Aston Barret Jr. (born 20 October 1990) is a Jamaican multi-instrumentalist and

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

. He is the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

and leader of the band The Wailers since 2016. He is the son of Aston “Familyman” Barrett, who was the

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

and

musical director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

for

Bob Marley & The Wailers Bob Marley and the Wailers (previously known as The Wailers, and prior to that The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers and The Teenagers) were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley (Robert ...

nephew In the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a niece or nephew is a child of the subject's sibling or sibling-in-law. The converse relationship, the relationship from the niece or nephew's perspective, is that of an ...

''Carlton “Carly” Barrett'' and grandson of the late Joe Higgs. In 2017, he received a Grammy award as

co-producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working Independent film, independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordina ...

with Damian Marley for the track ''"The Struggle Discontinues"'', featured on the Album " Stony Hill", which won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. In 2018, he joined efforts with the Italian reggae artist

Alborosie Alberto D'Ascola (; born 4 July 1977), better known by his stage name Alborosie, is an Italian reggae artist. He is sometimes called the "Italian Reggae Ambassador". Music career Early life (2001–2005) Born Alberto d’Ascola and raised in ...

to co-produce and record the album ''“Unbreakable – Alborosie meets The Wailers”.'' In 2020, he

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

and co-wrote the new album of The Wailers ''One World'', with producer Emilio Estefan, which was released by Sony Music and received a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

Nomination for Best Reggae Album of the Year.

Early years

Born in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Jamaica, he grew up in a mixed cultured family which was part

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

and part

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. He first became aware of his family’s fame while watching television at the age of 4, when he saw The Wailers performing their 1979 concert in Santa Barbara. Later, he grew up seeing pictures of Bob Marley and hearing his music, and soon realized his significance in reggae music and popularity. Aston started playing the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

at a very young age, following in the footsteps of his father, Aston ‘Familyman’ Barrett, and trying to emulate his style. His father quickly started teaching him how to play this instrument; beginning a mentor-student relationship that would continue for years. When he was seven years he joined his first band, meanwhile his father continued to mentor him until Aston moved to the United States, after finishing 5th grade. Living with his sister in Miami, he joined his school’s

jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ...

, and started to play

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

in order to improve his repertoire of skills.

Musical career

He gained his first professional experience while he was still in high school, playing

for Julian Marley and ''The Uprising Band''. Then, he joined them on their first shows around Florida and the rest of

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and eventually toured with them internationally. The group shared the stage with artists such as

Stephen Marley Stephen Robert Nesta Marley (born April 20, 1972) is a Jamaican-American musician. The son of Bob Marley, Marley is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, three times as a solo artist, twice as a producer of his younger paternal half-brother Dam ...

, and Nas. Months later, Lauryn Hill sought him out to become her

, and the two collaborated for over two years.

Trajectory with The Wailers

In 2009 he began accompanying

his father His or HIS may refer to: Computing * Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company * Honeywell Information Systems * Hybrid intelligent system * Microsoft Host Integration Server Education * Hangzhou International School, in ...

on tours with The Wailers, when he would occasionally join the band on stage. In 2016, with the urging of his father, he stepped up to become the leader of the band.

"One World" Album

In 2020 he

and co-written alongside Emilion Estefan and ''Josh David Barrett'' The Wailers´ Album ''“One World”.'' The album was released by

Sony Music Latin Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC (often referred to as Sony Music Latin) is a record label owned by Sony Music. The label focuses on artists of Latin music. History In 1979, CBS Records (now Columbia Records) ended its partnership with C ...

and received a Grammy Nomination for Best Reggae Album of the Year. It features guest artists such as Julian Marley,

Natiruts Natiruts is a Brazilian reggae band from Brasília. Formed in 1996, Natiruts has released six studio albums and five live albums during a career spanning three decades. The group released its debut album '' Nativus'' in 1997 and increased in popula ...

, Emily Estefan, Kush Gad,

Jesse Royal Jesse Te Ahukaramu Royal (born 22 March 1980) is a professional rugby league footballer from New Zealand who currently plays for the Kurri Kurri Bulldogs in the Newcastle Rugby League. He has previously played in the NRL for the Newcastle Knigh ...

, and Carlinhos Brown. The first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

of the album, ''‘One World, One Prayer’'' had dropped earlier in the year, on 21 May 2020, and featured Farruko, Shaggy, Cedella Marley, and her son, Skip Marley (fresh from chart-topping hits with

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

and H.E.R.)

Other projects and recognitions

Apart from his role in The Wailers. Aston can also be heard playing guitar,

, and

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

for other artists such as Daniel Marley,

Junior Reed Delroy "Junior" Reid (born 6 June 1963) is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician, best known for his featuring on the songs " One Blood", "It's Okay (One Blood)" and " This Is Why I'm Hot", as well as being the lead vocalist for Black Uhur ...

, Julian Marley, Kwame Bediaco, Aka Beka, ''Jessee Royale'' and ''Reggae Force''. He´s also a co-owner of ''BAD Lions Productions'', who operates a studio in Pompano Beach, Florida. In 2017, he received a Grammy Award as co-producer with Damian Marley for the track ''The Struggle Discontinues'', featured on the Album "Stony Hill" (Grammy Awarded for Best Reggae Album) In 2018, he joined with renowned Italian reggae artist

to co-produce and record the album ''“Unbreakable – Alborosie meets The Wailers”''. In 2020 he played bass and drums for Romain Virgo’s ''‘Best of Me’'', produced and played multiple instruments for Kayaman, and worked on the new ''Reggae Force'' album.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jr, Aston Barrett Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica 1990 births