Book About Marley’s Band Serves As Cautionary Tale
By Ed Bumgardner, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.
May 8–Bob Marley, the late Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter, is revered as one of music’s great icons, with thousands of his fans going so far as to anoint him as a prophet.
Marley had one of the great bands of all time — The Wailers, led by bassist Aston “Family Man” or “Fams” Barrett and his drummer brother, the late Carlton Barrett.
Since Marley’s death, the merchandising of the Marley brand makes no mention of The Wailers, although the band is prominently featured as Bob Marley & The Wailers on all of Marley’s recordings.
The band’s plight, and particularly that of Family Man, is the subject of Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley’s Wailers, written by reggae authority John Masouri.
The book is a crucial companion to the many Marley biographies — the late Timothy White’s Catch A Fire is essential — in that it tells the story of Marley’s rise from the point of view of a band that was key to the creation of his music.
This meticulously researched book makes the case that the Barrett brothers, particularly Family Man — whose father, brother and son were all killed — were responsible for the creation of the “one-drop” style of reggae popularly known as “roots” reggae. The brothers were the busiest session rhythm section in Kingston, Jamaica, the hub for all things reggae.
Long before they hooked up with Marley, they worked on sessions for most of Jamaica’s prominent musicians, from solo works by Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, with Marley, the original Wailing Wailers, to recordings by future stars such as Toots Hibbert, Max Romeo and Burning Spear.
The book is long at 581 pages and is painstakingly thorough, so much so that the detailed history of reggae’s birth — dotted with controlling independent producers, a steady stream of singers and a smear of session musicians — can be hard for all but the most ardent fan to take in.
Where the story gets crucial is the plight of The Wailers after Marley’s death from cancer in 1981.
Marley died a rich man without a will. Deals in Jamaica were traditionally done on a handshake, and Marley’s dealings with his band, in particular the Barretts, whom he considered partners, were done that way. The Barretts were under the mistaken assumption that they were contractual partners — something that ultimately left Family Man homeless and both brothers penniless.
That Marley and his Jamaican band members were functionally illiterate rendered them unable to understand the inner workings of contracts, particularly how Marley’s assets were divided into various companies and offshore banks.
The ensuing legal nightmare left all the Wailers broke, with the Marley estate now distancing itself from any involvement with the band and the Barretts — despite the overwhelming evidence that the musically adept Family Man produced and arranged all tracks for Marley, who could barely play guitar.
As Family Man continues to pursue legal action, he leads the surviving Wailers on tour, where he is in the uncomfortable position of promoting music that makes him no money.
It’s a cautionary tale worth reading for any musician, and a book that will make even casual readers appreciate the men behind the superstars a little bit more.
It’s always tragic when a musician dies young, after devoting much of his or her short life to the rarely profitable concern of making music to sooth souls and make people happy.
Tripp Joye, 25, died Saturday morning in a car wreck. He was one of the best young drummers in the area and, in my few meetings with him, a wonderful, free-spirited person. His most high-profile bands included Autopassion and Red Orchestra Radio, and his latest band, Anything On Fire, was drawing interest from record companies.
It will be noted among musicians that Joye’s death comes almost a year to the day to that of guitarist Sam Moss, a godfather to Winston-Salem musicians. Don’t make too much of that piece of trivia. Each was an individual. Each was talented. Each is missed in his own way. Sad.
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Copyright (c) 2008, Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.
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