Early music and with the Wailers
Tosh was born in Westmoreland, the westernmost parish of Jamaica. He was abandoned by his parents and "shuffled among relatives". When McIntosh was fifteen, his aunt died and he moved to Trenchtown in Kingston, Jamaica. He first learned guitar after watching a man in the country play a song that captivated him. He watched the man play the same song for half a day, memorizing everything his fingers were doing. He then picked up the guitar and played the song back to the man. The man then asked McIntosh who had taught him to play; McIntosh told him that he had. During the early 1960s, as an aspiring musician, Tosh went to vocal teacher Joe Higgs, who gave free music lessons to young people. Through his contact with Higgs, Tosh met Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley) and Neville O'Reilly Livingston (Bunny Wailer). He then changed his name to Peter Tosh and the trio started singing together in 1962. Higgs taught the trio to harmonise and while developing their music, they would often play on the street corners of Trenchtown.
In 1964 Tosh helped organise the band the Wailing Wailers, with Junior Braithwaite, a falsetto singer, and backup singers Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith. Initially, Tosh was the only one in the group who could play musical instruments. According to Bunny Wailer, Tosh was critical to the band because he was a self-taught guitarist and keyboardist, and thus became an inspiration for the other band members to learn to play. The Wailing Wailers had a major ska hit with their first single, "Simmer Down", and recorded several more successful singles before Braithwaite, Kelso and Smith left the band in late 1965. Marley spent much of 1966 in Delaware in the United States with his mother, Cedella (née Malcolm) Marley-Booker, and for a brief time was working at a nearby Chrysler factory. He returned to Jamaica in early 1967 with a renewed interest in music and a new spirituality. Tosh and Bunny were already Rastafarians when Marley returned from the US, and the three became very involved with the Rastafari faith. Soon afterwards, they renamed the musical group the Wailers. Tosh would explain later that they chose the name Wailers because to "wail" means to mourn or to, as he put it, "...express one's feelings vocally". He also claims that he was the beginning of the group, and that it was he who first taught Bob Marley the guitar. Also according to Bunny Wailer, the early Wailers learned to play instruments from Tosh.
During the mid-1960s Tosh, along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, were introduced to Danny Sims and Johnny Nash who signed the three artists to an exclusive recording contract on Sims' and Nash's JAD Records label as well as an exclusive publishing agreement through Sims' music publishing company, Cayman Music. Rejecting the up-tempo dance of ska, the band slowed their music to a rocksteady pace, and infused their lyrics with political and social messages inspired by their new-found faith. The Wailers composed several songs for the American-born singer Nash before teaming with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry to record some of the earliest well-known reggae songs, including "Soul Rebel", "Duppy Conqueror", and "Small Axe". The collaboration had given birth to reggae music and in 1970 bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett and his brother, drummer Carlton Barrett, joined the group. They recorded the album The Best of The Wailers, which was produced by Leslie Kong and released in 1971.[citation needed]
In 1972, Danny Sims assigned the balance of the JAD Records recording contract with the band to Chris Blackwell and Island Records company and released their debut, Catch a Fire, in 1973, following it with Burnin' the same year. The Wailers had moved from many producers after 1970 and there were instances where producers would record rehearsal sessions that Tosh did and release them in England under the name "Peter Touch".
In 1973, Tosh was driving home with his girlfriend Evonne when his car was hit by another car driving on the wrong side of the road. The accident killed Evonne and severely fractured Tosh's skull. After Island Records president Chris Blackwell refused to issue his solo album in 1974, Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the Wailers, citing the unfair treatment they received from Blackwell, to whom Tosh often referred with a derogatory play on Blackwell's surname, 'Whiteworst'. Tosh had written many of the Wailers' hit songs such as "Get Up, Stand Up", "400 Years", and "No Sympathy". Tosh began recording and released his solo debut, Legalize It, in 1976 with CBS Records company, and Treasure Isle. The title track soon became popular among endorsers of cannabis legalization, reggae music lovers and Rastafari all over the world, and was a favourite at Tosh's concerts.
That was his last album from the Wailers, Island Records. In 2013, a book co-written by French scholar Dr Jeremie Kroubo Dagnini and American Lee Jaffe, his former associate, says Tosh was part of a smuggling operation that raised money to fund this album.
Solo career
Tosh started to make his own albums with Rolling Stones Records and CBS Records Equal Rights followed in 1977, featuring his recording of a song co-written with Marley, "Get Up, Stand Up", and a cover of "Stepping Razor" that would also appear on the soundtrack to the film Rockers.
Tosh organised a backing band, Word, Sound and Power, who were to accompany him on tour for the next few years, and many of whom performed on his albums of this period. In 1978, the Rolling Stones record label Rolling Stones Records contracted with Tosh, on which the album Bush Doctor was released, introducing Tosh to a larger audience. The album featured Rolling Stones frontmen Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the lead single – a cover version of The Temptations song "Don't Look Back" – was performed as a duet with Jagger.
During Bob Marley's free One Love Peace Concert of 1978, Tosh lit a marijuana spliff and lectured about legalising cannabis, lambasting attending dignitaries Michael Manley and Edward Seaga for their failure to enact such legislation. Several months later he was apprehended by police as he left Skateland dance hall in Kingston and was beaten severely while in police custody.
Mystic Man (1979), and Wanted Dread and Alive (1981) followed, both released on Rolling Stones Records. Tosh tried to gain some mainstream success while keeping his militant views, but was only moderately successful, especially when compared to Marley's achievements.
In 1984, after the release of 1983's album Mama Africa, Tosh went into self-imposed exile, seeking the spiritual advice of traditional medicine men in Africa, and trying to free himself from recording agreements that distributed his records in South Africa. Tosh had been at odds for several years with his label, EMI, over a perceived lack of promotion for his music.
Tosh also participated in the international opposition to South African apartheid by appearing at anti-apartheid concerts and by conveying his opinion in various songs like "Apartheid" (1977, re-recorded 1987), "Equal Rights" (1977), "Fight On" (1979), and "Not Gonna Give It Up" (1983). In 1987, Peter Tosh seemed to be having a career revival. He was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Performance in 1987 for No Nuclear War, his last record.
Death
On 11 September 1987, just after Tosh had returned to his home in Jamaica, a three-man gang came to his house on motorcycles demanding money. Tosh replied that he did not have any with him but the gang did not believe him. They stayed at his residence for several hours and tortured Tosh in an attempt to extort money from him. Over the hours, as various associates of Tosh arrived to visit him, they were also taken hostage by the gunmen. The gunmen became more and more frustrated, especially the chief thug, Dennis "Leppo" Lobban, a man whom Tosh had previously befriended and tried to help find work after a long jail sentence. Tosh said he did not have any money in the house, after which Lobban and the fellow gunmen began opening fire in a reckless manner. Tosh was shot twice in the head and killed. Herbalist Wilton "Doc" Brown and disc jockey Jeff 'Free I' Dixon also died as a result of wounds sustained during the robbery. Several others in the house were wounded, including Tosh's common law wife Andrea Marlene Brown, Free I's wife Yvonne ("Joy"); Tosh's drummer Carlton "Santa" Davis, and musician Michael Robinson.
According to Police Commissioner Herman Ricketts, Dennis "Leppo" Lobban surrendered and two other men were interrogated but not publicly named. Lobban went on to plead innocent during his trial, telling the court he had been drinking with friends. The trial was held in a closed court due to the involvement of illegal firearms. Lobban was ultimately found guilty by a jury of eight women and four men and sentenced to death by hanging. His sentence was commuted in 1995 and Lobban remains in jail. Another suspect was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. The other two gunmen were never identified by name.
Discography
Legalize It (1976)
Equal Rights (1977)
Bush Doctor (1978)
Mystic Man (1979)
Wanted Dread & Alive (1981)
Mama Africa (1983)
No Nuclear War (1987)
Black Dignity
Peter Tosh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tenayistilgn, Igziabhier amlak
Qedamawi tekoro, medhani alem
Negus nagast, izi Itiopia
Lift up thine head, o ye black dignity
And be ye lifted up, ye ever-loving black dignity
And let the King of kings enter thine heart
For in a little while and the wicked shall not be
They shall be cut off like the grass
And wither like the green herb
So trust in the Lord and do good
And wait patiently for Him
And verily thou shalt prevail, Selah
I branches shall not wither
And whatsoever I do shall prosper
I shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers
That bringeth forth fruit in season, Selah
So lift up thine head, o ye black people
And be ye lifted up, ye ever-loving black people
And the King of kings shall come in, Selah
Wake up thine slumbering mentality
Come closer to reality
Recognize thy dignity, thy integrity, thy quality
Fret not because of one who prospereth in his way
For in a little while
The evil-doers shall be killed crum [unverified] paralyzed
Love Him and live, hate Him and die
Lift up thine head, ye ever-loving black people
And be ye lifted up, ye ever-living black people
And the Lord, God shall come into thine heart
Seek Him and ye shall find Him 'cause He can be found
Wake up thine slumbering mentality and live up to reality
Live black, love black, think black
Our God is black
Qedamawi ras fetari, medhani alem
Igziabhier amlak, tenayistilgn
Tokoro chilola, neguse nagast, Itiopia
In Peter Tosh's song Black Dignity, the lyrics express a message of hope and self-pride for black people. Tosh, a Jamaican reggae musician, encourages black people to lift up their heads and recognize their dignity, integrity, and quality. He also calls on them to wake up from their slumbering mentality, come closer to reality, and live in a way that honors God, who is black according to Tosh. The lyrics draw inspiration from Rastafarianism, an African-centered religion that emerged in Jamaica in the 1930s and emphasizes the return of black people to Africa, the recognition of Haile Selassie I, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as a messiah, and the use of cannabis as a sacrament.
