There are or have been - at least - two bands named The Wailers:

- … Read Full Bio ↴There are or have been - at least - two bands named The Wailers:

- The legendary Jamaican reggae band (founded as a ska group 1963, and became a Rastafarian reggae band in 1968), renamed Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1974, which are still active led by bassist Aston Barrett after Marley's death in 1981.

- The Fabulous Wailers, a rock and roll and garage band from the USA, active 1958-1969, first led by John Greek, replaced in 1960 by Rockin' Robin Roberts.

1) Bob Marley & The Wailers have together sold in excess of 255 million albums worldwide. Since they are extraordinary popular also in poor countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America with big markets for pirate copies the total amounts of albums sold has been estimated to over 1 billion. In England alone, they've notched up over 20 chart hits, including seven Top 10 entries. In USA on the other hand, Bob Marley & The Wailers reached superstar status only after Marley's death, with the album Legend , focusing on the person Bob Marley but not on the band. Outside of their groundbreaking work with Marley, the Wailers have also played or performed with international acts like Sting, the Fugees, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, and Alpha Blondy, as well as reggae legends such as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Burning Spear. As the greatest living exponents of Jamaica's reggae tradition, the Wailers have completed innumerable other tours, playing to an estimated 24 million people across the globe. They have also been the first reggae band to tour new territories on many occasions, including Africa and the Far East.

Their nucleus formed in 1969, when the vocalist group "The Wailers" (formed 1963 by Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh) requited the talented Barrett brothers: bassist Aston "Family Man" and drummer Carlton (writer of well-known Marley songs like "War" and "Talking Blues", 'sound-maker' of more Marley songs, developer of the one drop style in reggae music) played on hits such as Lively Up Yourself, Trenchtown Rock, Duppy Conqueror, and many more besides. Inspired by Rastafari and their ambitions of reaching an international audience, this is the line-up that pioneered roots rock reggae, and signed to Island Records in 1971. Bunny and Peter left two years later. It was at this point that the in-demand Barrett brothers - whose rhythms also underpinned innumerable seventies' reggae hits by other acts - assumed the title of Wailers, and backed Marley on the group's international breakthrough album, Natty Dread. Under Family Man's musical leadership, they then partnered Bob Marley on the succession of hit singles and albums that made him a global icon, winner of several Lifetime Achievement awards, and Jamaica's best-loved musical superstar.
Drummer Carlton "Carlie" Barrett was murdered 1987, leaving his brother as the main beneficiary of the Wailers' mantle. Subsequent line-ups have revolved around Family Man, who is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest bass players. Modest and unassuming, he was present on all of those unforgettable performances by Bob Marley & The Wailers from the seventies. Family Man continues to be the main axis of the current Wailers - a group that's one of the last, great reggae institutions, yet which refuses to live off past glories. That's because Family Man represents tried and trusted roots authenticity and, along with the Wailers, injects fresh excitement into a show that continues to attract enthusiastic audiences from around the world.

2) The Fabulous Wailers were an American rock band from Tacoma, Washington. Formed around 1958, they are often considered the first garage rock group. They performed a hybrid of saxophone-driven rhythm and blues and Chuck Berry rock and roll.

Five 45s (four released in 1959, including Tall Cool One, and one in 1960) and an LP release, The Fabulous Wailers (released December 1959 on Golden Crest Records), put the Wailers on the national scene. Their 1961 cover of Louie Louie, which they recorded as a backing band for singer Rockin' Roberts, was the first to use the trademark 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3 riff. Their version inspired other groups from the Seattle area, most notably the The Kingsmen of Portland, Oregon, to record the same song. The Fabulous Wailers' influence established the Pacific Northwest area as a center for musical innovation and the home of a long string of regional favorites playing a kind of raunchy, amateur, yet passionate, form of rock and roll, such as The Sonics, with whom they exchanged various band members and who recorded on The Wailers own Etiquette Records label.

They became popular around the United States Pacific Northwest around the late 1950s and the start of the 1960s, performing saxophone-driven R&B and Chuck Berry rock and roll. Their biggest hit was "Tall Cool One", first released in 1959, and they have been credited as being "one of the very first, if not the first, of the American garage bands."

