Formed in Kingston in 1963, The Wailers went from a ska vocal group to a worldwide reggae sensation under Bob Marley’s leadership in the mid-70s. Besides Marley, the group was also a starting ground for other renowned reggae artists such as Peter McIntosh and Bunny Livingston, aka Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. Completed by the rhythm section of Aston “Family Man” Barrett (bass) and Carlton “Carly” Barrett (drums), the trio of Marley, McIntosh, and Livingston recorded a highly-successful string of albums, including their official debut The Wailing Wailers (1965), Soul Rebels (1970), and Soul Revolution (1971) before signing with Island Records in the early 70s. Their first two LPs for the label, Catch a Fire and Burnin’, saw the light in 1973 to great critical acclaim. Following McIntosh and Livingston’s departure, the band gained international fame as Bob Marley's backing band, releasing the albums Live! (1975), Rastaman Vibration (1976), Exodus (1977), Kaya (1978), and Survival (1979), the last one before Marley’s passing in 1981. The band carried on with the release of the posthumous Confrontation (1983) and a compilation entitled Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers (1984) while touring under the name The Wailers Band. Despite “Carly” Barrett’s death in 1987, the band soldiered on with the LPs I.D. (1989), Majestic Warriors (1991) and Jah Message (1994) before splitting up into two different groups: The Wailers Band, spearheaded by bassist Aston Barrett, and The Original Wailers, led by guitarist Al Anderson and singer Junior Marvin, who released the EP Miracle in 2012.