Tosh’s message is about empowering black people to trust in themselves, rely on their integrity, and have faith in a higher power. He encourages them to ignore those who prosper through evil ways, as their time will come to an end soon. He also speaks about how trees near rivers prosper by bearing fruit, saying that black people will similarly prosper if they live according to God’s will. The song’s concluding lyrics call on black people to seek God and find Him within themselves by lifting their heads, becoming knowledgeable about their history, and living up to their potential.
Line by Line Meaning
Lift up thine head, o ye black dignity
Stand tall, embrace your identity as a Black person with pride and honor.
And be ye lifted up, ye ever-loving black dignity
Elevate Blackness and all that it embodies, including love, compassion, and resilience.
And let the King of kings enter thine heart
Invite a higher power into your spirit and soul so that you may lead with righteousness and grace.
For in a little while and the wicked shall not be
Those who perpetuate evil and hatred will not last long in this world.
They shall be cut off like the grass
Their reign of injustice and inequality will be short-lived and eventually end.
And wither like the green herb
Their relevance and impact will diminish rapidly, like a plant that has lost its nutrients and dies.
So trust in the Lord and do good
Rely on a greater power and follow a moral compass that guides you towards positive actions and outcomes.
And wait patiently for Him
Be patient and steadfast in your faith while awaiting divine intervention and justice.
And verily thou shalt prevail, Selah
You will overcome any obstacles and emerge victorious by staying true to your beliefs and values.
I branches shall not wither
By preserving your essence as a Black person, you will remain strong and unyielding, like a tree that withstands all weather conditions.
And whatsoever I do shall prosper
All your endeavors will be fruitful when rooted in your authentic self and driven by your passions and purpose.
I shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers
You will be nourished and rejuvenated by the richness and abundance of your cultural heritage and community.
That bringeth forth fruit in season, Selah
You will bear the fruits of your labor and experience success and fulfillment in due time, according to your efforts and destiny.
So lift up thine head, o ye black people
Raise your collective consciousness and honor your Blackness with dignity and pride.
And be ye lifted up, ye ever-loving black people
Elevate yourself and your fellow Black brothers and sisters with love, compassion, and respect.
And the King of kings shall come in, Selah
When you lead with a pure heart and honorable intentions, divine intervention and blessings will shower upon you.
Wake up thine slumbering mentality
Rise up from apathy and inaction to actively pursue positive change for yourself and your community.
Come closer to reality
Ground yourself in the truth of your experiences and the experiences of other Black people around you.
Recognize thy dignity, thy integrity, thy quality
Affirm and cherish the value of your Blackness, including your worth, values, and character.
Fret not because of one who prospereth in his way
Do not be discouraged or envious of those who seem to thrive in their immoral ways and practices.
For in a little while
Their success and power will eventually dissipate and wane.
The evil-doers shall be killed crum [unverified] paralyzed
Those who perpetuate evil and harm will eventually face the consequences of their actions, whether externally or internally.
Love Him and live, hate Him and die
Embrace a life of love, compassion, and kindness or suffer the consequences of hatred, anger, and negativity.
And the Lord, God shall come into thine heart
By leading with love and compassion, a higher power will inhabit your soul and drive your moral compass.
Seek Him and ye shall find Him 'cause He can be found
Always strive to seek a higher meaning in life and you will discover it, as long as you remain open and willing to receive it.
Live black, love black, think black
Celebrate your Blackness through your actions, love, and mindset.
Our God is black
Blackness is divine and is deserving of honor, love, and respect.
Qedamawi ras fetari, medhani alem
Exalt the Messiah, who brings peace and prosperity to all.
Igziabhier amlak, tenayistilgn
Pay homage to the Almighty God and entreat His mercy and grace.
Tokoro chilola, neguse nagast, Itiopia
Hail the King of Kings, who reigns over all and uplifts Ethiopia and its people.
Contributed by Reagan T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kayiza Evergreen
petertosh will always be my mentor and the reason to every achievement in my life
Soniyah Aljeff
Real conscious lyrics. Think black Our Gid is Black.
Mosin54r
Black is beautiful, baby! Great song
Marsil Hee
For a little while there shall remain the wicked. Seek him and you shall find him Jah. Praise be to Jah
Rog Devilman
peter tosh the great
Michael Torres
I first heard this on Native Wayne's Reggae Revolution on KROQ 106.7 in Los Angeles. Roger Steffens was the guest and he had just found a copy of this song and named it 'Black Dignity. Selah. Blessings.
Sanele Sonkosi
The whole universe is pervaded by a black element which is the source of creation. Black is not only beautiful. Black is powerful beyond measure!! Amandla!!
Jacob Abban
Black Power up there
mikerasta84p
Yes mi bredren!!!!!!!!!
Bongiwe Qwetha
Yes I...BLACK DIGNITY INDEED RASTA