- … 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 β originally as The Nitecaps β in 1958, by five high school friends:
John Greek (27 October 1940 β 6 October 2006) β rhythm guitar, trumpet
Richard Dangel (1 December 1942 β 2 December 2002) β lead guitar
Kent Morrill (2 April 1941 β 15 April 2011) β keyboards, vocals
Mark Marush (15 August 1940 β 9 August 2007) β tenor sax
Mike Burk (b. 1942) β 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.
Pass It On
The Wailers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's your own eyes that've seen
So won't you judge your actions
To make sure the results are clean?
It's your own conscience
That is gonna remind you
That it's your heart and nobody else's
That is gonna judge
Be not selfish in your doings
Pass it on (Pass it on, children)
Help your brothers (help them) in their needs
Pass it on
Live for yourself and you will live in vain
Live for others, you will live again
In the kingdom of Jah
Man shall reign
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on
What's in the darkness
Must be revealed to light
We're not here to judge what's good from bad
But to do the things that are right
On a hot, sunny day
Follow the shadows for rescue
But as the day grows old
I know the sun is gonna find you
Be not selfish in your doings
Pass it on
Help your brothers in their needs
Pass it on
Live for yourself, you will live in vain
Live for others, you will live again
In the kingdom of Jah
Man shall reign
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on (Pass it on)
This song, Pass It On by The Wailers, is a call to action for listeners to live selflessly and to be mindful of their actions. The chorus encourages listeners to help their brothers in need and to pass on kindness and positivity to others. The lyrics remind us that each individual has the power to make a positive impact in the world through their actions.
The opening lines of the song are a call for accountability. What your hands do, it's your own eyes that have seen, so judge your actions to ensure that the results are clean. This is a reminder that we are responsible for our actions and must be mindful of the decisions we make. The song goes on to emphasize that it is our own conscience that will remind us of this responsibility, and that our own heart is the judge of our actions.
The second verse explores the idea that we are not here to judge what is good from bad, but rather to do what is right. This is a powerful message that calls on listeners to prioritize kindness, compassion, and empathy in their interactions with others. Ultimately, the chorus urges listeners to live for others and not just themselves, and to pass on positivity to create a world where "man shall reign" in the kingdom of Jah.
Line by Line Meaning
What your hands do
The actions you take with your hands are crucial.
It's your own eyes that've seen
You have personally witnessed your actions and their consequences.
So won't you judge your actions
You must evaluate your actions and their impact.
To make sure the results are clean?
Ensure that the results of your actions are positive and beneficial.
It's your own conscience
Your conscience is a powerful force.
That is gonna remind you
Your conscience will keep you accountable.
That it's your heart and nobody else's
Your sense of right and wrong should be your own.
That is gonna judge
Ultimately, your actions will be evaluated by your own conscience.
Be not selfish in your doings
It is important to act selflessly.
Pass it on (Pass it on, children)
Share your selflessness with others and teach them to do the same.
Help your brothers (help them) in their needs
Assist those in need and offer help to your fellow human beings.
Live for yourself and you will live in vain
Living solely for yourself is ultimately fruitless and unfulfilling.
Live for others, you will live again
By dedicating oneself to others, one will find a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
In the kingdom of Jah
In a world based on love and compassion.
Man shall reign
Humanity will flourish and thrive.
Pass it on
Continue to spread love, compassion, and selflessness.
What's in the darkness
The hidden aspects of our lives.
Must be revealed to light
We must bring these hidden aspects to the surface and confront them.
We're not here to judge what's good from bad
We should not be concerned with evaluating others or their actions.
But to do the things that are right
We should focus on doing what is ethical and moral.
On a hot, sunny day
Amidst a time of comfort and ease.
Follow the shadows for rescue
Trust in the guidance of those wiser and more experienced for direction.
But as the day grows old
As time passes and things become more difficult.
I know the sun is gonna find you
Believe that you will find comfort and guidance even in trying times.
Pass it on (Pass it on)
Spread positivity and kindness to others.
Lyrics Β© PEER MUSIC
Written by: NEVILLE LIVINGSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zbenhamida
"Pass It On"
What your hands do,
It's your own eyes that've seen.
So won't you judge your actions
To make sure the results are clean?
It's your own conscience
That is gonna remind you
That it's your heart and nobody else's
That is gonna judge.
Be not selfish in your doings:
Pass it on. (Pass it on, children)
Help your brothers (help them) in their needs:
Pass it on.
