REST IN POWER
Jamaica's Bunny Wailer, reggae luminary and last Wailers member, dies at 73
Issued on: 02/03/2021
Reggae great Bunny Wailer dead at 73Jamaica's Bunny Wailer, reggae luminary and last Wailers member, dies at 73
Issued on: 02/03/2021
Bunny Wailer performs at the One Love concert to celebrate the late Bob Marley's 60th birthday, in Kingston, Jamaica, on February 6, 2005. © Collin Reid, AP/File
Bunny Wailer, a reggae luminary who was the last surviving member of the legendary group The Wailers, died on Tuesday in his native Jamaica, according to his manager. He was 73.
Wailer, a baritone singer whose birth name is Neville Livingston, formed The Wailers in 1963 with late superstars Bob Marley and Peter Tosh when they lived in a slum in the capital of Kingston. They catapulted to international fame with the album, “Catch a Fire.” The Wailers and other Rasta musicians popularized Rastafarian culture among better-off Jamaicans starting in the 1970s.
Wailer’s death was mourned worldwide as people shared pictures, music and memories of the renown artist.
“The passing of Bunny Wailer, the last of the original Wailers, brings to a close the most vibrant period of Jamaica’s musical experience,” wrote Jamaica politician Peter Phillips in a Facebook post. “Bunny was a good, conscious Jamaican brethren.”
(1/5) My deep condolences to the family, friends and fans of legendary Reggae artiste, Neville Livingston, also known as Bunny Wailer, JahB. pic.twitter.com/gPiMZOPEt0— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) March 2, 2021
Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, also paid tribute to Wailer, calling him “a respected elder statesman of the Jamaican music scene,” in a series of tweets.
“This is a great loss for Jamaica and for Reggae, undoubtedly Bunny Wailer will always be remembered for his sterling contribution to the music industry and Jamaica’s culture,” he wrote.
While Wailer toured the world, he was more at home in Jamaica's mountains and he enjoyed farming while writing and recording songs on his label, Solomonic.
″I think I love the country actually a little bit more than the city,″ Wailer told The Associated Press in 1989. ″It has more to do with life, health and strength. The city takes that away sometimes. The country is good for meditation. It has fresh food and fresh atmosphere - that keeps you going.″
RIP Bunny Wailer (right), one third of a group, the original Wailers, as great as any that have ever graced this Earth. pic.twitter.com/df9vVRo92z— Danny Kelly (@dannykellywords) March 2, 2021
A year before, in 1988, he had chartered a jet and flew to Jamaica with food to help those affected by Hurricane Gilbert.
″Sometimes people pay less attention to those things (food), but they turn out to be the most important things. I am a farmer,″ he told the AP.
The three-time Grammy winner died at the Andrews Memorial Hospital in the Jamaican parish of St Andrew, his manager, Maxine Stowe, told reporters. His cause of death was not immediately clear. Local newspapers had reported he was in and out of the hospital after a stroke nearly a year ago.
(AP)
Bunny Wailer, a reggae luminary who was the last surviving member of the legendary group The Wailers, died on Tuesday in his native Jamaica, according to his manager. He was 73.
Wailer, a baritone singer whose birth name is Neville Livingston, formed The Wailers in 1963 with late superstars Bob Marley and Peter Tosh when they lived in a slum in the capital of Kingston. They catapulted to international fame with the album, “Catch a Fire.” The Wailers and other Rasta musicians popularized Rastafarian culture among better-off Jamaicans starting in the 1970s.
Wailer’s death was mourned worldwide as people shared pictures, music and memories of the renown artist.
“The passing of Bunny Wailer, the last of the original Wailers, brings to a close the most vibrant period of Jamaica’s musical experience,” wrote Jamaica politician Peter Phillips in a Facebook post. “Bunny was a good, conscious Jamaican brethren.”
(1/5) My deep condolences to the family, friends and fans of legendary Reggae artiste, Neville Livingston, also known as Bunny Wailer, JahB. pic.twitter.com/gPiMZOPEt0— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) March 2, 2021
Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, also paid tribute to Wailer, calling him “a respected elder statesman of the Jamaican music scene,” in a series of tweets.
“This is a great loss for Jamaica and for Reggae, undoubtedly Bunny Wailer will always be remembered for his sterling contribution to the music industry and Jamaica’s culture,” he wrote.
While Wailer toured the world, he was more at home in Jamaica's mountains and he enjoyed farming while writing and recording songs on his label, Solomonic.
″I think I love the country actually a little bit more than the city,″ Wailer told The Associated Press in 1989. ″It has more to do with life, health and strength. The city takes that away sometimes. The country is good for meditation. It has fresh food and fresh atmosphere - that keeps you going.″
RIP Bunny Wailer (right), one third of a group, the original Wailers, as great as any that have ever graced this Earth. pic.twitter.com/df9vVRo92z— Danny Kelly (@dannykellywords) March 2, 2021
A year before, in 1988, he had chartered a jet and flew to Jamaica with food to help those affected by Hurricane Gilbert.
″Sometimes people pay less attention to those things (food), but they turn out to be the most important things. I am a farmer,″ he told the AP.
The three-time Grammy winner died at the Andrews Memorial Hospital in the Jamaican parish of St Andrew, his manager, Maxine Stowe, told reporters. His cause of death was not immediately clear. Local newspapers had reported he was in and out of the hospital after a stroke nearly a year ago.
(AP)
Kingston, Jamaica's capital city, and where reggae great Bunny Wailer passed away on March 2, 2021 ALESSANDRO ABBONIZIO AFP/File
Kingston (Jamaica) (AFP)
Reggae legend Bunny Wailer, who co-founded The Wailers with Bob Marley in the 1960s, died Tuesday in Kingston at the age of 73, the Jamaican government said.
No cause of death was given but the culture ministry said Wailer -- his real name was Neville Livingstone -- had been hospitalized since December.
Wailer was the last surviving original member of the Wailers after Marley died of cancer in 1981, and Peter Tosh was murdered in 1987
Wailer, who was a childhood friend of Marley, won three Grammys over the course of his career and in 2017 he was awarded Jamaica's Order of Merit -- the country's fourth highest honor.
"We remain grateful for the role that Bunny Wailer played in the development and popularity of Reggae music across the world," Culture Minister Olivia Grange said in a statement.
"We remember with great pride how Bunny, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, took Reggae music to the four corners of the earth," she added.
Marley and Tosh acted as The Wailers’ primary singers and songwriters but Livingstone played a key role in providing harmonies to the trio's songs, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
"The Wailers are responsible for the Wailers sound. Bob, Peter, and myself: We are totally responsible for the Wailers sound, and what the Wailers brought to the world, and left as a legacy," Wailer told Afropop in 2016.
The band's debut album on a major label, "Catch a Fire," released in 1973, helped propel the group to international fame.
At one point that record was ranked 126th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list.
The band's biggest hits include "Simmer Down" and "One Love."
After leaving the band in 1974, Wailer went on to enjoy a prolific solo career as a writer, producer and singer of what is perhaps Jamaica's best known export.
He drew much praise for his album "Blackheart Man," which included the song "Burning Down Sentence," which drew on Wailer's experience doing a one-year prison sentence for marijuana possession.
"The tracks that were done in 'Blackheart Man' were very symbolic and significant to this whole development of reggae music," Wailer told Reggaeville in 2017.
"I really consider 'Blackheart Man' to be one of those albums that the universal reggae world should be focused on," Wailer said.
Wailer won the Grammy for best Reggae album three times in the 1990s.
Tributes to Wailer poured in Tuesday.
"In my view, Bunny Wailer was a more potent musician than even Bob Marley," said Karyl Walker, a veteran Jamaican entertainment journalist. "He played instruments, more than one, and he wrote very good songs."
Walker noted that the wildly popular line dance song "Electric Boogie" from 1983 was written by Wailer.
"Now all the Wailers are dead and it is incumbent on the younger Jamaican entertainers to raise the bar and carry on this rich legacy," Walker told AFP.
"We have lost an icon," added Herbie Harris, a keyboard player and vocalist who now leads The ATF band.
© 2021 AFP
Kingston (Jamaica) (AFP)
Reggae legend Bunny Wailer, who co-founded The Wailers with Bob Marley in the 1960s, died Tuesday in Kingston at the age of 73, the Jamaican government said.
No cause of death was given but the culture ministry said Wailer -- his real name was Neville Livingstone -- had been hospitalized since December.
Wailer was the last surviving original member of the Wailers after Marley died of cancer in 1981, and Peter Tosh was murdered in 1987
Wailer, who was a childhood friend of Marley, won three Grammys over the course of his career and in 2017 he was awarded Jamaica's Order of Merit -- the country's fourth highest honor.
"We remain grateful for the role that Bunny Wailer played in the development and popularity of Reggae music across the world," Culture Minister Olivia Grange said in a statement.
"We remember with great pride how Bunny, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, took Reggae music to the four corners of the earth," she added.
Marley and Tosh acted as The Wailers’ primary singers and songwriters but Livingstone played a key role in providing harmonies to the trio's songs, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
"The Wailers are responsible for the Wailers sound. Bob, Peter, and myself: We are totally responsible for the Wailers sound, and what the Wailers brought to the world, and left as a legacy," Wailer told Afropop in 2016.
The band's debut album on a major label, "Catch a Fire," released in 1973, helped propel the group to international fame.
At one point that record was ranked 126th on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums list.
The band's biggest hits include "Simmer Down" and "One Love."
After leaving the band in 1974, Wailer went on to enjoy a prolific solo career as a writer, producer and singer of what is perhaps Jamaica's best known export.
He drew much praise for his album "Blackheart Man," which included the song "Burning Down Sentence," which drew on Wailer's experience doing a one-year prison sentence for marijuana possession.
"The tracks that were done in 'Blackheart Man' were very symbolic and significant to this whole development of reggae music," Wailer told Reggaeville in 2017.
"I really consider 'Blackheart Man' to be one of those albums that the universal reggae world should be focused on," Wailer said.
Wailer won the Grammy for best Reggae album three times in the 1990s.
Tributes to Wailer poured in Tuesday.
"In my view, Bunny Wailer was a more potent musician than even Bob Marley," said Karyl Walker, a veteran Jamaican entertainment journalist. "He played instruments, more than one, and he wrote very good songs."
Walker noted that the wildly popular line dance song "Electric Boogie" from 1983 was written by Wailer.
"Now all the Wailers are dead and it is incumbent on the younger Jamaican entertainers to raise the bar and carry on this rich legacy," Walker told AFP.
"We have lost an icon," added Herbie Harris, a keyboard player and vocalist who now leads The ATF band.
© 2021 AFP
No comments:
Post a Comment