Wailer tended to sing lead vocals less often than Marley and Tosh in the early years, but when Marley left Jamaica in 1966 for Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
in the US, and was briefly replaced by Constantine "Vision" Walker, Wailer began to record and sing lead vocals on some of his own compositions, such as "Who Feels It Knows It", "I Stand Predominate", and "Sunday Morning".
Wailer's style of music was influenced by
gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...
and the soul singer
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...
.
In 1967, he recorded "This Train", based on a gospel standard, for the first time, at
Studio One.
Wailer was arrested on charges of possession of
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
in June 1967 and served a 14-month prison sentence.
[Singing the jailhouse rock](_blank)
, ''Jamaica Observer
The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...
'', Published 25 November 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2012 Around this time he, Bob Marley, and Peter Tosh signed an exclusive recording agreement with Danny Sim's
JAD Records and an exclusive publishing agreement with Sim's music publishing company Cayman Music.
As the Wailers regularly changed producers in the late 1960s, Wailer continued to contribute songs to the group's repertoire. The music critic
Kwame Dawes says that Wailer's song lyrics were carefully crafted and literary in style, and he remained a key part of the group's distinctive harmonies.
Wailer sang lead on such songs as "Dreamland"
(a cover of El Tempos' "My Dream Island",
which soon became his signature song) "Riding High", "Brainwashing",
and in the bridge of the Wailers' song, "Keep On Moving" (sung in the style of Curtis Mayfield of
the Impressions), produced by
Lee "Scratch" Perry
Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, songwriter and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development ...
.
In 1971, the Wailers recorded Bunny Wailer's song "Pass It On", which he said he wrote in 1962;
it was released as a
dubplate mix on JAD's "Original Cuts" compilation.
This version of the song features different lyrics and music in the verses to the later versions of "Pass It On" – Wailer would later reuse these in "Innocent Blood". By 1973, each of the three founding Wailers operated his own label, Marley with
Tuff Gong,
Tosh with H.I.M. Intel Diplo,
and Bunny Wailer with
Solomonic.
He sang lead vocals on "Reincarnated Souls", the B-side of the Wailers first
Island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
single of the new era, and on two tracks on the Wailers last trio LP, "''Burnin": "Pass it On" and "Hallelujah Time". By now he was recording singles in his own right, cutting "Searching For Love", "Life Line", "Trod On", "Arab Oil Weapon", and "Pass It On" (a new recording of the Wailers song) for his own label.
Bunny Wailer toured with the Wailers in England and the United States, but soon became reluctant to leave Jamaica. He and Tosh were more marginalised in the group as the Wailers attained international success, and attention was increasingly focused on Marley. Wailer subsequently left the Wailers in 1973 and adopted the name "Bunny"
in pursuit of a solo career after balking when
Chris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell OJ (born 22 June 1937) is a Jamaican-British former record producer and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll Hall ...
wanted the Wailers to tour
freak clubs in the United States, stating that it was against his
Rastafari
Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...
principles. Before leaving the Wailers, Wailer had become more focused on his spiritual faith. He identified with the Rastafari movement, as did the other Wailers. He also composed much of his own material as well as re-recording a number of cuts from the Wailers' catalogue. Wailer recorded primarily in the
roots
A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients.
Root or roots may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...
style, in keeping with his often political and spiritual messages; his album ''
Blackheart Man'' was well received.
According to the journalist Peter Mason, writing in the Guardian newspaper, Blackheart Man "is widely felt to be one of reggae's highest peaks".
Solo career

After leaving the Wailers, Wailer experimented with
disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
on his album ''Hook Line & Sinker'', while ''Sings the Wailers'' reworks many of The Wailers songs with the backing of Jamaican session musicians,
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separat ...
.
He also had success recording in the typically apolitical, more pop,
dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
style.
During this musical period, one of the highlights of Bunny Wailer's career was composing the hit single "Electric Boogie" in 1982 for
Marcia Griffiths. This song led to the dance craze "Electric Slide" in 1986, which gained popularity in Washington D.C. and other parts of the world. Bunny Wailer also recorded versions of the song for himself, although with less success compared to Griffiths' versions.
