Wailer tended to sing lead vocals less often than Marley and Tosh in the early years, but when Marley left Jamaica in 1966 for Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
in the US, and was briefly replaced by Constantine "Vision" Walker
Constantine "Vision" Walker, also known as "Vision" or "Dream" (born Constantine Antonio Walker, Jr., (born 19 October 1951, Jamaica) is a singer songwriter and musician. He was an original member of reggae group The Soulettes, with his cousin ...
, Wailer began to record and sing lead vocals on some of his own compositions, such as "Who Feels It Knows It", "I Stand Predominant", and "Sunday Morning". Wailer's style of music was influenced by gospel music and the soul singer
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music. .
In 1967, he recorded "This Train", based on a gospel standard, for the first time, at
Studio One.
Wailer was arrested on charges of possession of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
in June 1967 and served a 14-month prison sentence.
[Singing the jailhouse rock](_blank)
'' Jamaica Observer'', Published 25 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012 Around this time he, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh signed an exclusive recording agreement with Danny Sim's
JAD Records Formed in 1967 JAD Records was a record label that was co-owned by Johnny Nash, producer Arthur Jenkins, and businessman Danny Sims, whose initials formed its logo. JAD Records was the label which signed Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Ri ...
and an exclusive publishing agreement with Sim's music publishing company Cayman Music.
As the Wailers regularly changed producers in the late 1960s, Wailer continued to contribute songs to the group's repertoire. The music critic
Kwame Dawes
Kwame Senu Neville Dawes (born 28 July 1962) is a Ghanaian poet, actor, editor, critic, musician, and former Louis Frye Scudder Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of South Carolina. He is now Professor of English at the University of N ...
says that Wailer's song lyrics were carefully crafted and literary in style, and he remained a key part of the group's distinctive harmonies.
Wailer sang lead on such songs as "Dreamland"
(a cover of El Tempos' "My Dream Island",
which soon became his signature song) "Riding High", "Brainwashing",
and in the bridge of the Wailers' song, "Keep On Moving" (sung in the style of Curtis Mayfield of
the Impressions
The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul.
The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...
), produced by
Lee "Scratch" Perry
Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...
.
In 1971, the Wailers recorded Bunny Wailer's song "Pass It On", which he said he wrote in 1962;
it was released as a
dubplate
A dubplate is an acetate disc usually of 10 inches diameter, traditionally used by Recording studio, studios to test recordings prior to Audio mastering, mastering for the subsequent pressing of a vinyl record, but pioneered by reggae Reggae sound ...
mix on JAD's "Original Cuts" compilation.
This version of the song features different lyrics and music in the verses to the later versions of "Pass It On" – Wailer would later reuse these in "Innocent Blood". By 1973, each of the three founding Wailers operated his own label, Marley with
Tuff Gong
Tuff Gong is the brand name associated with a number of businesses started by Bob Marley and Rita Marley#Children, the Marley family. 'Tuff Gong' comes from Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari ...
,
Tosh with H.I.M. Intel Diplo,
and Bunny Wailer with
Solomonic.
He sang lead vocals on "Reincarnated Souls", the B-side of the Wailers first
Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
single of the new era, and on two tracks on the Wailers last trio LP, "''Burnin": "Pass it On" and "Hallelujah Time". By now he was recording singles in his own right, cutting "Searching For Love", "Life Line", "Trod On", "Arab Oil Weapon", and "Pass It On" (a new recording of the Wailers song) for his own label.
Bunny Wailer toured with the Wailers in England and the United States, but soon became reluctant to leave Jamaica. He and Tosh were more marginalised in the group as the Wailers attained international success, and attention was increasingly focused on Marley. Wailer subsequently left the Wailers in 1973 and adopted the name "Bunny"
in pursuit of a solo career after balking when
Chris Blackwell wanted the Wailers to tour
freak clubs in the United States, stating that it was against his
Rastafari principles. Before leaving the Wailers, Wailer had become more focused on his spiritual faith. He identified with the Rastafari movement, as did the other Wailers. He also composed much of his own material as well as re-recording a number of cuts from the Wailers' catalogue. Wailer recorded primarily in the
roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
style, in keeping with his often political and spiritual messages; his album ''
Blackheart Man
''Blackheart Man'' is the debut album by Bunny Wailer, originally released on 8 September 1976, in Jamaica on Solomonic Records and internationally on Island Records.
Overview
The songs on the album are regarded as the finest written by Bunny Wa ...
'' was well received.
According to the journalist Peter Mason, writing in the Guardian newspaper, Blackheart Man "is widely felt to be one of reggae’s highest peaks".
