WAILERS
Either way, though he died relatively young according to modern, developed standards, he got to live longer than his fellow-Wailers Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, the two people with whom he formed the Wailers in the 1960s, the Ska era.
In fact, Bunny Wailer, birth name Neville Livingston, knew Bob Marley from childhood days, in Nine Miles, in the rural parish of St Ann’s in northern Jamaica, including family connections: later his single father got into an intimate relationship with Bob Marley’s single mother Cedella Booker. They stayed good friends, later residing in Trench Town, a ghetto area in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, joined there by Peter Tosh, who grew up in another part of rural Jamaica.
Not much use in repeating too much biographical information that is available elsewhere online, but it is good as an introduction, I think.
The Wailers are relatively much studied and described, even in more mainstream (“pop” or “rock”) sources, of course especially due to the fame of fellow-Wailer Bob Marley, rising to international stardom, and globally the best known Reggae act, by the mid-1970s. Now, almost 50 years later, this seems still the case. Bob Marley is the best known Reggae act. Though objections to this are thinkable – in light of the many talented Reggae artists that Jamaica produced over the years.
Perhaps these did not have commercial support, or did not make the “translation” to a more mainstream audience that well. Or, as some argue, because their skin colour was too dark, compared to the half-White Marley (who had a White father, - much older than his mother -, with which he had only little contact).
Yet, due to his connection to Bob Marley, you might say that Bunny Wailer achieved relatively somewhat more attention in the international music scene.
COMPARISON
I find for this post interesting the comparisons that are often made between the three Wailers: Peter (Tosh), Bunny (Wailer), and Bob (Marley). They formed and shaped the band, stayed together, well into the rising fame, including through internationally successful (for Reggae standards) albums like Catch a Fire and Burnin’, and first bigger hits like Stir It Up and Get Up Stand Up.
In 1974, they split ways, after a partly problematic tour in Britain and elsewhere, and some inner conflicts, including also producer Chris Blackwell. Peter and Bunny went solo then, while Bob continued as Bob Marley & the Wailers (including long-present musicians like the Barrett brothers, the female I-Threes-background singers, Tyrone Downie on keys, Junior Murvin on guitar, and Seeco Patterson as steady percussionist). Bob’s first album without Peter and Bunny for Bob was Natty Dread, released in 1974.
Several authors – such as Jamaican-British author Colin Grant – and many writers on Reggae, as well as many Reggae fans, tend to compare the three founding members of the Wailers, beyond emphasizing how they joined “as friends”. Certainly, they also could “complement” each other, often occurring in fruitful and successful relationships.
RESPONSES AND PERSONALITIES
According to Colin Grant, who wrote a book on the three Wailers I discussed elsewhere on this blog (years ago) – and who also wrote the magnificent biography on Marcus Garvey titled ‘Negro With A Hat’-, they indeed were complementary to each other. Grant spoke interestingly of three “archetypes”, so to speak, or – as he also saw it – three “main responses” by Blacks – as well as Rastafari - to oppression and discrimination in the White Western world. Bob represented the “adaptation” response, Peter the “rebel” response, while Bunny was the “escape” response.
The three “types” of Grant seem to make at least historical sense regarding the African Diaspora and slavery history. On slave plantations, in Jamaica and elsewhere, the three types of survival and resistance could be found.
So, the recently passed on Bunny Wailer represented according to Grant this Maroon-like, reclusive “escape from the system”.
In several writings on Reggae, and what I heard several Reggae fans say, is that Bunny was strictly speaking the best singer of the three. I kind of agree with that. While the singing voice – “timbre” – of Bob was not very special, Bob compensated that with musicality, charisma, songwriting talent, strong melodies, and enduring lyrics. Peter compensated this with an impressive baritone voice, his rebellious image, and his according to many more charming or extrovert personality, compared to the the more shy/introvert other two, Bob and Bunny.
