The Wailers Band is a Jamaican reggae band formed by former members of Bob Marley and the Wailers after Marley's death in 1981. It was led by bassist Aston "Familyman" Barrett until 2016, when he passed the role onto his son, Aston Barrett Jr.
The Wailers Band | |
|---|---|
 The Wailers at the Stendhal Festival, 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | Sony Latin, Island Records, Atlantic Records, Tabu Records, RAS Records |
| Spinoffs | The Original Wailers |
| Spinoff of | Bob Marley & the Wailers |
| Members | Aston Barrett Jr. Owen "Dreadie" Reid Josh David Barrett Glen DaCosta Andres Lopez Junior Jazz |
| Past members | Aston "Familyman" Barrett Donald Kinsey Junior Marvin Carlton Barrett Alvin "Seeco" Patterson Tyrone Downie Earl "Wire" Lindo Al Anderson Gary "Nesta" Pine Joe Yamanaka Elan Atias Anthony Watson Chico Chin Everald Gayle Irvin "Carrot" Jarrett Brady Walters Basil Creary Keith Sterling Kevin "Yvad" Davy Ras Mel Glover "Drummie Zeb" Williams Audley Chisholm Koolant Brown Dwayne Anglin Ceegee Victory Javaughn Bond Shema McGregor |
| Website | www |
History
editAfter Marley, death of Carly Barrett, and Marvin's departure (1981–1997)
editAfter the death of Bob Marley in 1981, the Wailers continued, led by bassist Aston "Familyman" Barrett and guitarist Junior Marvin. The band played a heavy worldwide touring schedule and recorded as backing band with several singers. Drummer Carlton "Carly" Barrett, 36, was murdered at his Jamaica home in 1987; despite this, and with a majority of the original musician lineup, they released their first album after Marley's death, I.D., in 1989. They followed up with an additional two studio albums, Majestic Warriors in 1991 and Jah Message in 1994. In addition to these three studio albums, a live album consisting of live performances of the band between the years of 1995 and 1997 was released as My Friends in 1997. Marvin departed the band to pursue solo work after this album and what was described as a disappointing 1997 tour.[1]
Lineup changes, newfound competition, and success (1998–2008)
editIn 1998, Gary Pine joined the band's lineup as lead singer after Marvin's departure. In 2003 the band released a live DVD titled The Wailers - Live and followed it up in 2006 with the live album Legend - Live.
In 2008, Junior Marvin joined fellow former Wailer Al Anderson to form another spinoff known as The Original Wailers. That same year the Wailers Band were guests on the Kenny Chesney single "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven"; the single proved successful, topping the US Country charts and peaking at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. Barrett's son, Aston Barrett Jr., began performing with the group in 2009.[2] In 2011, Marvin left The Original Wailers to form The Legendary Wailers.
Legend Tour and Wailers Reunited (2014–2016)
editIn 2014, The Wailers Band embarked on a worldwide tour marking the 30th anniversary of the release of the Legend compilation.
In 2015, Barrett began the process of reuniting past members of the Wailers, using the name the Wailers Reunited. Shows occurred in South America which included former members such as Marvin, Anderson, and Tyrone Downie. That year, the Wailers Band performed in India for the first time.[3] A US and UK tour took place in 2016, after which Barrett retired from the group; despite this, he would be included as an official member well into 2020. His son and drummer, Aston Barrett Jr., took over as leader of the Wailers Band,[2] while his student, Owen "Dreadie" Reid, took over on bass.[4]
One World and death of Familyman (2020–present)
editOn August 21, 2020, the group released the album One World, their first studio album in twenty-six years.[5] This was the first studio album released that contained a lineup without any of the original musicians in the band's lineup. It did, however, receive contributions from the trio the I Threes, Marley's backing vocalists.
