The Wailers Band

The Wailers Band is a reggae band formed by former members of Bob Marley and the Wailers after his death in 1981, one of several spinoffs from Marley's original group.

After Marley, death of Carly Barrett, and Marvin's departure (1981-1997)
After the death of Bob Marley in 1981, the Wailers continued, led by Aston "Familyman" Barrett and Junior Marvin. The band played a heavy worldwide touring schedule and recorded as backing band with several singers. Carlton "Carly" Barrett, 36, was murdered at his Jamaica home in 1987; despite this, and with a majority of the original musician lineup, they released their first album after Marley's death, I.D., in 1989. They followed up with an additional two studio albums, Majestic Warriors in 1991 and JAH Message in 1994. In addition to these three studio albums, a live album consisting of live performances of the band between the years of 1995 and 1997 was released as My Friends in 1997. Junior Marvin departed the band to pursue solo work after this album and what was described as a disappointing 1997 tour.

Lineup changes, newfound competition, and success (1998-2008)
In 1998, Gary Pine joined the band's lineup as lead singer after Junior Marvin's departure. In 2003 the band released a live DVD titled The Wailers - Live and followed it up in 2006 with the live album Legend - Live.

In 2008, Junior Marvin joined another former Wailer, Al Anderson, in another Marley spinoff known as The Original Wailers, but left in 2011 to form The Legendary Wailers. That same year the Wailers Band were guests on the Kenny Chesney single "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven"; the single proved successful, topping the US Country charts and peaking at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Legend Tour and Wailers Reunited (2014-2016)
In 2014, The Wailers Band embarked on a worldwide tour marking the 30th anniversary of the release of the Legend compilation.

In 2015, Aston "Familyman" Barrett began the process of reuniting past members of the Wailers, using the name the Wailers Reunited. Shows occurred in South America which included past members such as Aston "Familyman" Barrett, Junior Marvin, Al Anderson, and Tyrone Downie. In 2015 the Wailers Band performed in India for the first time. A US and UK tour took place in 2016, after which "Familyman" Barrett retired from the group; despite this, he would be included as an official member well into 2020. His son and Wailers drummer, Aston Barrett Jr took over as leader of the band.

One World and death of Familyman (2020 to present)
On August 21, 2020, the group released the album One World, their first studio album in twenty-six years. This was the first studio album released that contained a lineup without any of the original musicians in the band's lineup; the album, however, did receive contributions from the trio the I Threes, Marley's backing vocalists.

Aston "Family Man" Barrett died on 3 February, 2024.

Current members

 * Aston Barrett Jr. - drums, vocals
 * Mitchell Brunnings - lead vocals
 * Wendell "Junior Jazz" Ferraro - guitar, vocals
 * Owen "Dreadie" Reid - bass
 * Andres "Ipez" Lopez - keys
 * Teena "Tamara" Barnes - vocals
 * Leonard "Lennie" Chen - "vibes man"

Former members

 * Aston "Familyman" Barrett - bass (1972 to 2016; non-touring member 2016 to 2020; died 2024)
 * Donald Kinsey - lead guitar (died 2024)
 * Junior Marvin - guitar, vocals (1977 to 1997)
 * Carlton Barrett - drums (1972 to 1987; died 1987)
 * Seeco Patterson - percussion (died 2021)
 * Tyrone Downie - keyboards (died 2021)
 * Earl Lindo - keyboards, guitar (died 2017)
 * Al Anderson - guitar
 * Gary Pine - vocals (1998 to 2006)
 * Joe Yamanaka - vocals (1981 to 1987?; died 2011)
 * Elan Atias - vocals (1997 to 2010)
 * Josh Barrett - lead vocals
 * Glen Dacosta - saxophone

Studio albums

 * I.D. (1989)
 * Majestic Warriors (1991)
 * Jah Message (1994)
 * One World (2020)

Live albums

 * My Friends (Live '95-'97) (1997)
 * Live at Maritime Hall (1999)
 * Live In Jamaica (2001)
 * The Wailers Live (2003) (DVD)
 * Legend Live (2006)

With other artists

 * Reggae Vibration with Joe Yamanaka (1982)
 * Reggae Vibration 2 with Joe Yamanaka (1983)
 * It's About Time, with John Denver (1983)
 * Reggae Vibration 3 with Joe Yamanaka (1984)
 * ''Watchful Eyes Acclaimed LP for Jah Mel (1983)
 * International Farmer, Peter Broggs feat. the Wailers (1985)
 * "Makisupa Policeman" for Sharin' in the Groove (2001)
 * My Beautiful Garden, Donald & Lulu with The Wailers (1982)
 * Jerusalem (Alpha Blondy album) (1986)
 * Inkarnation, Iya Karna album with the Wailers (1986)
 * Real Joy, Ludovic DeBarboza And The Wailers (1987)
 * "A Step for Mankind" with Duane Stephenson & Bishop Lamont, Solutions for Dreamers: Season 3 (2010)
 * HiFi Calypso, with Karl Zéro (2004)