The group was formed – originally as The Nitecaps – in 1958, by five high school friends:

John Greek (27 October 1940 – 6 October 2006) – rhythm guitar, trumpet
Richard Dangel (1 December 1942 – 2 December 2002) – lead guitar
Kent Morrill (2 April 1941 – 15 April 2011) – keyboards, vocals
Mark Marush (15 August 1940 – 9 August 2007) – tenor sax
Mike Burk (b. 1942) – drums
In late 1958, the group recorded a demo of an instrumental written by Dangel, Morrill and Greek, which found its way to Clark Galehouse of New York based Golden Crest Records. He liked the track and had it re-recorded by the band in Lakewood in February 1959; its title "Tall Cool One" was apparently suggested by Morrill's mother. Released as a single, it reached # 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and # 24 on the R&B chart. The band made the cross-country trip to New York to record an LP, The Fabulous Wailers, which was released in December 1959 and featured two vocals by Morrill as well as instrumentals. They also appeared on Dick Clark's nationally televised American Bandstand, and toured the east coast. A second instrumental from their first recording session, "Mau-Mau", made # 68 on the Billboard pop chart, but their third single, "Wailin'", failed to make the chart.

The band decided to return to the Northwest, rather than staying in New York as their record label wished, and they were dropped from their contract. Around the same time, they added lead vocalist "Rockin' Robin" Roberts (Lawrence Fewell Roberts II), a charismatic frontman who had previously been the singer with rival Tacoma band the Bluenotes. John Greek left the group in acrimonious circumstances, and was replaced by bassist John "Buck" Ormsby (Seattle, October 29, 1941 - October 29, 2016). Ormsby, Morrill and Roberts then formed Etiquette Records and, in 1961, the label released its first single, a cover version of Richard Berry's "Louie Louie". For contractual reasons the single was credited to Roberts, but was performed by the whole band. Their recording became a local hit and was distributed nationally by Imperial Records, but did not make the national chart. However, its style, with its trademark 1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3 riff, inspired other groups from the Seattle area, most notably the Kingsmen of Portland, Oregon, to record the same song.

The Wailers continued to perform locally and, according to Morrill, one of their biggest fans was the young Jimi Hendrix, then starting to perform guitar. The band performed both with and without Roberts, who studied at the University of Washington, the University of Puget Sound, and Oregon State University, eventually achieving a masters degree in biochemistry. They also occasionally featured teenage girl singer Gail Harris, notably on the live album The Fabulous Wailers at the Castle, recorded in 1961, which has been described as "undoubtedly one of the most influential albums in Seattle rock & roll history." In all, the band recorded and released four albums on their own Etiquette label between 1962 and 1966, as well as a succession of singles. They also helped instigate the recording career of The Sonics, whose first two albums were issued by the label, and helped begin Jini Dellaccio's career as a rock'n'roll photographer when they hired her to shoot cover photos for their album Wailers, Wailers, Everywhere.

Mark Marush left The Wailers in 1962 and was replaced by Ron Gardner, who also handled lead vocals; Dangel and Burk left in 1964 and were replaced by guitarist Neil Andersson and drummer Dave Roland respectively. Continuing to perform live as well as recording, the band added a trio of girl backing singers, known as the Marshans. Also in 1964, "Tall Cool One" was re-promoted by the Golden Crest label, and again made the Billboard pop chart, this time peaking at # 38. In 1965 Roberts made his final recordings with the group, and, in 1967, guitarist Neil Andersson was replaced by Denny Weaver. Roberts was killed, aged 27, in a car crash in late 1967.

The band split up in 1969, by which time Kent Morrill was the only remaining original member. Morrill, Dangel and Ormsby, with other musicians, reunited as The Wailers for occasional concerts from the 1970s onwards. In 1979, they joined with Burk, Gardner, and Gail Harris to play a reunion show.

Later activities
Ormsby re-established the Etiquette label in the mid-1980s, and issued a Wailers compilation, The Boys from Tacoma, in 1993. The Wailers' song, "Out of Our Tree", was featured in the 1998 CD version of the Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era collection. Several of the Wailers' tunes were also covered by The Ventures, and the two bands released an album together, Two Car Garage, in 2009 to celebrate their 50 years in existence.

Ron Gardner died in 1992. Richard Dangel died of an aneurysm in 2002. John Greek died in 2006, Mark Marush in 2007, and Kent Morrill died of cancer on 15 April 2011. Buck Ormsby died in 2016.

