What do you think?
Rate this book
Wailing Blues: The Story of Bob Marley's Wailers
The story of The Wailers is a litany of betrayal and greed that's rarely been reported elsewhere. Written in collaboration with Family Man and other surviving members, this book reveals the truth behind the Marley legacy.
- GenresMusic
582 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2008
5 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 14, 2021
As good as can be expected given the difficult nature of the assignment. I think the author spent years interviewing Family Man and others and was determined to write the complete history, no matter how many pages. So a 581 page book about Family Man Barrett and the Wailers? Sure. (Also, any book that references underrated drummer Lloyd “Tinleg“ Adams is a must read for me - the pairing of Family Man and Tinleg is one of my favorite rhythm section combinations in Jamaican music.)
Specifics aside (and there are enough of them to satisfy even knowledgeable Jamaican music aficionados), this is a fairly essential document of the career of Bob and the Wailers and Jamaican music in the 1970s, a sad portrayal of the demise of the Wailers and the subsequent mistreatment and heartbreak.
It doesn’t end well: Fams is left with nothing, his father and brother are murdered, Bob becomes a product and Chris Blackwell opens luxury resorts that no Jamaican can afford.
Fams comes across as a humble hero. The only thing I can fault him for is not signing an agreement that may have compensated him with some degree of adequacy, but may very well not have. I am left with sadness regarding the mistreatment of him and the other band members, but especially Fams, given the huge, critical and hard-working role he played in shaping and sustaining Bob (and the Wailers) career(s). He was just as much of an artist as Bob.
A somewhat tragic but informative tale and a detailed must for anyone interested in Bob, the Wailers or Jamaican music.
Specifics aside (and there are enough of them to satisfy even knowledgeable Jamaican music aficionados), this is a fairly essential document of the career of Bob and the Wailers and Jamaican music in the 1970s, a sad portrayal of the demise of the Wailers and the subsequent mistreatment and heartbreak.
It doesn’t end well: Fams is left with nothing, his father and brother are murdered, Bob becomes a product and Chris Blackwell opens luxury resorts that no Jamaican can afford.
Fams comes across as a humble hero. The only thing I can fault him for is not signing an agreement that may have compensated him with some degree of adequacy, but may very well not have. I am left with sadness regarding the mistreatment of him and the other band members, but especially Fams, given the huge, critical and hard-working role he played in shaping and sustaining Bob (and the Wailers) career(s). He was just as much of an artist as Bob.
A somewhat tragic but informative tale and a detailed must for anyone interested in Bob, the Wailers or Jamaican music.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2011
There are many books about Bob Marley available to fill a fan's book shelf but not to many on the men who made up the Wailers portion of Bob Marley and the Wailers. You really learn about how involved in the creation of the Reggae sound Aston "Family Man" Barrett and also how he helped Marley find the sound that has made him into the icon he is today.
This is an involved read and Mr. Masouri did a great job of giving the story of the Wailers from the beginning of making their own instruments, to playing in as many studio jobs around Jamaica, creating music with Marley and touring and ending with the legal battles between the Wailers and Marley family.
Once again if your interested in Bob Marley or reggae this is a book to pick up and give a read.
This is an involved read and Mr. Masouri did a great job of giving the story of the Wailers from the beginning of making their own instruments, to playing in as many studio jobs around Jamaica, creating music with Marley and touring and ending with the legal battles between the Wailers and Marley family.
Once again if your interested in Bob Marley or reggae this is a book to pick up and give a read.
November 23, 2021
This is as much a biography of Aston Family Man Barrett as a book about the Wailers - or at least it is mainly based around Barrett's experiences and perception of events.
Well researched and exhaustive, it does tend to divert off into other musical projects that Barrett was involved in, so is probably only for diehards.
John Masouri has had to wrestle with a lot of people's wildly differing views of what happened over the course of the Wailers' existence, and for the most part he's been able to keep things fairly impartial. But if one believes Barrett's line, then the success of the Bob Marley project was as much down to him as about Bob himself.
One underlying gripe: a book of this kind and length really ought to have an index.
Well researched and exhaustive, it does tend to divert off into other musical projects that Barrett was involved in, so is probably only for diehards.
John Masouri has had to wrestle with a lot of people's wildly differing views of what happened over the course of the Wailers' existence, and for the most part he's been able to keep things fairly impartial. But if one believes Barrett's line, then the success of the Bob Marley project was as much down to him as about Bob himself.
One underlying gripe: a book of this kind and length really ought to have an index.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews