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The Wailers
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A Featured Entertainer in our Music on MAIN presented by WaMu series!Whilst gaining limited popularity in Jamaica itself, Bob Marley and The Wailers had no international success whatsoever before joining forces with the Barrett brothers. Of the handful of records they made without the Barrett brothers between 1968-1971-both for Danny Sims and several of the Wailers' own labels-none achieved success outside of the domestic Jamaican market. In contrast the Barrett brothers had already played on and performed two sizable international hits before joining The Wailers; namely "Liquidator" by Harry J All-Stars (a UK Top 10 hit in October 1969) and "Return of Django/Dollar In The Teeth" by The Upsetters (a UK Top 5 hit in October 1969).
Aston "Familyman" Barrett not only contributed bass guitar to the Wailers' output from 1968 onwards, but also organ piano, rhythm guitar, drum programming and percussion on occasion, as well as considerable arrangement and production skills. As Bob Marley's musical director he was responsible for the Wailers' distinctive sound both on stage and in the studio. His duties included recruiting, and then coaching outside musicians where necessary (including additional horn players), leading band rehearsals and overseeing all stage and studio work. It was his highly trained and widely experienced musical abilities that served as bedrock for Bob Marley & The Wailers' international success and their reputation as one of the industry's most professional outfits.
On the Catch A Fire album released by Island Records in 1973, production is credited to Bob Marley & Chris Blackwell.
Aston "Familyman" Barrett's name is listed directly under Marley's own on every one of the Island Records album releases, including Catch A Fire, which also featured contributions from original Wailers' members Peter Tosh & Bunny Livingston. Aston "Familyman" Barrett was thus presented as the member of the Wailers next in importance to Marley himself.
By late 1973, only Bob Marley was left of the original Wailers' lineup formed ten years earlier. Always known as a vocal group, rather than a band of musicians fronted by Marley alone, the Wailers were effectively no more and Marley himself was faced with reactivating his earlier, desperately unsuccessful solo career. It was Aston "Familyman" Barrett who then assembled the musicians and arranged the sessions for the Wailers' subsequent Natty Dread album, which is widely regarded as their finest-ever work.
"Natty Dread was an unqualified masterpiece and a continuous tour-de- force", wrote Kevin O'Brien Chang and Wayne Chen in Reggae Routes (IRP, 1998). They go on to report that it was received with "tumultuous praise" both internationally and in Jamaica itself, where "never before or since has any album been so unanimously admired."
Upon the albums completion the Wailers' contract with Island Records was renegotiated on vastly improved terms; the Barrett brothers being incorporated alongside Marley himself as official Wailers' signatories. No other band members were accorded this distinction.
In the wake of this new arrangement Bob Marley & The Wailers attained new levels of success as both a performing and recording act, undertaking groundbreaking tours of Europe and the US and registering their presence on the international charts for the first time.
On the Burnin' album released by Island Records in 1974, production is credited to Chris Blackwell & The Wailers.
On the Natty Dread album released by Island Records in 1974, production is credited to Chris Blackwell & The Wailers. Of the nine songs on this album, only three are credited as being written by Bob Marley, and "Rebel Music (3 O'clock Roadblock)" is not one of them.
On the Bob Marley & The Wailers: Live! album released by Island Records in 1975, the production of the music is credited to Bob Marley & The Wailers and the production of the record itself to Chris Blackwell & Steve Smith. This latter credit apparently angered Marley, who instructed Don Taylor to get it changed, "This was the album that caused the first confrontation with Chris (Blackwell)" writes Taylor in his book So Much Things to Say (Blake Publishing, 1995) "as he had gone ahead and issued the record without our permission and not credited the production to Bob Marley & The Wailers." This credit still appears on the CD version issued in the UK by Island Records.
Marley's own prowess as an instrumentalist was a key factor in the writing of his songs. In Maureen Sherldan's book Soul Survivor (Carlton Books 1999) it is said of Marley that "he used to say that he could have been a better guitar player, but "Familyman" wouldn't teach him any more cords." Aston "Familyman" Barrett also tutored a number of other successful Jamaican musicians, including Robbie Shakespeare of the internationally renowned recording and production duo Sly & Robbie. In an article published in the New Musical Express, then reprinted in the Jamaican daily newspaper The Gleaner on Saturday August 30, 1975, Sebastian Clarke writes that "Bob Marley is only as good as his back up musicians. Marley is undoubtedly an excellent lyricist and possesses an ability to arrange, but it is Familyman's surreptitious role as bandleader and co-arranger that sustains the group's essential unity."
On the Rastaman Vibration album released by Island Records in 1976, production is credited to Chris Blackwell & The Wailers. The mixing is credited to Aston "Familyman" Barrett & Chris Blackwell.
Aston "Familyman" Barrett alone is credited with writing "Want More", and with co-writing "Who the Cap Fit" with his brother Carlton. The Barrett brothers' songwriting credit for "Who the Cap Fit" is confirmed on the Island Records' compilation Natural Mystic. The latter song was first recorded as "Man to Man" by the Wailers circa 1970-71, and produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. The Barrett brothers are subsequently credited with writing "Man to Man" on the Trojan Records' compilation Trenchtown Rock (licensed from representatives of Lee "Scratch" Perry) released in 1999.
In the aftermath of Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston leaving the Wailers, both called upon Aston "Familyman" Barrett for musical assistance with their critical debut solo albums. Entitled Legalize It (Virgin Records, 1976) and Blackheart Man (Island Records, 1976) respectively, these albums remain the most successful of each artist's career to date. Aston "Familyman" Barrett's musical expertise also helped relaunch the career of Burning Spear, whose three best selling albums Marcus Garvey, Social Living and Hail HIM were all recorded with considerable input from "Familyman".
