Peter Tosh

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Peter Tosh
Peter Tosh (left) on the Bush Doctor tour, 1978
Peter Tosh (left) on the Bush Doctor tour, 1978
Background information
Birth name Winston Hubert McIntosh
Also known as Stepping Razor
Born October 9, 1944
Origin Westmoreland, Jamaica
Died September 11, 1987 (aged 42)
Genre(s) reggae, ska, rocksteady, R&B
Occupation(s) singer, musician, revolutionary
Instrument(s) piano, guitar, among others
Label(s) Intel-Diplo
Associated acts The Wailers

Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh (October 9, 1944 – September 11, 1987) was the guitarist in the original Wailing Wailers, a reggae musician, and a trailblazer for the Rastafari movement.

Tosh grew up in the Kingston, Jamaica slum of Trenchtown. He stood out because of his height at 6 feet, 4 inches. His short-fuse temper and unveiled sarcasm usually kept him in trouble, earning him the nickname Stepping Razor after a song written by Joe Higgs, an early mentor. He began to sing and learn guitar at a young age, inspired by the American stations he could pick up on his radio. After an illustrious career with the Wailers and as a solo musician, he was murdered at his home. Though robbery was officially said to be the motivation behind Tosh's death, many believe that there were ulterior motives to the killing, citing that nothing was taken from the house[1].

Contents

[edit] With The Wailers

In the early 1960s Tosh met Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer through his vocal teacher, Joe Higgs, and after perfecting his harmonies with Marley and Wailer, he taught Marley to play the guitar. In 1962, he was the driving force[citation needed] behind the trio's formation of The Wailing Wailers with Junior Braithwaite and backup singers Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith. The Wailing Wailers had a huge 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 America with his mother, but he returned to Jamaica in early 1967 with a renewed interest in music and a new spirituality. McIntosh and Bunny were already Rastafarians when Marley returned from the U.S., and the three became heavily involved in the Rastafari movement. Soon afterwards, they renamed the group The Wailers.

Veering away from the up-tempo dance of ska, the band slowed down to a rocksteady pace, and infused their lyrics with political and social messages. The Wailers penned several songs for the American born singer Johnny Nash before teaming up with production wizard Lee Perry to record some of reggae's earliest hits including "Soul Rebel," "Duppy Conqueror" and "Small Axe." With the addition of bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett and his brother, drummer Carlton in 1970, The Wailers became Caribbean superstars. The band signed a recording contract with Chris Blackwell and Island Records and released their debut, Catch a Fire, in 1973, following it up with Burnin' the same year.

In 1973, Tosh was driving home with his then-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. He survived, but became even harder to deal with. After Island Records president Chris Blackwell refused to issue his solo album in 1974, the volatile Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the Wailers, citing the unfair treatment they received from Blackwell, whom Tosh often referred to as 'Whiteworst'.

[edit] Solo career

Tosh began recording under the name Peter Tosh, and released his solo debut, Legalize It, in 1976 on CBS Records. The title track soon became an anthem for the marijuana movement and was a favourite at Tosh's concerts. As Marley preached his "One Love" message, Tosh railed against the hypocritical "shitstem," and became a favorite target of the Jamaican police. He proudly wore his scars that he had received from the beatings he endured. Always taking the militant approach, he released Equal Rights in 1977. Tosh put together a backing band, Word, Sound and Power who were to accompany him on tour for the next few years, and many of whom appeared on his albums of this period.[1]

Peter Tosh with Robbie Shakespeare, 1978
Peter Tosh with Robbie Shakespeare, 1978

In the free One Love Peace Concert in 1978, first Tosh lambasted the audience, including attending dignitaries, with political demands that included legalizing cannabis. He did this while smoking a spliff, a criminal act in Jamaica. Bob Marley asked both then-Prime Minister Michael Manley, and opposition leader Edward Seaga onto the stage; and a famous picture was taken with all three of them holding their hands together above their heads in a symbolic gesture of peace during what had been a very violent election campaign.

