EARLY YEARS*THE WAILERS*SOLO CAREER*LEGACY
Winston Hubert McIntosh was born in Westmoreland, a rural parish in Jamaica, in 1944. When he was 16 years old, he relocated to Trench Town, an infamous slum that got its name from the "trenches" that were used to drain the sewage from Kingston. His mother had a significant impact on him and could be seen in both his lyrics and opinions; she was especially worried that he had a Christian education. He regularly went to church, and his involvement in the choir and organ lessons there served as a kind of musical apprenticeship that helped him prepare for his future profession.
Peter turned to popular music for solace from the hardships of destitution, particularly the R&B and doo-wop broadcast to the Caribbean by stations in Florida and Louisiana. He started performing with fellow Trenchtown roughnecks Bob Marley and Neville "Bunny" Livingston in the early 1960s after improving his guitar playing and expressive baritone vocals. Because he had never known his father, he came to think of the group as his first real family and his bandmates as his brothers. The Wailers, who had a #1 hit in 1964 with the ska jam "Simmer Down," were born from this junction at the very beginning. A growing fascination with world rhythms and the teachings of the Rastafarian faith further stoked the band's affinity for American soul and gospel.
The Wailers introduced a new musical style as the 1960s came to an end and global political awareness increased. This new style was slower than ska and rock steady and combined thick grooves with more socially conscious lyrics. (strongly informed by the tenets of Rastafari). Reggae as we know it today was created.
The Wailers' core member and most skilled musician, Tosh served as the group's backbone and heartbeat. He remained a constant in the group despite the arrival and departure of his musical contemporaries. Meanwhile, his tireless work on the guitar, keyboards, percussion, and other instruments laid the groundwork for the Wailers' sound and basically defined reggae music. He was also a gifted and prolific composer, with a militant viewpoint that contrasted sharply with Marley's more comforting perspective.
This was demonstrated in his solo work, particularly in the rousing renditions of Joe Higgs' "Steppin Razor," Joe Higgs' "Legalize It," the ganja manifesto "Legalize It," and the deliberate plaint "Equal Rights." Along with Bush Doctor, The Toughest, and other nicknames, the latter was also one of Tosh's, and it was a very appropriate one given his savage wit, razor-sharp intelligence, and cool guitar playing. In the latter song, Tosh declared, "I'm dangerous," and as everyone from neighborhood toughs to law enforcement officials would come to realize, he wasn't joking.
In 1976, Tosh started recording and the CBS Records label helped him release his debut solo album, Legalize It.
In addition to being a crowd favorite at Tosh's concerts, the album's title track quickly gained popularity among supporters of marijuana legalization, reggae music fans, and Rastafari all over the globe. Equal Rights, his second record, came out in 1977.
For the following few years, Tosh established a support group called Word, Sound and Power, many of whom appeared on his albums from this time period. When the album Bush Doctor was released in 1978, the Rolling Stones Records record label signed a deal with Tosh, introducing him to a wider public. The lead track from the album, a cover of The Temptations' "Don't Look Back," was a duet between Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, the frontman of the Rolling Stones.
The albums Mystic Man (1979) and Wanted Dread and Alive (1981), both on Rolling Stones Records, came next. In comparison to Marley's accomplishments, Tosh attempted to achieve some mainstream success while upholding his militant views, but he was generally unsuccessful. Tosh made an appearance in the Rolling Stones' film for "Waiting on a Friend" that same year.
After the 1983 album Mama Africa was released, Tosh went into self-imposed exile in 1984, seeking the spiritual counsel of local medicine men in Africa and attempting to break free from recording contracts that saw to the distribution of his albums in South Africa.
By attending anti-apartheid rallies and sharing his opinions in songs like "Apartheid" (1977, re-recorded in 1987), "Equal Rights" (1977), "Fight On" (1979), and "Not Gonna Give It Up," Tosh also contributed to the global opposition to South African apartheid. (1983). In 1991, the documentary Stepping Razor - Red X, directed by Nicholas Campbell, produced by Wayne Jobson, and based on a number of spoken-word recordings of Tosh himself, was published. It told the tale of the musician's life, career, and untimely demise. Peter Tosh appeared to be experiencing a professional revival in 1987. For his final album, No Nuclear War, he received a Grammy Award in 1987 for Best Reggae Performance.
His music proclaimed freedom and the fight against injustice, and by carrying a guitar in the form of an M16 rifle, he highlighted the relationship between music and revolt. Authorities in Jamaica harassed, assaulted, and imprisoned Tosh, but he never wavered or softened his stance. But he frequently used humor to convey these ideas, and he was equally capable of expressing lighthearted surprise as well as loud outrage. He was an accomplished unicyclist, and he frequently pedaled onstage to the pleasure of his audiences. Tosh is well known for being a ladies' man because of his charming personality, which is particularly endearing to women.
He diligently advocated for a number of causes, including the dangers of nuclear weapons and the injustice of apartheid (he was the first well-known songwriter to do so). He believed that music was an essential tool in all of these battles, and to that end, he organized a "Rasta Reggae Radio" station in Jamaica to both comfort the oppressed and afflict the comfortable. He also performed at numerous benefit concerts, such as the Youth Consciousness performances in Jamaica, which were intended to inspire young Jamaicans to resist violence and pursue political enfranchisement. He also participated in the legendary "No Nukes" concerts put on by MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy) in 1979, which later yielded a successful record and movie. Other megastars he performed with included Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, the Doobie Brothers, and Bonnie Raitt. The performances, according to Rolling Stone, were "a stunning testament to the depth of the shared beliefs of the generation that came of age in the 1960s."
But Tosh's idea went beyond just altering the law and limiting the number of weapons. He declares in "African" that "Don't care where you come from/As long as you're a black man, you're an African," offering a stirring testimony to our common heritage. The song's fervent call for black people to honor their shared ancestry rather than pay attention to the shades of their "plection" continues to have a profound impact. He co-wrote the song "Get Up, Stand Up," which became the motto of Amnesty International.
With his smash duet with Mick Jagger and classic-soul version of "Walk, Don't Look Back," Tosh topped the charts all over the world. He also received a posthumous Grammy Award in 1987 for "No Nuclear War" for Best Reggae Performance just months after he was murdered in a controversial home-invasion robbery. But though his life was snuffed out by violence, his star has shone ever brighter in the ensuing years.
On an audiotape discovered after his death, Tosh's voice could be heard saying, "Truth has been labeled outlaw and illegal." "Being in possession of the truth puts you in peril. If proven guilty, you could receive the death penalty.
The example set by Peter Tosh as an artist and a campaigner continues to motivate artists and idealists everywhere. He was and continues to be a genuine leader whose music and message motivates people on all seven continents.
Post a Comment