cover image The Natural Mystics: Marley, Tosh, and Wailer

The Natural Mystics: Marley, Tosh, and Wailer

Colin Grant. Norton, $26.95 (320p) ISBN 978-0-393-08117-6

In this well-researched biography, Grant takes a fascinating journey through Jamaican history with a focus on the lives of the three young men who would become the reggae sensation, The Wailers. The story begins with the Frome Rebellion of 1938 and ends with the death of Bob Marley to cancer in 1981 and the murder of Peter Tosh just a few years later. Historic moments in Jamaican history are recounted vividly, including the burial of Marcus Garvey, the focus of Grant's first book (Negro with a Hat) and the man who helped inspire Marley's "Redemption Song," as well as the 1966 visit of Ethiopia's Haile Selassie I. Grant assembles a wide cast of interesting characters, including Mortimo Planno, credited with "[planting] the seed of Rastafari in the souls of young men and women," and record producer Chris Blackwell of Island Records. Grant completely captures the personalities of his three main players, both within the group and later as they moved into solo projects. In addition to the many sources consulted, Grant also traveled to Kingston and interviewed important figures like Professor Frederick Hickling and producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. The epilogue features a brief and nearly impossible to procure interview with the only surviving band member, Bunny Wailer. (June)