The band support The Stone Roses at Heaton Park this weekend
Click to view a list of tour dates and buy tickets
Gearing up to supporting the Stone Roses at Heaton Park on all three dates this weekend, The Wailers start their anticipated headline dates next week including a show at London’s O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on Wednesday 4th July.
Together with Bob Marley, The Wailers have sold in excess of 250 million albums worldwide. In England alone, they’ve notched up over twenty chart hits, including seven Top 10 entries. 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. Most recently iconic Manchester band the Stone Roses handpicked the Wailers to support them on their history making reunion shows at Heaton Park, with Ian Brown calling the band “legendary”.
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 of The Wailers formed in 1969, when Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Peter Tosh recruited the Barrett brothers - bassist Aston “Family Man” and drummer Carly - from Lee Perry’s Upsetters to play 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.
The anchor of the band is Aston “Family Man” Barrett, who in addition to being Marley’s most trusted lieutenant, played on countless other classic reggae hits throughout the seventies. The current line-up also features Duane Stephenson and Koolant Brown on Lead Vocals, Keith Sterling on keys, Zeb “Drummy” Williams on drums, Audley Chisholm on rhythm Guitar, Aston Barrett Jr. on percussion/keys, and on backing vocals Roxanne Prince and Cegee Victory.
The Wailers have succeeded in turning a fresh page and they’re ready to make history once more.
Click to view a list of tour dates and buy tickets
Fri, June 29 Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM - Heaton Park [with The Stone Roses]
Sat, June 30 Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM - Heaton Park [with The Stone Roses]
Sun, July 1 Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM - Heaton Park [with The Stone Roses]
Tues, July 3 Bristol, UNITED KINGDOM- Bristol Academy
Wed, July 4 London, UNITED KINGDOM - Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Thurs, July 5 Dublin, IRELAND- Phoenix Park [with The Stone Roses]
Fri, July 6 Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM- Leeds Academy
Sat, July 7 Balado, Kinross, SCOTLAND- T in the Park Festival [with The Stone Roses]
The Wailers are:
Koolant Brown- Lead vocals
Duane Stephenson – Lead Vocals
Aston “Family Man” Barrett – Bass
Keith Sterling – Keyboard
Zeb “Drummy” Williams – Drums
Audley “Chizzy” Chisholm – Rhythm Guitar
Roxanne Prince – Backing vocals
Cegee Victory– Backing vocals
Aston Barrett Jr.- percussion, keys
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www.ilike.com/artist/The+Wailers