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Note to reggae fans: There are currently two bands touring as The Wailers. The first is The Wailers Band, which was formed by Bob Marley as his backing band after the first group of the same name (which included Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh) disbanded in 1974. After Marley passed in 1981, the band soldiered on under the leadership of guitarist Junior Marvin and bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett. Today, Barrett is the sole musician in the group who actually played with Marley.
Marvin, meanwhile, left those Wailers in 1997 to pursue a solo career and enjoyed moderate success on his own until 2008. That’s when he decided to join forces with Al Anderson, who played with both Tosh and Marley, to form the Original Wailers—a name likely based on the fact that two former members of Marley’s band are in this group. No word if Barrett is planning to sue these Wailers over the group’s name, but he did unsuccessfully take Island Records to court over unpaid royalties in 2006.
In the meantime, Wailers fans face a similar dilemma that devotees of Asia, L.A. Guns, the Platters and other groups touring (and squabbling) under the same name face.
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