Colin Grant, and biographers of e.g. Bob Marley, stated that Bunny Wailer differed from the other two in that Bunny “seemed always to be angry” to outsiders. An interesting combination of personalities, we can conclude from this.
PERCUSSION
His start in music received at first some skepticism among more conservative musicians. This was due to the fact that in partly Eurocentrically influenced part of the Jamaican population, the fact that Bunny first only played percussion (drums and small percussion), while Peter was a skilled guitar player, and to a degree Bob also.
Of course, I – as percussionist - disagree with this. We got used to the dominance of “chording” instruments (guitars, keys ) in Western (even “Black”) popular music, but all good music begins naturally with the heartbeat of “rhythm”, remaining essential in any music piece, accentuated by good percussion. This is especially the case in Black/African-descended music, like Reggae, with much percussive influence.
In early recordings of the Wailers, indeed Bunny Wailer combined playing percussion instruments with his background vocals. There is also video material of their performances showing this. Bunny kept playing percussion, also later on his own albums. So, he certainly was a percussionist too.
ESCAPING
Does all this in any way reflect Colin Grant’s classifying Bunny Wailer’s persona as “escaping” or “reclusive” already? Maybe a bit, but that trait became more clear in the Early 1970s, when tours with the Wailers in Britain, led to unease with Bunny, complaining that some of the “freak places” they had to perform, went against his Rastafari beliefs/way of life. He also said that he did not like to fly in planes for tours. This limited his motivation to remain part of the Wailers band, at that stage breaking through internationally. This could be seen as an “escape” from rising fame and its pressures.
He further concentrated on his solo career after 1974, building a steady fan base, and with little “commercial” concessions to the non-Jamaican mainstream, it seemed.
Then there are the lyrics. What set Bob Marley according to many apart within Reggae were also his “to-the-point, yet deep” lyrics, aptly – and understandably – expressing the woes of the poor and suffering in simple terms, yet containing timeless wisdom.
Bob was further, according to Colin Grant – and other writers, more of the “adaptive” type to the Western system, - in e.g. commercial company demands - , – suggesting a slight “uncle tom/house slave” echo. I think however that this is not a just comparison, especially when looking at Bob’s rebellious lyrics “chanting down Babylon”, and critical of politicians, colonizers, authorities, and other oppressors/downpressors.
Bunny, of the “escaping” or “self-recluse” hermit-like type, did he have lyrics reflecting this simplified typology?
A comparison of Bob’s and Bunny’s (and Peter’s) lyrics is both fun to do, and very educational, I find, at the same time. After all, Bob and Bunny were close friends since childhood. Yet different personalities? Later friend Peter Tosh was known to be rebellious, also in his lyrics, but did that not likewise apply to many of Bob’s lyrics?
And to Bunny’s. Yet, looking back over the whole career of Bunny Wailer, now with his passing, I notice some differences with Bob and Peter: he is after all an own artist, with his own style.
DIFFERENCES
I think, however, that it would be interesting analyzing a bit these differences in relation to the “escaping” persona of Bunny.
I know quite something of the work of all three Wailers, and when comparing, I notice that each Wailer has different songwriting styles, vocals, but also themes in lyrics. Since the three were not just founding members of the same band, but also shared the Rastafari faith, and grew up together, those lyrical differences are interesting.
One difference: Bunny sung relatively more songs about music itself and dancing: or specific dance, though Peter and Bob had some such festive, “in the moment” lyrics too.
ROCKERS AND RUB-A-DUB
Musically, Bunny entered more the Rockers era – led by Sly and Robbie and Channel One since the Late-1970s -, referring to a type of Reggae rhythm (added bass kick on the One), that developed outside the Wailers. Even if Bob still lived in the first “Rockers“ years, Bob’s Wailers band kept hanging on to the One Drop basic Reggae patterns at the height of fame, though with some rub-a-dub influences on the latest Bob Marley + the Wailers albums. Bunny, now, was more influenced by Rockers and related Rub-A-Dub patterns, found on some slightly (nondigital) later Dancehall-influenced, yet overall Roots Reggae albums like Rock and Groove.
