The Barrett Brothers Had the Definitive Reggae Percussion Sound

Carlton aka Carly Barrett played drums for Bob Marley and The Wailers and is considered by many as the best reggae drummer ever. His brother, Ashton Barrett, nicknamed “Family Man,” played bass for The Wailers. Together, they’re considered to be one of the best—if not the number one—percussion team in all of reggae music. Carly hit the kick and snare drums on the three beat along with the crash cymbals, creating reggae’s common “one drop” rhythm sound. He also frequently hit the snare near the rim and with the snare wires off, creating a very distinct sound associated with reggae drumming. Family Man wrote most of the bass lines used in Bob Marley’s music. Because of the prominence of the bass in reggae music, some of these bass lines—such as the one used in the song, “Stir It Up,” for example—are widely recognized by people around the world.

Bob Marley was born as Nesta Robert Marley on February 6, 1945 in the village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica to Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Booker. At an early age, Marley began to play music with his step brother Bunny Wailer. By the time he was 14, Marley left school to make music with Rastafarian singer Joe Higgs. Soon thereafter, he met Peter Tosh, who shared a similar enthusiasm about music.

By 1963, Marley, along with Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith, formed a ska/rocksteady group called “The Teenagers.” The group later changed their name to the “The Wailing Rudeboys,” then “The Wailing Wailers,” before finally settling on “The Wailers.” During this time, they were discovered by record producer Coxsone Dodd and grew very popular in Jamaica. However, Braithwaite, Kelso and Smith left the group in 1966 amidst financial difficulties, leaving The Wailers with the trio of Marley, Wailer and Tosh.

After a short hiatus from music, The Wailers got the break they were looking for in 1972 when they signed with Island Records. They finally got to record a full album in the studios. The resulting album, Catch a Fire, was a huge success. At this time, Bob Marley and The Wailers took off and never looked back.

Marley died on May 11, 1981 at only 36 years old. While Marley left this world way too early, his music will live on forever.

Another seminal Reggae artist was also involved with Marley’s work in the 1970s, his name was Peter Tosh. Tosh wrote many Wailers hits such as Get Up, Stand Up and due to disagreements with Island Records president Chris Blackwell, Tosh left the Wailers in 1974. Tosh’s best known hit as a solo artist was Legalize It which was the title track to his 1976 debut solo album with CBS Records.

Jimmy Cliff was another of Reggae’s luminaries who came into worldwide prominence with his turn as Ivan Martin in the hallmark 1972 film The Harder They Come. Cliff’s song Many Rivers To Cross has been covered by many artists over the years with Bruce Springsteen’s cover of Trapped being the most famous of the Jimmy Cliff catalog.
The hits keep coming: Bunny Wailer: The Elder Statesman of Reggae

In terms of its sound, reggae places rhythmic accents on the off-beat, and is generally played at a slower tempo than ska or rocksteady. Lyrically, many reggae songs feature social or political commentary, although love, community, and religion, particularly Rastafarianism, are popular themes for reggae lyrics as well.

Most listeners associate the genre of reggae very strongly with Bob Marley, one of the most influential artists that reggae has yet produced. Beginning with his band, The Wailers, in the 1960s, Marley continued to write and record some of reggae’s most definitive songs until his death in 1981. Marley hits like “I Shot the Sheriff” and “No Woman, No Cry” helped create a worldwide audience for the genre, and remain popular radio staples decades after their release. Many of Marley’s contemporaries, such as Lee “Scratch” Perry and Peter Tosh, are still active in music today.

Today, reggae remains not only a successful genre of music in itself, but has also seen its rhythmic and lyrical influence creep into other types of music, such as hip hop and rock.

Eric Clapton brought Reggae music to the American mainstream when he covered the song “I Shot The Sheriff”, which was originally done by Bob Marley. Bob Marley is one of the most recognizable names in the Reggae music industry. Marley and Peter Tosh are known as “Roots Reggae” artists, and they dominated the Jamaican recordings from about 1972 to the early 1980′s.

The sounds of the reggae bands are often laid back and very mellow. Anyone that isn’t listening to reggae should give it a try. People that are listening should take the time to listen to some more. The full explanation can be found at http://dgcoy.me/2012/05/15/from-secular-to-sacred-the-emergence-of-reggae-gospel/ The most depressed person has to think of warms sands and tropical drinks when they hear this type of music being played.

It’s impossible to hear Bob Marley and stay mad. All the troubles of the day can simply fade away when you have a nice soulful reggae sound to take you away. People that want to be angry cannot listen to this type of music. It will only give them the opposite effect. This is why it is such a great idea to add some to your collection. The average person will find themselves craving these sounds. Most people will even begin to sing along with these melodic tunes.

Bob Marley may be the only Marley that never won a Grammy, but his music is influencing a lot of the singers that are winning today. Rhianna has an undeniable influence from the work of Marley and so does Grammy winner Lauryn Hill.The full explanation can be found at http://repeatingislands.com/2012/05/14/marley-still-stands-strong/

Reggae music has even influenced artists in the pop sector. Colbie Calliat likes the mellow vibe that is reminiscent of some reggae tracks. Others may hear the influence of reggae in hip hop. This may be where the biggest influence is found. Lot of this has to do with mix tapes.

Some music lovers might say that reggae has become mainstream. It has a huge fan base. It is no longer restricted by the boundaries that held it away as a foreign genre. Today this form of music is as close as your nearest music store.