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)
Mamã África
Peter Tosh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mama Africa
How are you doing Mama
Mama Africa
Long time me no see you Mama
They took me away from you Mama
Long before I was born
They took me away from you Mama
CHORUS
There's so many things about you
Wondering where you are
They try their best to hide you Mama
But I search and I find you
CHORUS
In you there's so much beauty
In you there's so much life
In you there's so many kingdoms
To me it's out of sight
CHORUS
You're the maker of gold Mama
You're the maker of diamond
You're the maker of pearls
And the maker of all precious goals
CHORUS
I've been waiting, yearning, looking
Searching to find you
I've been crying, praying hoping
That I may find you Mama
CHORUS
You're my mother Africa
You're my father Africa
CHORUS I'm proud of you Mama
I love you Mama
I'm proud of you Mama
I love you heavenly
CHORUS
The lyrics to Peter Tosh's "Mama Africa" are a heartfelt and powerful tribute to the continent of Africa, which Tosh views as his mother and father. He expresses his longing and yearning for Africa, which was taken away from him before he was even born. Tosh acknowledges the efforts made by others to hide Africa's beauty and complexity, but he is determined to seek and uncover its mysteries.
Tosh's lyrics evoke the rich and diverse cultures, resources, and histories of Africa. He celebrates the continent as the maker of gold, diamond, pearls, and all precious things. He is dazzled by the many kingdoms within Africa, each representing a unique aspect of its rich tapestry. Tosh's lyrics are a testament to his love and respect for Africa, which he sees as the source of his identity and heritage.
Tosh's use of the term "Mama Africa" conveys a deep sense of connection and intimacy with the continent. By calling Africa "Mama," Tosh recognizes the nurturing and sustaining role that the continent has played in shaping his life and identity. He also acknowledges the role that Africa has played in the wider world, and the impact that its cultures, traditions, and people have had on humanity as a whole.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama Africa
Referring to Africa as a motherly figure
How are you doing Mama
Inquiry about the current state of Africa
Long time me no see you Mama
It has been a long time since the singer has had a connection with Africa
They took me away from you Mama
The artist was taken away from Africa before they were even born
Long before I was born
The artist was taken away from Africa before they were born
They took me away from you Mama
The singer was taken away from Africa before they were even born
Long before I came on in
The singer was taken away from Africa before they were born
There's so many things about you
There are many things to discover and learn about Africa
Wondering where you are
The artist is unsure of where Africa is currently located
They try their best to hide you Mama
There are attempts to conceal the true beauty and worth of Africa
But I search and I find you
Despite efforts to hide Africa, the singer is able to discover the true essence and value of Africa
In you there's so much beauty
Africa is filled with beauty and splendor
In you there's so much life
Africa is full of vitality and energy
In you there's so many kingdoms
Africa is made up of many unique and diverse cultures and societies
To me it's out of sight
Despite being currently removed from Africa, its wonders remain ever-present in the singer's mind
You're the maker of gold Mama
Africa is a source of precious resources, including gold
You're the maker of diamond
Africa is a source of precious resources, including diamonds
You're the maker of pearls
Africa is a source of precious resources, including pearls
And the maker of all precious goals
Africa is a source of valuable and coveted resources
I've been waiting, yearning, looking
The artist has been eagerly anticipating a reunion with Africa
Searching to find you
The artist is actively searching for Africa
I've been crying, praying hoping
The artist has been emotionally affected by the separation from Africa
That I may find you Mama
The singer hopes to reconnect with Africa
You're my mother Africa
Acknowledging Africa as a maternal figure in the artist's life
You're my father Africa
Acknowledging Africa as a paternal figure in the singer's life
I'm proud of you Mama
The singer holds Africa in high regard and pride
I love you Mama
Expressing love and admiration for Africa as an entity
I'm proud of you Mama
The artist holds Africa in high regard and pride
I love you heavenly
Expressing intense and otherworldly love and admiration for Africa
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETER TOSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mitchell Nobles
on Legalize It
araha del ganja fedelia antoka rastaman arie del rasta
Juan Lantigua
on Legalize It
if love ganja go for it
Abd Al Halim Zargi
on Brand New Second Hand
hchicha hnina
Gosset Yoh
on Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised)
let jah be praised/otherwise,this is whats going to happen. he who got ear, just ear it.
Ali Rifai
on Bush Doctor
good gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood
John Leo Macayran Murillo
on Legalize It
uram nga oka
Nicky Quitania
on Wanted Dread and Alive - 2002 - Remaster
fuking cannabis he ruin my damn world
Maria De Jesus Santos
on Johnny B Goode - 2002 - Remaster
linda musica
Elbe Moreira
on Glass House
é barriu
Alex Severiano
on Burial
TRANQUILIDADE NO TÉMPO TA MASSA KKKKKKKKKKKKKRSRSRSRSR