Self-evidently, as he lived longer, he also could go more with the flow and changes of Jamaican music, including toward (Early) Dancehall. He chose to, actually, including “toasting”/deejaying vocally in his songs since the 1980s, something we did not hear Bob or Peter do as such, who stuck to their fine singing (instead of toasting/deejaying).
LYRICS
Bunny’s first solo album, Blackheart Man, released in 1976, though, followed more on the 1970s Wailers material, and was deep Roots Reggae, with a slight modern mainstream edge. Lyrically, with reference to the Blackheart Man “living like a gypsy, in the lonely part of the country”, “being safe and free in my fig tree”, and a “dreamland”, confirms this “escape/reclusive”response to the (Babylon) system, besides social and spiritual comment.
And yes, he had such “escape” lyrics more than the other Wailers Bob and Peter, the latter discussing more directly social and global affairs. Also the referrences to dancing on music itself in some of Bunny’s lyrics, can be seen as part of that “escape” response to oppression/downpression.
Bunny tended to express social concerns too, but mixed more often with such an “escaping” vibe, rather than a dominant “fighting” or “crying” vibe. Rastafari spiritual themes were also common in Bunny’s lyrics.
He did on the other hand not have many songs on (romantic) love, though his flexible singing voice would fit also these. He does refer to romantic love as part of the escape, though (on the dance floor, “in my dreamland”). In a sense, falling in love with someone, is also an “escape” from an unpleasant reality, without denying that reality, as more “love song” artists like Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, and Ijahman Levi showed beautifully.
Bunny, though, did not have many direct romantic love songs overall, but still some nice ones in crucial moments of Bunny’s career. Notably, one of his early songs for the Wailers – still in the 1960s Ska days – was Dancing Shoes, with the nice poetic lyric “never in this world there’ll be so much love, as between you and me my love”.. And on some later albums, he had a few love songs here and there (e.g. song Another Dance).
Of Burning Spear I once noticed that, unlike some other Reggae artists – he had no “ganja songs”, i.e. on smoking marijuana. Bunny Wailer did prison time for possession of marijuana, in 1967, discussing it in his lyrics. Furthermore, it (ganja/marijuana) does recur here and there overly much throughout his lyrics, a bit less than in lyrics of his fellow-Wailers Bob and Peter, but Bunny made some songs about it. Of course, good ganja (high grade) fits well in an “escape” response, and might well be implied (“inna di dance”). He mentions “high grade” (good quality) ganja smoking in some of his later lyrics.
RHYTHMIC
As an instrumentalist as such, Bunny Wailer remained a percussion player throughout his career, also on all his own albums, such as for his own Solomonic Label. Often he combined this function with other well-known Jamaican studio percussionists as Bongo Herman.
Interestingly, on his 1976 debut album Blackheart Man, Bunny played most of the percussion himself. On later albums he was joined in this by e.g. Bongo Herman, Sky Juice, and others.
This percussionist background explains partly, in my opinion, the different style of Bunny’s songwriting, compared to the other Wailers. Bob had strong, memorable melodies and lines, crafty chord structures, and likewise Peter had good melodies and catchy “hooks” coming, across with his booming voice.
Bunny, on the other hand, had a flexible, soulful singing voice, yet: his singing style on most songs were quite “rhythmic”, somehow guided by the groove, as much “part of it” as leading it. This is a percussive feature, which I also know from my own experience as percussionist. In addition, I think that interest in dancing and percussion intermix. Their relation seems logical, but dance/percussion “mixing” is understood, in my humble opinion, better by rhythmically-specialized percussionists - and maybe trap drummers - than by others, often tending to keep apart playing/music and dance. The latter separation is a Western/Eurocentric influence. The mixing of music and dance, on the other hand, is common in all African cultures, as an anthropological fact, shown partly in Bunny’s musical style.
