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Bob Marley & The Wailers

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Bob Marley & The Wailers was a Jamaican band that began with ska and rocksteady and grew into the best-known reggae group in the world. The group formed in 1963 in Trench Town, a poor district of Kingston, with the singers Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. In 1964 they had a number 1 hit in Jamaica with Simmer Down, recorded at Studio One with musicians from The Skatalites. The song called on the rude boys, the rebellious youths of the city, to stay calm. It helped Jamaican musicians to sing about their own lives instead of imitating foreign artists.

Music and breakthrough

Around 1970 they worked with the producer Lee Scratch Perry, who experimented with reverb and echo in the studio. From his band came the bassist Aston Family Man Barrett and the drummer Carlton Barrett, who would form the rhythm of the Wailers. In 1972 they received an advance from Chris Blackwell of Island Records. On the album Catch a Fire (1973) the sound was adapted to the rock audience in England and America. Burnin' followed, with Get Up, Stand Up and I Shot the Sheriff. The typical reggae sound consists of a heavy, melodic bass, drums that put the emphasis on the second and fourth beats and a guitar that plays short chords on the offbeat.

Influence

In 1974 Tosh and Wailer left. Marley carried on with the female singers of the I-Threes and albums such as Natty Dread, Exodus and Uprising. His songs about resistance, faith and love made reggae known worldwide. After his death in 1981 the band came to an end.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Stir It Up from 1973. Notice the difference between the bass, which plays heavy and melodic, and the guitar, which plays short chords between the beats, on the offbeat.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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See also

Categories: ArtistsSka, rocksteady and reggae