4. Tosh had 9 siblings
His father left at a young age
Grew up in a rural
farm parish
5.
6. In his adolescent years, he was raised by his
aunt
He left home in his early teens and headed
for the slums of Kingston, Jamaica, known as
Trenchtown
7. During his adolescent years, there were many
gangs surrounding his life
Tosh’s love and passion for music led him
away from gang violence
8. Informal singing sessions in the Higgs back yard slowly gave way to
more serious practicing, sometimes with as many as six male and female
vocalists.
"The Wailers were not a trio at the time," Tosh recalled in Davis's
biography of Marley. "There were plenty of us, but it was designed to be
a trio. We sounded so good together that people in the community
always encourage us to go to the studio and record
9. Marley and Bunny Livingston, two friends who were in search
of other vocalists to form a group.
Bob and Bunny met Tosh in Trench Town. Impressed with
Tosh's guitar playing (neither of them owned an instrument),
as well as with his strong baritone voice.
With his resourcefulness, Tosh eventually secured an old
guitar.
Tosh then taught Marley how to use it.
.
10. Under the mentorship of Joe Higgs, the
Wailing Wailers, as the three boys were
known, began performing publicly and
eventually headed into the studio.
Their first track, "Simmer Down” , this
became an island-wide ska hit.
‘Simmer Down’-The Wailers
11. Ska music
Ska was essentially a Jamaican response to
the need for a national dance music.
It combined the stylings of mento, the
American pulse of rhythm and blues, and the
sentiments of Jamaican street culture.
The song playing is called
‘Fire Burning’, this is a
classic example of ska.
12.
13. After becoming The Wailers, The group went
to a ‘rocksteady’ sound
Working with slower beats and lyrics, they
found their Rastafarian faith
They soon started working with Lee “Scratch”
Perry
Creating this collaboration, they found the
genre they were meant for, Reggae
14. ‘Stir it up’ was recorded
among many of the tracks
that were created in 1967.
This track was widely
known throughout Jamaica
and is still known
throughout America
‘Stir it up’- The Wailers
Stir it up little darling, stir it up
Come on baby come on and stir it up little
darling, stir it up
It's been a long long time since I've got you on
my mind
And now you are here
I say it's so clear
To see what we can do, honey, just me and you
Come on and stir it up, little darling, stir it up
Come on baby come on and stir it up little
darling, stir it up
I'll push the wood, I'll blaze your fire
Then I'll satisfy your heart's desire
Said I'll stir it up, yeah, ev'ry minute, yeah
All you got to do is keep it in, baby
And stir it up, little darling, stir it up
Come on and stir it up, oh, little darling, stir it
up, yeah
Oh, will you quench me while I'm thirsty?
Come and cool me down when I'm hot?
Your recipe, darling, is so tasty
And you sure can stir your pot
So stir it up, little darling, stir it up
Come on and stir it up, oh,
little darling, stir it up
Come on and stir it up, oh, little darling, stir it
up
17. Though Bob Marley's name later became synonymous with
the Wailers, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer were definitely
equals in the band.
Tosh’s skillful guitar playing and vocal skills were essential
to the band's sound
Tosh political and religious beliefs, was an outlet for frustration
over social conditions in the Third World, and a call to black
people contributed many of the band's hits, including:
"400 Years"
"Get Up, Stand Up”
"No Sympathy“
"Stop That Train."
“Get up, Stand up” – The Wailers
Get Up, Stand Up, stand up for your right
Get Up, Stand Up, don't give up the fight
18. For Tosh music was far more than mere
entertainment--it was an expression of
political and religious beliefs, an outlet for
frustration over social conditions in the Third
World.
Peter Tosh was known as a sarcastic and
slightly angry man. In contrast to Bob
Marley's idealistic look at the world, and his
goal to spread the message of love, Peter
Tosh saw himself as a revolutionary, and was
vehement in his efforts to tear down
"Babylon."
He coined his own words for many of the
things which he hated, including "politricks"
for politics, "s**tstem" for system, and "Crime
Ministers" for Prime Ministers. It was this
attitude that earned him the nickname
Tosh’s character
19. Peter Tosh began recording solo records
while still performing with the Wailers
until 1974, when the Wailers' new record
label, Island Records, refused to release
his solo album. He left the band to pursue
his own career on a full-time basis, and
finally released his first solo record,
Legalize It in 1976. He went on to release
multiple hit records, though his militant
attitude never found the same level of
acceptance as Bob Marley's more
unifying message did.
20. Peter Tosh continued to
record international hit
records for the rest of the
1970s and early 1980s,
and never relaxed his
intense message of
revolution. After a live
concert release in 1984,
Peter Tosh took a few
years off, and his 1987
comeback record No
Nuclear War was
nominated for a Grammy
Award.
‘Rise and Shine’ – The Wailers
21. In 1977, after tensions between various
Jamaican gangs and rogue members of
the Jamaican military had reached severe
levels, Bob Marley decided to organize a
concert called the One Love Peace
Concert, and invited many of Jamaica's
most famous stars to join in.
Tosh used his stage time to sing his most
militant songs, and speak angrily
against the government. Hugely popular
with the crowd, this performance was
less of a hit with the government
officials who were present. Though
Tosh was already a favorite target for
the police, from that point on, he
became a regular victim of brutality.
22. On September 11, 1987, an acquaintance of Peter Tosh's,
Dennis Lobban, entered Tosh's home with a small gang
of friends and attempted to rob him. Claiming that he
had no money on him at the time, Tosh stalled the
gang, who stayed at his house for several hours as
various friends dropped in.
23. Eventually, they lost patience and shot Tosh and his
houseguests in the head. Tosh died instantly, as did two
of his friends, though three others somehow survived.
Lobban was sentenced to death for his crime, though his
sentence was later commuted and he remains in prison
in Jamaica to this day.
24. Tosh’s death was
quick
He lived 43 years
With his short life,
he reached so many
people all over the
world
25. He had 5 daughters and 5 sons
His son, Andrew Tosh, carried on the music
and made his own albums
26. Starting out with 6 members as ‘The Wailers’,
the trio then reduced to 3, and named
themselves ‘Bob Marley and the Wailers’
After about 10 years, Peter Tosh went Solo
and created his own music.
His music was his views on politics and being
a strong Rastafarian, unlike Marley’s, which
was about love and togetherness.
27. Clunnis, Andrew. Peter Tosh. Iration.com. Nov 2000
http://www.iration.com/wailers/november2000.html
Johnson, Anne Janette. Peter Tosh. Answers.com.
http://www.answers.com/topic/peter-tosh
Editor's Notes
His father abandoned him as a young teenager and his mother raised him.
