Neville O'Riley Livingston (10 April 1947 – 2 March 2021), known professionally as Bunny Wailer, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

. He was an original member of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

group The Wailers along with

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

and Peter Tosh. A three-time

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

winner, he is considered one of the longtime standard-bearers of reggae music. He was also known as Jah B, Bunny O'Riley, and Bunny Livingston.

Early life and family

Wailer was born Neville O'Riley Livingston on 10 April 1947 in Kingston. He spent his earliest years in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish. It was there that he first met

, and the two young boys befriended each other quickly. The boys both came from single-parent families; Livingston was brought up by his father, Marley by his mother. Later, Wailer's father Thaddeus "Thaddy Shut" Livingston lived with Marley's mother Cedella Booker in Trenchtown and had a daughter with her named Pearl Livingston. Peter Tosh had a son, Andrew Tosh, with Wailer's sister Shirley, making Andrew his nephew.

The Wailers

Wailer had originally gone to audition for Leslie Kong at Beverley's Records in 1962, around the same time his step-brother Bob Marley was cutting "Judge Not". Wailer had intended to sing his first composition, "Pass It On", which at the time was more ska-oriented. However, Wailer was late getting out of school and missed his audition. A few months later, in 1963, he formed "The Wailing Wailers" with Marley and friend Peter Tosh, and the short-term members Junior Braithwaite and Beverley Kelso. 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 and the soul singer Curtis Mayfield. 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
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 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. 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. 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; it was released as a 7" in 1971 with a U-Roy 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 / No Doubt, Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt, Manu Chao, The Roots, Ryan Adams, Keith Richards, Toots Hibbert, Paul Douglas, Jackie Jackson, Ken Boothe, 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.Bonitto, Brian (2012)
Tosh gets OM
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 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'', 17 May 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2016 In October 2017, he was awarded the Order of Merit 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 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)

/ 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'' (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''. 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, 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