Unsung Reggae Heartbeat (Peter Tosh)

Artwork by KavionArt - www.kavionart.com

Peter Tosh was born Winston McIntosh Oct. 19, 1944, in Westmoreland Jamaica. Tosh had a rough childhood. Abandoned by his parents, he moved around from relative to relative. He fell in love with music early &  taught himself to play the guitar by watching others play. He moved to Trench town as a teen where he met two other aspiring musicians Bob Marley & Bunny Wailer in the early 1960s. The trio would form a group called the Wailing Wailers. Tosh was the key member in the group's early stages simply because he was the only one that knew how to play any instruments. Under the tutelage of Joe Higgs, the three developed their love for music. In 1964,  the Wailers had their first success as a group with the ska song  "Simmer Down". They would go on to record some of the first know Reggae songs. 

The 1970s brought the Wailers a major record contract with Chris Blackwell & Island records releasing their first official album Catch a Fire in 1973. The record contract & release of the first album brought the group international success.

This would also mark the end of The Wailers as a group. Tosh & Bunny Wailer would leave the group in 1974, citing unfair treatment by label head Chris Blackwell. Bob Marley would go on to become an international superstar as a solo artist. Tosh established himself as solo artsit & signed with Rolling Stones Record releasing the albums Bush Doctor in 1978, Mystic Man in 1979, Wanted Dead & Alive in 1981, & Mama Africa in 1983. Throughout his career,  Tosh stayed a devoted rastafarian militant. He spoke out against any injustices fought vehemently for the legalization of marijuana. 

In 1984, he stepped away from music again & focused more on life aa s family man, rastafarian, & activist. Two years later he came back to music rejuvenated & would win the Grammy for best reggae performance in 1987 for his album No Nuclear War. No Nuclear War would be his final album. Tosh would be tortured & brutally murder during a home invasion & robbery at his home on September 11, 1987, along with two other associates, Wilton Brown & Jeff Dixon. The gunmen demanded the money Tosh spoke about earlier on the radio that he had received for his new record contract. Money that Tosh did not have at his home.

Peter Tosh always spoke of reggae as the heart beat of the people. He will always be recognized as a critical part of the foundation of Reggae music. Today we celebrate Peter Tosh as Reggae’s heartbeat. 

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