Wailer's music had dancehall and
rockers influences,
best exemplified by the album ''Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers'' on which he reinterpreted some of the Wailers material as a solo roots singer with roots reggae-based backing by Sly and Robbie. The album, produced by Bunny Wailer, was recorded at
Harry J Studio. Some of these tracks are reworked classic Wailers tracks such as "Dreamland", a cover of El Tempos' "My Dream Island" with slightly reworked lyrics that became Bunny's signature song. This was recorded in 1966 by
Clement Coxsone Dodd, and in 1972 with
Lee "Scratch" Perry
Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, songwriter and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development ...
; it was released as a 7" in 1971 with a
U-Roy
Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...
version on the B-side.
Another classic is "Dancing Shoes", first recorded in the mid-1960s as a driving ska/soul classic with Bunny Wailer on lead vocals.
Wailer won the
Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album three times; in 1991 for the album ''Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley'', in 1995 for ''Crucial! Roots Classics'', and in 1997 for ''Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary''. He was also featured on the album
''True Love'' by
Toots and the Maytals, which won the Grammy Award in 2004 for Best Reggae Album, and showcased many notable musicians including;
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
,
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
,
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
,
Trey Anastasio,
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani Shelton ( ; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer.
Stefani rose to fame as a member and lead vocalist of the band No Doubt, whose hit singles include " Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs", an ...
/
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band formed in Anaheim, California in 1986. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist and founding member Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young. Keyboar ...
,
Ben Harper,
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...
,
Manu Chao
Manu Chao (; born José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish musician. He sings in French language, French, Spanish language, Spanish, English language, English, Italian language, Italian, Arabic, Catalan language ...
,
The Roots
The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...
,
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American Rock music, rock and Country music, country singer-songwriter. He has released 30 studio albums and three as a former member of Whiskeytown.
In 2000, Adams left Whiskeytown and released ...
,
Keith Richards
Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...
,
Toots Hibbert,
Paul Douglas, Jackie Jackson,
Ken Boothe
Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...
, and
The Skatalites
The Skatalites are a ska band from Jamaica. They played initially between 1963 and 1965, and recorded many of their best known songs in the period, including "Guns of Navarone (song), Guns of Navarone." They also played on records by Prince Bus ...
. Wailer's catalogue is now under the curation of his agent
Simon Vumbaca.
However, in 1991, Bunny Wailer faced one of the lowest points in his career at the annual Sting event in Portmore, when he was driven off stage by a shower of bottles thrown by the audience. This incident, not uncommon at dancehall events, highlighted the tension between Wailer's traditional style and the emerging trends popularized by artists such as Ninjaman and Shabba Ranks.
In August 2012, it was announced that Bunny Wailer would receive Jamaica's fifth highest honour, the
Order of Jamaica
The Order of Jamaica is the fifth of the six orders in the Jamaican honours system. The Order was established in 1969, and it is considered the equivalent of a knighthood in the British honours system.
Membership in the Order can be conferred upon ...
.
[Bonitto, Brian (2012)]
Tosh gets OM
, ''Jamaica Observer
The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...
'', 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012
In 2016, he played a month-long 'Blackheart Man' tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his 1976 album.
[Campbell, Howard (2016)]
The shows go on for Wailer
", ''Jamaica Observer
The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...
'', 17 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016
In October 2017, he was awarded the
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...
by the Jamaican government, the nation's fourth-highest honour.
In October 2019, a commemorative
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom, and certain other countries and territories, to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving a ...
dedicated by the
Nubian Jak Community Trust honoring Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer was placed at the former site of
Basing Street Studios
Basing Street Studios was a recording studio in a former 17th century chapel at 8–10 Basing Street, in Notting Hill, London, England. Originally established in 1969 as Island Studios by Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, the studi ...
in London, where ''
Catch a Fire'' and ''
Burnin''' were completed.
In November 2019, Wailer received a Pinnacle Award in New York from the Coalition to Preserve Reggae.
Health and death
In October 2018, Wailer suffered a minor
stroke
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
, resulting in speech problems. After suffering another stroke in July 2020, he was hospitalized at Andrews Memorial Hospital in
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...
, where he eventually died on 2 March 2021 at the age of 73,
of complications from the stroke he suffered the previous year.
