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For more than two decades, Aston "Family Man" barrett, bass player and Wailers
bandleader, has been seeking a proper accounting and payment of royalties for
the recordings and composing contributions made by him and his late brother,
Wailers' drummer Carlton, to Bob Marley's multi-platinum catalog. In a lawsuit
asking for £60 million -- more than $100 million -- Fams asked several old
friends to come to his defense, and I was one who heeded the call. My witness
statement was challenged by the Marley estate's lawyers, thus insuring me a
ringside seat at reggae's trial of the century...
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An eclectic collection of Marley reminders, products, statues and art are presented
by Roger Steffens.
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I was invited by the Rita Marley Foundation to speak at the symbosium for the
Africa Unite 2006 celebration in Ghana, West Africa, on the occasion of Bob's
61st birthday, which had as its main goal to help raise awareness around pan-
African and Rastafarian aims. Upon receiving this invitation, I immediately
found luck when suggesting to Berklee College of Music that the school offer
scholarships to some local Ghanaian musicians. Thus, added to my duties was
to hold auditions for four young musicians to attend Berklee's five-week
summer program this year...
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Mento was everywhere in Jamaica, live and recorded, in the country and the city,
uptown and downtown, at work, at funerals and in the dancehall. As musicians,
it is no surprise that mento impacted the Wailers.
One aspect of Bob Marley and the Wailers story that has never been fully explored
is the influence of mento that threads through the group's music and history. More
than a dozen songs from the Wailers catalog borrowed a line from, were based on,
or are versions of Jamaican folk/mento songs. Some of the musicians who helped
create the Wailers' history and define their sound came to Bob, Bunny and Peter by
way of mento...
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