Aston "Family Man" Barrett died on 3 February 2024.[6]
The Wailers album *Evolution* received a 2025 Grammy Awards nomination for Best Reggae Album.[7]
Members
edit
Current members
edit- Aston Barrett Jr. – drums, vocals
- Mitchell Brunnings – lead vocals
- Wendell "Junior Jazz" Ferraro – guitar, vocals
- Owen "Dreadie" Reid – bass
- Andres "Ipez" Lopez – keys
- Teena "Tamara" Barnes – vocals
- Leonard "Lennie" Chen – "vibes man"
Former members
edit- Aston "Familyman" Barrett – bass (1972–2016; non-touring member 2016–2020; died 2024)
- Donald Kinsey – lead guitar (died 2024)
- Junior Marvin – guitar, vocals (1977–1997)
- Carlton Barrett – drums (1972–1987; died 1987)
- Seeco Patterson – percussion (died 2021)
- Tyrone Downie – keyboards (died 2021)
- Earl Lindo – keyboards, guitar (died 2017)
- Al Anderson – guitar
- Gary Pine – vocals (1998–2006)
- Joe Yamanaka – vocals (1981–1987?; died 2011)
- Elan Atias – vocals (1997–2010)
- Josh Barrett – lead vocals (2014-2018)
- Glen Dacosta – saxophone
Discography
editStudio albums
edit- I.D. (1989)
- Majestic Warriors (1991)
- Jah Message (1994)
- One World (2020)
Live albums
edit- My Friends (Live '95-'97) (1997)
- Live at Maritime Hall (1999)
- Live In Jamaica (2001)
- The Wailers Live (2003) (DVD)
- Legend Live (2006)
With other artists
edit- Reggae Vibration with Joe Yamanaka (1982)
- It's About Time, with John Denver (1983)
- Watchful Eyes Acclaimed LP for Jah Mel (1983)
- International Farmer, Peter Broggs feat. the Wailers (1985)
- "Makisupa Policeman" for Sharin' in the Groove (2001)
- My Beautiful Garden, Donald & Lulu with The Wailers (1982)
- Jerusalem (Alpha Blondy album) (1986)
- Inkarnation, Iya Karna album with the Wailers (1986)
- Real Joy, Ludovic DeBarboza And The Wailers (1987)
- "A Step for Mankind" with Duane Stephenson & Bishop Lamont, Solutions for Dreamers: Season 3 (2010)[8]
- HiFi Calypso, with Karl Zéro (2004)
Guest singles
edit| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) |
Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN | |||||
| 2008 | "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" | Kenny Chesney | 1 | 41 | 49 |
|
Lucky Old Sun |
| 2012 | "Al Leila Ya Samra" | Mohamed Mounir | — | — | — | Arabiac Studio | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||||
Music videos
edit| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" (with Kenny Chesney) | Shaun Silva |
| 2010 | "A Step for Mankind" (feat. Duane Stephenson & Bishop Lamont) | Luke Archer[8] |
| 2013 | "Spread The Love" (with Kenny Chesney) | Shaun Silva |
References
edit- ^ Miller, Mark. "Junior Marvin, Out of the Shadow & Into the Light".
- ^ a b Blanarik, Jessi (18 June 2024). "Aston Barrett Jr. Carries on Father's Legacy in Iconic Bob Marley Band". StateCollege.com. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "Wailers break ground in India", Jamaica Observer, 28 October 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015
- ^ "Interview: Aston Barrett Jr". TheWailers.com. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "THE WAILERS RELEASE NEW ALBUM, ONE WORLD, TODAY!". The Wailers. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (3 February 2024). "Aston 'Family Man' Barrett, Bassist and Rhythmic Backbone of Bob Marley & The Wailers, Dead at 77". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ "2025 GRAMMYs: See The Full Nominations List". Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ a b ""A Step for Mankind" by the Wailers (Music Video)". YouTube.com. Oniric Records. 16 September 2010. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
The single is "A Step for Mankind" by the Wailers featuring Duane Stephenson and Bishop Lamont. It is featured on Oniric Records' "Solutions for Dreamers : Season 3" benefit compilation album for the United Nations World Food Programme. Enjoy this beautiful Music Video put together by director Luke Archer.
- ^ "American single certifications – Kenny Chesney – Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
edit- Official website
- The Wailers Band discography at Discogs