Solo career
![Bunny-Wailer-Smile-Jamaica-2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Bunny-Wailer-Smile-Jamaica-2008.jpg)
After leaving the Wailers, Wailer experimented with
disco on his album ''Hook Line & Sinker'', while ''Sings the Wailers'' reworks many of The Wailers songs with the backing of Jamaican session musicians,
Sly and Robbie.
He also had success recording in the typically apolitical, more pop,
dancehall style.
Wailer's music had dancehall and
rockers influences,
best exemplified by the album ''Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers'' on which he reinterpreted some of the Wailers material as a solo roots singer with roots reggae-based backing by Sly and Robbie. The album, produced by Bunny Wailer, was recorded at
Harry J Studio. Some of these tracks are reworked classic Wailers tracks such as "Dreamland", a cover of El Tempos' "My Dream Island" with slightly reworked lyrics that became Bunny's signature song. This was recorded in 1966 by
Clement Coxsone Dodd, and in 1972 with
Lee "Scratch" Perry
Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...
; it was released as a 7" in 1971 with a
U-Roy
Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...
version on the B-side.
Another classic is "Dancing Shoes", first recorded in the mid-1960s as a driving ska/soul classic with Bunny Wailer on lead vocals.
Wailer won the
Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album
The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in sev ...
three times; in 1991 for the album ''Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley'', in 1995 for ''Crucial! Roots Classics'', and in 1997 for ''Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary''. He was also featured on the album
''True Love'' by
Toots and the Maytals
The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music.
...
, which won the Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians including;
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...
,
Eric Clapton,
Jeff Beck,
Trey Anastasio
Ernest Joseph "Trey" Anastasio III (born September 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Phish, which he co-founded in 1983. He is credited by name as composer of 152 Phish o ...
,
Gwen Stefani /
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, the ...
,
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...
,
Bonnie Raitt,
Manu Chao
Manu Chao (; born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish singer. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek, and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his mu ...
,
The Roots,
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown.
In 2000, Adams lef ...
,
Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
,
Toots Hibbert
Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert, (8 December 1942 – 11 September 2020), better known as Toots Hibbert, was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist for the reggae and ska band Toots and the Maytals. A reggae pioneer, he perfor ...
,
Paul Douglas
Paul Howard Douglas (March 26, 1892 – September 24, 1976) was an American politician and Georgist economist. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois for eighteen years, from 1949 to 1967. During his Senat ...
, Jackie Jackson,
Ken Boothe
Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...
, and
The Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including " Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Buster and backed many othe ...
.
In August 2012, it was announced that Bunny Wailer would receive Jamaica's fifth highest honour, the
Order of Jamaica.
[Bonitto, Brian (2012)]
Tosh gets OM
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012
In 2016, he played a month-long 'Blackheart Man' tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his 1976 album.
[Campbell, Howard (2016)]
The shows go on for Wailer
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 17 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016
In October 2017, he was awarded the
Order of Merit by the Jamaican government, the nation's fourth-highest honour.
In October 2019, a commemorative
blue plaque dedicated by the
Nubian Jak Community Trust
Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT) is a commemorative plaque and sculpture scheme founded by Jak Beula that highlights the historic contributions of Black and minority ethnic people in Britain. The first NJCT heritage plaque, honouring Bob Marley, ...
honoring Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer was placed at the former site of
Basing Street Studios in London, where ''
Catch a Fire
''Catch a Fire'' is the fifth studio album by the reggae band The Wailers (aka Bob Marley and the Wailers), released in April 1973. It was their first album released by Island Records. After finishing a UK tour with Johnny Nash, they had sta ...
'' and ''
Burnin''' were completed.
In November 2019, Wailer received a Pinnacle Award in New York from the Coalition to Preserve Reggae.
Health and death
In October 2018, Wailer suffered a minor
stroke, resulting in speech problems. After suffering another stroke in July 2020, he was hospitalized at Andrews Memorial Hospital in
Kingston, Jamaica, where he eventually died on 2 March 2021 at the age of 73,
of complications from the stroke he suffered the previous year.
Solo discography
Albums
* ''
Blackheart Man
''Blackheart Man'' is the debut album by Bunny Wailer, originally released on 8 September 1976, in Jamaica on Solomonic Records and internationally on Island Records.
Overview
The songs on the album are regarded as the finest written by Bunny Wa ...
'' (1976)
Island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
/
Tuff Gong
Tuff Gong is the brand name associated with a number of businesses started by Bob Marley and Rita Marley#Children, the Marley family. 'Tuff Gong' comes from Marley's nickname, which was in turn an echo of that given to founder of the Rastafari ...
