcia      from:01/01/1974 till:end        color:backing
 bar:Judy        from:01/01/1974 till:end        color:backing
 bar:Tyrone      from:01/01/1976 till:end        color:keyboards

LineData =

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 at:01/01/1970 color:black layer:back
 at:01/12/1970 color:black layer:back
 at:01/12/1971 color:black layer:back
 at:13/04/1973 color:black layer:back
 at:19/10/1973 color:black layer:back
 at:25/10/1974 color:black layer:back
 at:30/04/1976 color:black layer:back
 at:03/06/1977 color:black layer:back
 at:23/03/1978 color:black layer:back
 at:02/10/1979 color:black layer:back
 at:10/06/1980 color:black layer:back

</timeline>

Discography

Main article: Bob Marley & The Wailers discography

• The Wailing Wailers (1965)
• Soul Rebels (1970)
• Soul Revolution (1971)
• The Best of The Wailers (1971)
• Catch a Fire (1973)
• Burnin' (1973)
• Natty Dread (1974)
• Rastaman Vibration (1976)
• Exodus (1977)
• Kaya (1978)
• Survival (1979)
• Uprising (1980)
• Confrontation (1983)

Tours

• Apr–Jul 1973: Catch a Fire Tour (England, USA)
• Oct–Nov 1973: Burnin' Tour (USA, England)
• Jun–Jul 1975: Natty Dread Tour (USA, Canada, England)
• Apr–Jul 1976: Rastaman Vibration Tour (USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, France, England, Wales)
• May–Jun 1977: Exodus Tour (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, England)
• May–Aug 1978: Kaya Tour (USA, Canada, England, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium)
• Apr–May 1979: Babylon by Bus Tour (Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii)
• Oct 1979–Jan 1980: Survival Tour (USA, Canada, Trinidad/Tobago, Bahamas, Gabon, Zimbabwe)
• May–Sep 1980: Uprising Tour (Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, USA)

See also

• Wailers Band
• The Original Wailers

Further reading

• Masouri, John (2007) Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley's "Wailers" Wise Publications ISBN 1-84609-689-8
• Farley, Christopher (2007). Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley, Amistad Press ISBN 0-06-053992-5
• Goldman, Vivien (2007) The Book of Exodus: The Making and Meaning of Bob Marley and the Wailers' Album of the Century Three Rivers Press ISBN 1-4000-5286-6
• Colin Grant (2011) The Natural Mystics : Marley, Tosh, Wailer, Jonathan Cape 978-0-224-08608-0 (U.K.), W.W. Norton & Company ISBN 978-0-393-08117-6 (U.S.)

External links==

• Official website
• Bob Marley Guitar Lessons