The Wailers & The Skatalites in Tucson

The Wailers are a Jamaican reggae band that grew out of Bob Marley’s recording and touring group and continued under longtime bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett. Their repertoire is rooted in songs recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers, including “One Love,” “Three Little Birds,” “No Woman, No Cry” and “Exodus,” while the later lineup also recorded the album One World. In 2005, The Wailers performed at Africa Unite in Addis Ababa, a concert marking the 60th anniversary of Marley’s birth. The band subsequently carried that repertoire through international tours as a full reggae ensemble, guided for decades by Aston “Family Man” Barrett. The Wailers have performed at Glastonbury Festival and at the Spanish reggae gathering Rototom Sunsplash.

The Skatalites are a Jamaican ska band formed in Kingston in 1964. Their horn-led instrumentals include “Guns of Navarone,” “Eastern Standard Time” and “Phoenix City,” and they backed The Wailers on the recording of “Simmer Down.” The original group performed together for roughly a year before separating in 1965. They reunited for Reggae Sunsplash in Montego Bay in 1983, then backed Bunny Wailer on the 1989 Liberation Tour before undertaking their first US headline tour the following year.