Away from his trio, Aston "Familyman" Barrett has either played on arranged and/or produced countless Jamaican and international hits for innumerable other artists, including Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Big Youth, Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson, Max Romeo, Slim Smith, John Holt, Alton Ellis and Augustus Pablo.
"I Know" was the last Bob Marley & The Wailers' single to be released before Marley's death. It was Aston "Familyman" Barrett whom Bob Marey asked to mix and prepare "I Know" for release; the singer ringing from his hospital bed in Bavaria with this request. This episode again underlines "Familyman's" status as Marley's right hand man, and most trusted musical accomplice.
On the Kaya album released by Island Records in 1977, production is credited to Bob Marley & The Wailers. This credit remains unchanged on the CD version issued by Island Records.
To capitalize on the raised public awareness of them created by their membership of the I-Threes, both Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt recorded important breakthrough solo albums during the mid-to-late seventies. These albums were entitled Who Feels It Knows It and Mellow Mood respectively. Both singers happily placed their trust in Aston "Familyman" Barrett to help successfully launch their solo careers. He summarily played on, arranged and produced the majority of tracks on both these albums, in-between working on Wailers' sessions. Rita and Judy's choice of him as their first-choice producer only serves to underline how his role as Bob Marley's musical director was fully understood and appreciated by everyone in the Wailers' camp. He also made significant contributions to Marcia Griffiths' most critically acclaimed solo album Steppin' Out of Babylon recorded in 1977. This awareness of, and reliance upon Aston "Familyman" Barrett's musical prowess continued among the members of Bob Marley & The Wailers' circle until comparatively recently. He was the person Marley's mother Cedella Booker tuned to after deciding to launch her solo recording career and so too various of Marley's children, including Ziggy, Cedella, Stephen, Ky-mani Damian and Julian Marley.
Bob Marley himself entrusted Aston "Familyman" Barrett with the production of the Melody Makers' (a group comprised of several of his children) first-ever releases in the late seventies, rather that arranging the sessions himself. This is further indication of the high regard shown to "Familyman" by Bob Marley (who unlike "Familyman", has never been credited with producing music outside of the Wailers), and of his central role in al Wailers' related musical endeavors.
On the Babylon By Bus double live album released by Island Records in 1978, production is credited to Chris Blackwell & The Wailers. This credit remains unchanged on the CD version issued by Island Records, as does Aston "Familyman" Barrett's credit for writing "Rebel Music (3 O'clock Roadblock)" with H. Peart.
On the Survival album released by Island Records in 1979, production is credited to Chris Blackwell & The Wailers and Alex Sadkin. This credit remains unchanged on the CD version issued in the UK by Island Records.
On the Uprising album released by Island Records in 1980, production is credited to Bob Marley & The Wailers. The mixing on this album is credited to the Wailers & Chris Blackwell. Both credits remain unchanged on the CD version issued in the UK by Island Records.
On the Confrontation album released by Island Records in 1983, production is credited to Bob Marley & The Wailers and Errol Brown. The mixing on this album is credited to Errol Brown, Chris Blackwell and Aston "Familyman" Barrett. Both credits remain unchanged on the CD version issued in the UK by Island Records.
"Everybody have to stay roots, like Aston and Carlton Barrett. You can't return to the roots, you must be the roots", Marley is quoted as saying in Bob Marley: In His Words (Omnibus Press, 1993). In an interview with Rob Bowman reprinted in Vol. 16 No. 3 of The Beat Marley claims that "Familyman controls reggae", meaning no only his own music, but reggae as an entire genre.
"If anyone deserves credit", claims band member Tyrone Downie, "it is Familyman." He goes on to say, "It was the Barrett brothers who gave Bob a paper to write on." (Maureen Sherldan: Soul Survivor, Carlton Books 1999). Aston "Familyman" Barrett introduced Tyrone Downie to the Wailers, as was Earl "Wya" Lindo and Earl "Chinna" Smith. The two first-named musicians went on to play an integral role in the success of Bob Marley & The Wailers.
In 1997, Elan became the Wailers new vocalist. Elan had never performed with a band onstage before he did his first show with the group. Far from a trained vocalist, Elan had grown up singing every opportunity he could. After high school, he saved as much money as he could to go into a local studio with a few musician friends to cut his first album. He was still looking for a guitarist when he was introduced one night to the Wailers' lead guitarist Al Anderson. They hit it off and Al played on all the tracks! After completing the album, a lot of labels were interested in signing Elan.
But at the same time, Al Anderson was playing the songs for Wailers’ band leader Family Man Barrett, who urged the guitarist to recruit the young singer after Junior Marvin, (who'd been singing lead for the band since Bob Marley's death), left the group.
At his first Wailers show, Elan played for five thousand people without rehearsal or sound check. A huge fan of Bob Marley and The Wailers, Elan believed that the spirituality of Bob's music and lyrics helped him find himself. Elan toured the world with the Wailers for three years, parting ways in pursuit of a solo project in 1999. Elan signed with the London/Sire label where he recorded a still unreleased album that produced the tracks, "Dreams Come True," (with Sly & Robbie) for the Sex & The City soundtrack and a cover of Roxy Music's "Slave To Love," featuring Gwen Stefani for the 50 First Dates soundtrack.
In June 2007, Elan reunited with the Wailers’ once again as the band’s dominant lead singer. Their relationship is stronger than ever, and The Wailers are touring the world. In addition, Elan and Family Man Barrett are forming a joint venture with the intent to produce CDs and to sign new artists to their label. The first project: a new album with The Wailers’ featuring some of the biggest names in contemporary music.
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