MIAMI – With such classic hits like One Love, Get Up Stand Up, Buffalo Soldier, Redemption Song and Three Little Birds, The Wailers are the number one selling reggae band of all time, having sold in excess of 250 million albums and played for over 25 million people worldwide. In the 1970s, the Wailers were pioneers of their genre and were the first reggae band to tour new territories like the Far East and Africa.
Bob Marley’s First Lieutenant, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, who has been the driving force of the Wailers for more than 40 years, is bringing the band back to the US for their REVOLUTION tour this summer. Known for his signature bass-patterns that define contemporary reggae music, “Family Man” continues the mission he started with Bob Marley more than four decades ago to spread the message of peace, love and equality to all people of the world.
Jamaica is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Historically, with the liberation from British control in 1962, Jamaica realized a new potential for expressive freedom. On the journey to construct their own national identity, two movements emerged as the leading forces of Jamaican culture- ska music and the Rastafarian religion. Bob Marley famously combined these two movements and became the voice that spread them both to an international audience. As Jamaica’s toughest singer/songwriter, it wasn’t until his talents were combined with the renowned musical abilities of the Barrett brothers (Family Man and Carly) that Jamaican music was catapulted onto the worldwide musical stage. Through the incorporation of Rastafarian beliefs into ska music and the use of unique bass patterns specific to the Barrett brothers’ rhythm section, they together defined Reggae as a genre and Jamaican culture in a way that no one, before or since, has been able to accomplish.
With each performance the Wailers reinforce why they are the greatest reggae band in the world. These world-renowned musicians are arguably some of the most influential and talented in the world, yet they always keep the focus on why they are here. In the words of founding member and genre-defining bassist Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, “Reggae is for all people, all ages, and all times- past, present, and future. It is the language of the people, and we were chosen for the mission of spreading the message of reggae music to the world.”
THE WAILERS ARE BACK ON THE ROAD AFTER ADDING 30 MORE SHOWS IN NORTH AMERICA
Photo Credit: William Richards
DWNTWN Miami Concert Series
The Olympia Theater @ Gusman Center
174 East Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33131
(305) 374-2444
Admission: Free
Doors open @ 7:00 PM,
Show begins @8:00 PM
