Legendary reggae band The Wailers will return to the UK in March 2017 with a headline tour and a new line up steered by founder Aston Familyman Barrett and joined by original Wailers’ band members Junior Marvin and Donald Kinsey.
We caught up with lead vocalist Josh David Barrett ahead of their show in Birmingham next month.
You’ve been the lead singer in The Wailers since 2015. Can you tell us how that came about?
I have a band at home, from Brooklyn, called Judah Tribe, and we opened for The Wailers in 2014. It was at that time that I met Aston Junior, and I’ve known Family Man for almost 12 years - I’m a distant cousin. Aston Junior and I kept the link until the time an opportunity came. On Rastafari Day, September the 27th, we started collaborating, and then in 2015 I officially joined the band and started working.
Were you nervous before your first show as front man? They’re pretty big boots to fill!
I would say nervous in the sense of hoping to execute the message in the words; its continuation, but with respect to the Gong and the great legacy that he left. I can only hope to do it justice and bring honour and respect to such a great legacy.
Regardless of musical preference, everyone has a Bob Marley song - if not many - that they enjoy. Why is his music so popular?
I think the relevance of the message is what keeps it strong. Many of my generation know of Bob Marley And The Wailers through their sons and daughters, keeping their father’s legacy alive - and the children of The Wailers as well. There’s still a whole generation out there who don’t know Bob Marley And The Wailers. We’re in an interesting position, given the groundwork and the past that was laid by them. We are now introducing this music and message to a whole new generation - it’s a big responsibility!
The new line-up features founder Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett and original band members Junior Marvin and Donald Kinsey. It must be great having those original members back on board...
Ah yes! For me, it’s an honour because they’re living the story, and their creative minds still add work. For me, it’s like being in school, always. It’s like Motown for The Jackson 5 or Studio 1 for early Wailers. I’m blessed to be a part of that generation and to sit in that school, so that we can pass it on to the next generation and keep the thing going.
Can you name a show that’s been particularly memorable?
Let’s see. Wow. It’s hard because I carry something from every night, and I think about the people who I meet every night - so for me, it’s all one long gig. I can honestly say it’s all a highlight. I could tell you a story from every night.
How old were you when you found your passion for music? Is it something you’ve had from a young age?
Oh yes, I was born with it. Nature plus nurture, you know. My mother used to sing a song when I was a baby - Some Day We’ll All Be Free. For years I was looking for this song and I couldn’t find it. It was my own song that was given to me when I arrived on earth. With that and my upbringing, with my family going to church, and in the community, there was always music and musicians and jazz music and gospel and hip-hop and all those things. I was blessed to be born and raised in a time when live music was being played. You still had garage bands, and growing up in New Jersey, there was a great school of musicians coming out of there that I was blessed to be around.
You believe in and embrace the Rastafari lifestyle. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
We follow and believe in the divinity of the Emperor Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia, who was transfigured and crowned on the 2nd of November 1930, along with his Empress, Menen. It was the first time in Ethiopian history that an emperor and empress were crowned. This was a great time for those who were followers of the holy scriptures. I think his place in history should be acknowledged. We all come from Ethiopia, so we use our emperor and empress as our example.
And a trip to Tunisia cemented that…?
I went, yes. It was my first time in Africa. That was about three years ago. It was interesting because I met Rastafarians there and they solidified my beliefs. There were certain things that I already knew, but being there and hearing them say the same things, the truth could not be hidden. The truth can’t be concealed - eventually it will come to light. The light is that we are all one. Irrespective of your religion and background, we are all from one earth, spinning around the sun, in a large galaxy. That one universal law which is to love God, your creator, love yourself and love your neighbour. It’s a humanitarian thing that I’ve witnessed and seen. Every day it opens my mind more to how we really are.
And did you ever meet Bob Marley?
Not in the flesh, but definitely in spirit. I was born just a month before the Gong transitioned. I’m fairly young in the game!
And finally, The Wailers will be performing Legend in its entirety at Birmingham’s O2 Academy next month. For people who are yet to see you perform live, can you tell us a little bit about what to expect…?
Of course. It’s really about bringing the message, the roots, the rock, the reggae to the world and carrying the banner. The Wailers are his Majesty’s messengers, and we’re glad to bring this message to the people. We have new music too - the legend lives on. Those who are supporters, those who love truth, those who love justice, keep following The Wailers coming up on the rise.
The Wailers play O2 Academy on Wednesday 15 March.