Solo discography
Albums
* ''
Blackheart Man'' (1976)
Island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
/
Tuff Gong (2 extra albums with Blackheart Man: ''Dubd'sco vol.1'' (1976) Island/Tuff Gong and ''Blackheart Man (Remastered & Extended)'' (1976) Island/Tuff Gong)
* ''
Protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
'' (1977) Solomonic
* ''Struggle'' (1978) Solomonic
* ''In I Father's House'' (1979) Solomonic
* ''Bunny Wailer Sings the Wailers'' (1980) Solomonic
* ''Dubd'sco vol.2'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Rock 'n' Groove'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Tribute'' (1981) Solomonic
* ''Hook Line & Sinker'' (1982) Solomonic
* ''Roots Radics Rockers Reggae'' (1983)
Shanachie (international re-release of ''In I Father's House'' + 2 extra tracks)
[
]
* ''Live!'' (1983) Solomonic
* ''Marketplace'' (1985) Solomonic
* ''Rootsman Skanking'' (1987) Shanachie (international re-release of ''Rock And Groove'' edited version plus 3 extra tracks)
* ''
Rule Dance Hall'' (1987) Shanachie
* ''
Liberation'' (1989) Shanachie
* ''
Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley'' (1990) Shanachie (international re-release of ''Tribute'' + 2 extra tracks)
[Bonitto, Brian (22 January 2014)]
Bunny Wailer Turns Up Treble
, ''Jamaica Observer
The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...
''. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
* ''
Gumption'' (1990) Shanachie
* ''The Never Ending Wailers'' (1991)
RAS
* ''Dance Massive'' (1992) Solomonic
* ''Just Be Nice'' (1993) RAS
* ''
Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley's 50th Anniversary'' (1996) RAS
* ''Communication'' (2000) Solomonic
* ''World Peace'' (2003) Solomonic
* ''Bunny Wailer's Sound Clash'' (2006)
Charly Records
* ''Rub A Dub'' (2007) Solomonic
* ''Cross Culture'' (2009) Solomonic
* ''Reincarnated Souls'' (2013), VP – 3CD + 2DVD set Solomonic
* ''Dub Fi Dub'' (2018) R.O.K./The Original Genesis
Compilations
* ''
Crucial! Roots Classics'' (1994) RAS
* ''
Retrospective
A retrospective (from Latin ', "look back"), generally, is a look back at events that took place, or works that were produced, in the past. As a noun, ''retrospective'' has specific meanings in software development, popular culture, and the arts. ...
'' (1995) Solomonic/Shanachie
* ''Dubd'sco Volumes 1 & 2'' (1998) RAS
* ''Bob Marley & The Wailers Vol 2: Bunny Wailer & Johnny Lover'' (2002) Saludos Amigos (with
Johnny Lover)
* ''Winning Combinations: Bunny Wailer & Dennis Brown'' (2002) Universal Special Products (with
Dennis Brown)
* ''The Wailers Legacy'' (2006) Solomonic (Bunny Wailer & The Wailers)
* ''Tuff Gong/Island Singles 1: Tread Along: 1969–1976'' (2016) Dub Store Records/Tuff Gong/Island
[
* ''Solomonic Singles 2: Rise and Shine: 1977–1986'' (2016) Dub Store Records/Solomonic][
]
DVDs
* ''Live'' (2005) Video Music, Inc.[
]
Appearances on DVD compilations
* ''A Reggae Session'' (1988) Sony BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
, features "Roots, Radics, Rockers and Reggae" and "Rise and Shine"
Discography overview
* '' Roots Reggae Library''
References
External links
The Wailers News
*
*
*
Bunny Wailer [Discography, Biography & Lyrics] @ www.MusicGonnaTeach.com
Roots Archives - Artist : Bunny Wailer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wailer, Bunny
1947 births
2021 deaths
Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica
Jamaican reggae singers
Jamaican male songwriters
20th-century Jamaican male singers
Roots Reggae Library
Grammy Award winners
Performers of Rastafarian music
Converts to the Rastafari movement
Jamaican Rastafarians
The Wailers members
Island Records artists
Members of the Order of Jamaica
Recipients of the Order of Merit (Jamaica)
21st-century Jamaican male singers