Bush Doctor (1978), Mystic Man (1979), and Wanted Dread and Alive (1981) followed. Released on the Rolling Stones' own record label, Tosh tried to gain some mainstream success while keeping his militant views, but was largely unsuccessful, especially compared to Marley's achievements. That same year, Tosh appeared in the Stones' video, Waiting on a Friend.

After the release of 1983's 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 also participated in the international opposition to South African apartheid by appearing at Anti-Apartheid concerts and by reflecting his stance in various songs like "Apartheid" (1977, re-recorded 1987), "Equal Rights" (1977), "Fight On" (1979), and "Not Gonna Give It Up" (1983).

[edit] Death

In 1987, Tosh appeared to be on the way to a career revival. He was awarded a Grammy for Best Reggae Performance in 1987 for No Nuclear War. However on September 11, 1987 a three-man gang came to his house demanding money, and when Tosh replied that he did not have any with him he was shot dead, along with disk jockey Jeff "Free I" Dixon. The leader of the gang was Dennis 'Leppo' Lobban, a man whom Peter had befriended and tried to help find work after a long jail sentence. Leppo turned himself over to the authorities, and was tried and convicted in the shortest jury deliberation in Jamaican history: eleven minutes. He was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted in 1995 and he remains in prison.[2] Neither of his two alleged accomplices were found, though rumors persist that both were gunned down in the streets.[citation needed]

[edit] Vocabulary

Tosh's sarcastic outlook on the world carried over to his lyrics. He would merrily twist words around to better reflect his true feelings[3]. This language was later emulated by many reggae musicians, including Marley[4].

Examples:

  • "America" -> "Asadica"
  • "Buckingham" -> "Buk-In-Hamm"
  • "Christopher Columbus" -> "Christ-t'ief Come-rob-us"
  • "City" -> "Shitty"
  • "Disc jockey" -> "District johncrow" (johncrow is a Jamaican vulture)
  • "Germany" -> "Germs-many"
  • "Judge" -> "Grudge"
  • "Kingston" -> "Killsome"
  • "L.A." -> "Hell A" (Los Angeles)
  • "Lawyer" -> "Liar"
  • "LSD" -> "Lucifer Son of Devil" (referred to as the drug of the devil)
  • "Managers" -> "Damagers"
  • "Marco Polo" -> "Marc O. Polio"
  • "New York City" -> "Boo York Shitty"
  • "Politics" -> "Politricks"
  • "Prime Ministers" -> "Crime Ministers"
  • "Situation" -> "Shituation"
  • "System" -> "Shitstem"
  • "Technology" -> "Tricknology"
  • "Trinidad" -> "Trinibad"
  • "Producer" -> "Reducer"
  • "Unicycle" -> I'n'I-cycle"

Also Tosh was known for his excessive use of words like "bumbo klaat", "rasclaat" and "bloodclaat", which have the same significance in Jamaica as the word fuck in the rest of the English-speaking world.

[edit] See also

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Live albums

  • Captured Live (1984)
  • Live at the One Love Peace Concert (2000)
  • Live & Dangerous: Boston 1976 (2001)
  • Live At The Jamaica World Music Festival 1982 (2002)
  • Complete Captured Live (2004)

[edit] Compilations

These are the highest rated compilation albums on All Music Guide.

  • Collection Gold (1994)
  • The Toughest (1996)
  • The Best of Peter Tosh - Dread Don't Die (1996)
  • Honorary Citizen (1997)
  • Scrolls Of The Prophet: The Best of Peter Tosh (1999)
  • Arise Black Man (1999)
  • The Essential Peter Tosh - the Columbia Years (2003)
  • Talking Revolution (2005)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Peter Tosh - Biography
  2. ^ Ivan impacts on celebrations for Peter Tosh - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM
  3. ^ IntelligentDiplomat.free.fr - Dictionary
  4. ^ An example is the word "birth cerfi-ticket" (instead of "birth certificate") from the lyrics of Marley's song Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)

[edit] External links