Interview by Lauren Foster
Legendary reggae band The Wailers will return to the UK in March 2017 with a headline tour and a new line up steered by founder Aston Familyman Barrett and joined by original Wailers’ band members Junior Marvin and Donald Kinsey.
We caught up with lead vocalist Josh David Barrett ahead of their show in Birmingham next month.
You’ve been the lead singer in The Wailers since 2015. Can you tell us how that came about?
I have a band at home, from Brooklyn, called Judah Tribe, and we opened for The Wailers in 2014. It was at that time that I met Aston Junior, and I’ve known Family Man for almost 12 years - I’m a distant cousin. Aston Junior and I kept the link until the time an opportunity came. On Rastafari Day, September the 27th, we started collaborating, and then in 2015 I officially joined the band and started working.
Were you nervous before your first show as front man? They’re pretty big boots to fill!
I would say nervous in the sense of hoping to execute the message in the words; its continuation, but with respect to the Gong and the great legacy that he left. I can only hope to do it justice and bring honour and respect to such a great legacy.
Regardless of musical preference, everyone has a Bob Marley song - if not many - that they enjoy. Why is his music so popular?
I think the relevance of the message is what keeps it strong. Many of my generation know of Bob Marley And The Wailers through their sons and daughters, keeping their father’s legacy alive - and the children of The Wailers as well. There’s still a whole generation out there who don’t know Bob Marley And The Wailers. We’re in an interesting position, given the groundwork and the past that was laid by them. We are now introducing this music and message to a whole new generation - it’s a big responsibility!
The new line-up features founder Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett and original band members Junior Marvin and Donald Kinsey. It must be great having those original members back on board...
Ah yes! For me, it’s an honour because they’re living the story, and their creative minds still add work. For me, it’s like being in school, always. It’s like Motown for The Jackson 5 or Studio 1 for early Wailers. I’m blessed to be a part of that generation and to sit in that school, so that we can pass it on to the next generation and keep the thing going.
Can you name a show that’s been particularly memorable?
Let’s see. Wow. It’s hard because I carry something from every night, and I think about the people who I meet every night - so for me, it’s all one long gig. I can honestly say it’s all a highlight. I could tell you a story from every night.
How old were you when you found your passion for music? Is it something you’ve had from a young age?
Oh yes, I was born with it. Nature plus nurture, you know. My mother used to sing a song when I was a baby - Some Day We’ll All Be Free. For years I was looking for this song and I couldn’t find it. It was my own song that was given to me when I arrived on earth. With that and my upbringing, with my family going to church, and in the community, there was always music and musicians and jazz music and gospel and hip-hop and all those things. I was blessed to be born and raised in a time when live music was being played. You still had garage bands, and growing up in New Jersey, there was a great school of musicians coming out of there that I was blessed to be around.
You believe in and embrace the Rastafari lifestyle. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
We follow and believe in the divinity of the Emperor Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia, who was transfigured and crowned on the 2nd of November 1930, along with his Empress, Menen. It was the first time in Ethiopian history that an emperor and empress were crowned. This was a great time for those who were followers of the holy scriptures. I think his place in history should be acknowledged. We all come from Ethiopia, so we use our emperor and empress as our example.
And a trip to Tunisia cemented that…?
I went, yes. It was my first time in Africa. That was about three years ago. It was interesting because I met Rastafarians there and they solidified my beliefs. There were certain things that I already knew, but being there and hearing them say the same things, the truth could not be hidden. The truth can’t be concealed - eventually it will come to light. The light is that we are all one. Irrespective of your religion and background, we are all from one earth, spinning around the sun, in a large galaxy. That one universal law which is to love God, your creator, love yourself and love your neighbour. It’s a humanitarian thing that I’ve witnessed and seen. Every day it opens my mind more to how we really are.
And did you ever meet Bob Marley?
Not in the flesh, but definitely in spirit. I was born just a month before the Gong transitioned. I’m fairly young in the game!
And finally, The Wailers will be performing Legend in its entirety at Birmingham’s O2 Academy next month. For people who are yet to see you perform live, can you tell us a little bit about what to expect…?
Of course. It’s really about bringing the message, the roots, the rock, the reggae to the world and carrying the banner. The Wailers are his Majesty’s messengers, and we’re glad to bring this message to the people. We have new music too - the legend lives on. Those who are supporters, those who love truth, those who love justice, keep following The Wailers coming up on the rise.
The Wailers play O2 Academy on Wednesday 15 March.