The sense of rhythm of Bunny was excellent, even playing with various (crossing) rhythms - another percussion influence -, and his songs therefore focused often more on the “groove” than on chord structures and dominant melodies, in which both Bob and Peter were more specialized. Both percussion and dance are – here I go again, haha – suitable ways to “escape” or “ withdraw”, as part of the “escape” response, according to Colin Grant one type of “Black” response in a White Western society.
Added to his strong sense of rhythm, was Bunny’s strong and flexible singing voice, that could be very soulful too, perhaps a bit more so than Bob’s, but less than Peter’s. Bunny’s voice was nice and playful, making even some of his melodically less memorable songs more interesting and “a pleasant ride”. Many of Bunny’s songs, moreover, had a lively, uplifting feel – a reggae party “vibe” -, especially later in his career.
SONGS AND ALBUMS
Overall, he had a lot of strong songs and mostly great to good albums, as well for “listening” as for “dancing” (I tend to combine both..joking), and even some deserved “hits” at the Jamaican dances and abroad.
His 1976 debut album Blackheart Man was Rootsy and somewhat somber, but with good, varied songs. Other 1970s albums like Protest were also very good and Rootsy. Much later, the 1989 album Liberation was another strong Rootsy album, with strong memorable songs like Rise & Shine, and a Rockers feel, differing in that from Blackheart Man, though equally “Rootical” sounding.
The Early Dancehall-influenced albums from the 1980s of Bunny were also good (Rock and Groove/Roots Man Skanking, Rule Dancehall a.o.), rendering catchy club hits.
After 1990, more modern (Dancehall) influences appeared on some of Bunny's albums, that were overall creative and fine, though some here and there a bit simple and repetitive. That is, though, the exception rather than the rule. On some albums, such as Communication from 2000, he combined modern, somewhat digitalized Reggae, with Dancehall (or Ska), but also Hip-Hop influences, such as on songs like Almighty Is A Rappa, part of his recurring “playful experimentation”. Some critics did not like it, but even those “experiments” had a good rhythmic flow, in my opinion.
Inevitably, he covered quite some Wailers songs (even those by Bob) on his albums: some good covers, some a bit unnecessary, but still well done or creatively reworked.
The percussion was on most albums quite varied and creative, as could be expected, as Bunny Wailer was as said both a singer/songwriter and a percussionist.
PERSONAL OPINION
In the Reggae scene, also to me a few times, the question is often asked: “which Wailer do you like most, musically: Bob, Peter, or Bunny?”. I always found it hard to answer this question.
I consider myself a percussionist and rhythm-focussed, so I am tempted to say “Bunny”, having several albums of him I listen regularly. On the other hand it is too simplistic. The strength of the Wailers laid in the combination of different, complementing (rebelling, adapting, and escaping) personalities.
Bob had timeless lyrics - for instance still relevant today, even with this pandemic/plandemic crisis - and good melodies as songwriter, Peter Tosh had a charismatic rebelliousness and catchy songs. Bob Marley was in addition influenced more by white Island boss Chris Blackwell, but indirectly, toward a more slightly “watered down” mainstream sound, but that was hardly Bob’s fault.
Bunny Wailer maintained a more “Jamaican dance” sound, which I at least find attractive.
I moreover personally like the flexible singing voice – the “timbre” as such - of Bunny indeed better than Bob’s voice (who could nonetheless use it well musically), but I also like Peter’s often soulful voice.
Another interesting question, now with Bunny’s passing on to Zion, might finally be: “do I have favourite songs of Bunny Wailer?” Also difficult to answer, to be honest.
Among the songs I can recall now, and that proved for me more memorable, are Fig Tree, Rastaman, Rise & Shine, Free Jah Jah Children, Trouble On The Road Again, while Ballroom Floor has a very nice, “feel good” flow to it, and there are other, lively, and danceable songs that I enjoyed equally..
I probably forgot to mention some, and there are simply too many great or good songs by Bunny Wailer to mention, throughout his varied music career. That defines a great Reggae artist, that has now left us, making him a true Reggae icon and legend.