Hold On To This Feeling
The Wailers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Gotta hold on to this feeling
Gotta hold on to this feeling we got
Gotta hold on to this feeling
Gotta hold on to this feeling we got
Gonna blow, blow, blow
Cause we love, love, love, ya now

The day without the shining sun

Is a day without your loving baby
One look, one look and we feel like one
That's how easy we communicate
A sick match can make a fire begin
A simple kiss and I'm warm within man

No how it's got to find guarantee
And then your depends on me
If love, if love could sign a dotted line
You would surely see your name next to mine
To be sure we keep the love we got
Just keep them kisses comin' and
It be all right girl
Gotta hold on to this feeling

Your love, your love got a hold on me now girl
Don't change, don't change and turn cold on me man
No how it's got to find guarantee
Baby your depends on me now
If love, if love could sign a dotted line
You would surely see your name next to mine
To be sure we keep the love we got
Just keep them kisses comin' and
Give me your heart

Gotta hold on to this feeling
Gotta hold on to this feeling we got
I'm a holdin' on
Gotta hold on to this feeling
Gotta hold on to this feeling we got
You can let go if you want to baby

Gotta hold on to this feeling
Gotta hold on to this feeling we got

Overall Meaning

The song "Hold On To This Feeling" by The Wailers is a beautiful love ballad that talks about the essence of love and how it should be held onto tightly. The lyrics suggest that the feeling of love is something worth keeping and not letting go of. The opening lines of the song "Gotta hold on to this feeling, gotta hold on to this feeling we got" emphasize the importance of not letting go of the love that they share. The song suggests that love is something that is not easy to come by, and when you find it, you should hold onto it tightly.

The lyrics further suggest that love is like a fire that needs to be stoked in order to keep burning. The line "Just keep them kisses comin' and it be all right, girl" shows that the physical aspect of love is just as important as the emotional. The song stresses that love should be nurtured and cared for, and that depends on the commitment of both parties.

In conclusion, "Hold On To This Feeling" is a song that celebrates the beauty and essence of love. It suggests that love should be cherished and held onto tightly, and that its preservation rests upon the commitment and love shown by both partners.

Line by Line Meaning

Gotta hold on to this feeling
We need to keep this emotion alive and not let it slip away.

Gotta hold on to this feeling we got
We must cherish the connection we have and maintain it fiercely.

Gonna blow, blow, blow
Our passion is building up and getting ready to burst out.

Cause we love, love, love, ya now
Our strong affection for each other is the reason why our love will survive.

The day without the shining sun
A day without your love is bleak and dismal, as if the sun has disappeared.

Is a day without your loving baby
My world is meaningless without you by my side, showering me with affection.

One look, one look and we feel like one
A single glance unites us completely and we feel as if we are one entity.

That's how easy we communicate
Our connection is so deep and profound that we can understand each other without speaking a word.

A sick match can make a fire begin
Sometimes an unlikely pairing can spark a great passion and ignite our love.

A simple kiss and I'm warm within man
Your kiss is all it takes to fill me with warmth and happiness.

No how it's got to find guarantee
We need to ensure that our love is secure and will last forever.

And then your depends on me
Our love is built on mutual trust and support, and we rely on each other.

If love, if love could sign a dotted line
If our love could be cemented in a legal agreement, it would prove how committed we are to each other.

You would surely see your name next to mine
The contract would show that we are meant to be together, and our love is unbreakable.

To be sure we keep the love we got
We need to work hard to maintain the love we have and not take it for granted.

Just keep them kisses comin' and
Your affectionate kisses are what keep our love strong and flourishing.

It be all right girl
As long as we have each other's love and support, everything will be alright.

Your love, your love got a hold on me now girl
Your love has entranced me and I cannot let go of my feelings for you.

Don't change, don't change and turn cold on me man
I hope that you never change and become distant towards me, abandoning our love.

Give me your heart
Hand over your love to me and let me cherish it forever.

I'm a holdin' on
I am firmly gripping onto our love and will not let go.

You can let go if you want to baby
If you want to end our love, you are free to do so, but I choose to hold on to it forever.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HINTON JOE, JOE HINTON, JOHNNY WILLIAM BRISTOL, PAMELA JOAN SAWYER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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