(2 extra albums with Blackheart Man: ''Dubd'sco vol.1'' (1976) Island/Tuff Gong and ''Blackheart Man (Remastered & Extended)'' (1976) Island/Tuff Gong)
* ''
Protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...
'' (1977) Solomonic
* ''Struggle'' (1978) Solomonic
* ''In I Father's House'' (1979) Solomonic
* ''Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers'' (1980) Solomonic
* ''Dubd'sco vol.2'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Rock 'n' Groove'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Tribute'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Hook Line & Sinker'' (1982) Solomonic
* ''Roots Radics Rockers Reggae'' (1983)
Shanachie (international re-release of ''In I Father's House'' + 2 extra tracks)
[
]
* ''Live!'' (1983) Solomonic
* ''Marketplace'' (1985) Solomonic
* ''Rootsman Skanking'' (1987) Shanachie (international re-release of ''Rock And Groove'' edited version plus 3 extra tracks)
* ''
Rule Dance Hall'' (1987) Shanachie
* ''
Liberation
Liberation or liberate may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War
* "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode
* "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode
Gaming
* '' Liberati ...
'' (1989) Shanachie
* ''
Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley'' (1990) Shanachie (international re-release of ''Tribute'' + 2 extra tracks)
[Bonitto, Brian (22 January 2014)]
Bunny Wailer Turns Up Treble
, '' Jamaica Observer''. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
* ''Gumption'' (1990) Shanachie
* ''The Never Ending Wailers'' (1991)
RAS
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
* ''Dance Massive'' (1992) Solomonic
* ''Just Be Nice'' (1993) RAS
* ''
Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary'' (1996) RAS
* ''Communication'' (2000) Solomonic
* ''World Peace'' (2003) Solomonic
* ''Bunny Wailer's Sound Clash'' (2006)
Charly Records
Charly Records is a British record label that specialises in reissued material.
Among the labels whose original releases are reissued by Charly are Vee-Jay, Sun, Immediate, BYG, Tomato, and Fania.
History
Charly Records was founded in Fra ...
* ''Rub A Dub'' (2007) Solomonic
* ''Cross Culture'' (2009) Solomonic
* ''Reincarnated Souls'' (2013), VP – 3CD + 2DVD set Solomonic
* ''Dub Fi Dub'' (2018) R.O.K./The Original Genesis
Compilations
* ''
Crucial! Roots Classics
''Crucial! Roots Classics'' is a compilation album by Bunny Wailer, released through RAS Records in 1994. The album collects many non-album singles from the early 1980s and also several tracks from the album 'Struggle', which has otherwise not appe ...
'' (1994) RAS
* ''
Retrospective'' (1995) Solomonic/Shanachie
* ''Dubd'sco Volumes 1 & 2'' (1998) RAS
* ''Bob Marley & The Wailers Vol 2: Bunny Wailer & Johnny Lover'' (2002) Saludos Amigos (with
Johnny Lover
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
)
* ''Winning Combinations: Bunny Wailer & Dennis Brown'' (2002) Universal Special Products (with
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...
)
* ''The Wailers Legacy'' (2006) Solomonic (Bunny Wailer & The Wailers)
* ''Tuff Gong/Island Singles 1: Tread Along: 1969–1976'' (2016) Dub Store Records/Tuff Gong/Island
[
* ''Solomonic Singles 2: Rise and Shine: 1977–1986'' (2016) Dub Store Records/Solomonic][
]
DVDs
* ''Live'' (2005) Video Music, Inc.[
]
Appearances on DVD compilations
* ''A Reggae Session'' (1988) Sony BMG, features "Roots, Radics, Rockers and Reggae" and "Rise and Shine"
Discography overview
* '' Roots Reggae Library''
References
External links
The Wailers News
*
*
*
Bunny_Wailer_[Discography,_Biography_&_Lyrics
@_www.MusicGonnaTeach.com.html" ;"title="iscography, Biography & Lyrics">Bunny Wailer [Discography, Biography & Lyrics
@ www.MusicGonnaTeach.com">iscography, Biography & Lyrics">Bunny Wailer [Discography, Biography & Lyrics
@ www.MusicGonnaTeach.com
Roots Archives - Artist : Bunny Wailer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wailer, Bunny
1947 births
2021 deaths
Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica
Jamaican reggae singers
Jamaican songwriters
20th-century Jamaican male singers
Roots Reggae Library
Grammy Award winners
Performers of Rastafarian music
Converts to the Rastafari movement
Jamaican Rastafarians
The Wailers members
Island Records artists
Members of the Order of Jamaica
Recipients of the Order of Merit (Jamaica)
21st-century Jamaican male singers