Live for yourself and you will live in vain;
Live for others, you will live again.
In the kingdom of Jah,
Man shall reign.
Pass it on;
Pass it on;
Pass it on;
Pass it on.
What's in the darkness
Must be revealed to light.
We're not here to judge what's good from bad
But to do the things that are right.
On a hot, sunny day,
Follow the shadows for rescue.
But as the day grows old,
I know the sun is gonna find you.
Be not selfish in your doings:
Pass it on.
Help your brothers in their needs:
Pass it on.
Live for yourself, you will live in vain;
Live for others, you will live again.
In the kingdom of Jah,
Man shall reign.
Pass it on;
Pass it on;
Pass it on;
Pass it on. (Pass it on)
@kevin54469
What your hands do
It's your own eyes that've seen
So won't you judge your actions
To make sure the results are clean?
It's your own conscience
That is gonna remind you
That it's your heart and nobody else's
That is gonna judge
Be not selfish in your doings
Pass it on (pass it on, children)
Help your brothers (help them) in their needs
Pass it on
Live for yourself and you will live in vain
Live for others, you will live again
In the kingdom of Jah
Man shall reign
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on
What's in the darkness
Must be revealed to light
We're not here to judge what's good from bad
But to do the things that are right
On a hot, sunny day
Follow the shadows for rescue
But as the day grows old
I know the sun is gonna find you
Be not selfish in your doings
Pass it on
Help your brothers in their needs
Pass it on
Live for yourself, you will live in vain
Live for others, you will live again
In the kingdom of Jah
Man shall reign
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on (pass it on)
@primeracalledelasoledad8439
What your hands do,
It's your own eyes that've seen.
So won't you judge your actions
To make sure the results are clean?
It's your own conscience
That is gonna remind you
That it's your heart and nobody else's
That is gonna judge.
Be not selfish in your doings:
Pass it on. (Pass it on, children)
Help your brothers (help them) in their needs:
Pass it on.
Live for yourself and you will live in vain;
Live for others, you will live again.
In the kingdom of Jah,
Man shall reign.
Pass it on;
Pass it on;
Pass it on;
Pass it on.
What's in the darkness
Must be revealed to light.
We're not here to judge what's good from bad
But to do the things that are right.
On a hot, sunny day,
Follow the shadows for rescue.
But as the day grows old,
I know the sun is gonna find you.
Be not selfish in your doings:
Pass it on.
Help your brothers in their needs:
Pass it on.
Live for yourself, you will live in vain;
Live for others, you will live again.
In the kingdom of Jah,
Man shall reign.
Pass it on;
Pass it on;
Pass it on;
Pass it on. (Pass it on)
@keithh.burgess9774
RIP Neville O'Riley Livingston, OM aka Bunny Wailer.
@wesleyhempoli5548
Yes, losing bunny hurt so bad. I was sad about it all that month because he was the last one and that marked the official end of the greatest era of reggae that ever was....and that ever will be...EVER! But after awhile i accepted that ALL things pass and the legend of bob, peter and bunny will endure through the gifts they left for us here on earth... Pass it on!!
@benjaminakem
"Be not selfish in your doing, pass it on...help your brothers in their needs...live for yourself, you will live in vain... live for others, you will live again (in eternity)...in the Kingdom of Jah (God), man shall reign...". What a way to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ!... RIP Robert Nesta Marley.
@Davidpradoreis
if everyone realy lives wath this song says, Jesus will be happy with us
@JJShalashaska
Bunny:Greatest singing technique.
Peter: Most beautiful voice
Bob: Greatest writing and communicating skills
The Wailer all together: Paradise!
@aitmbarekkarim8545
Oui mon frère. ..ils étaient les vrai wailers ...leurs chorale. ....top....
@leona9877
Bob Marley King of reggae
@JavierRivera-gs5kn
Who sings?...bunny?
@JJShalashaska
They are all great, but about the beauty of the voice I prefer Peter, even if Bunny was the singer with better technique. As a songwriter, I prefer Bob. But they are Three Kings!
@lawrencenjawe9875
Bunny Wailer in my opinion had a wider vocal range delving into the depths of lower baritones.. to feathery vocals as on the track "Hallelujah Time". Bob's voice was greyish and possessed an emotional quality which the other 2 didn't have... And all 3 could be fiery depending on the mood and theme of the tracks they performed.