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Aston "Family Man" Barrett

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For his son, see Aston Barrett Jr.

Aston Barrett
CD
Barrett in 2011
Barrett in 2011
Background information
Birth nameAston Francis Barrett
Also known asFamily Man
Born(1946-11-22)22 November 1946
Kingston, Jamaica
Died3 February 2024(2024-02-03) (aged 77)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
GenresReggae
Occupations
  • Songwriter
  • musician
  • arranger
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Bass guitar
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • percussions
Years active1962–2019
Formerly of

Aston Francis Barrett, CD (22 November 1946 – 3 February 2024), often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, was a Jamaican musician and Rastafarian.[1][2] He was best known as the bandleader of Bob Marley's backing band, as well as co-producer of the albums, and the man in charge of the overall song arrangements.[3]

Early life

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Aston Francis Barrett was born on 22 November 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica.[4] He was the fourth of five children, and first son, of Wilfred and Violet Barrett.[5]

Barrett sang along to soul music as a child, then learned the bass, building his first bass guitar from scratch.[6] As young men, Barrett and his younger brother Carlton earned a meager income as welders while doing session work on the side.[7]

Career

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Along with his brother Carlton on drums, Barrett went on to play with Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Hippy Boys and Lee Perry's The Upsetters.[8]

Mentorship

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Barrett was the mentor and teacher of Robbie Shakespeare of the duo Sly & Robbie.[9]

Equipment

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Barrett played a Fender Jazz Bass and used Acoustic 370 and Ampeg SVT bass amplifiers.[10][11]

Island Records dispute

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In 2006 Barrett filed a lawsuit against Island Records, the Wailers' label, seeking £60 million in unpaid royalties allegedly due him and his now deceased brother. The lawsuit was dismissed.[12] The arguments by Island-Universal and the Marley family was that Barrett surrendered his rights to any further royalties in a 1994 settlement in exchange for several hundred thousand dollars. The judge agreed. As a result he faced about £2 million in legal costs for the trial, forcing him to sell two homes in Jamaica.[13]

Personal life and death

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Nickname

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Barrett's "Family Man" nickname came about before he had any children of his own. Barrett foresaw his role as a band leader and started to call himself "Family Man". He subsequently fathered 41 children: 23 daughters and 18 sons. He also claimed to have 23 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.[14]

Death

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Barrett died of heart failure after a series of strokes in Miami, Florida on 3 February 2024, at the age of 77.[15][16][17]

Influence

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Barrett in 2012

Bass Player magazine has commented that "Perhaps no music evokes the notion of bass and bass tone like reggae and dub, and no two words are more synonymous with those plucking practices than Family Man."[18] Ali Campbell, frontman of UB40, credits Aston Barrett and his brother as the inventors of reggae as we know it, stating, "That all happened before reggae, which kind of happened in about '69, you know, when reggae as we know it was invented by the Barrett brothers, I'd say."[19] Rock musician John Lennon expressed admiration for the unique bass sound originating from Jamaica, while discussing his plans for a comeback album in early 1980 while listening to the Bob Marley & The Wailers album Burnin', stating, "You couldn't get that sound in New York. No way!"[20]

Ziggy Marley, eldest son of Bob Marley, emphasizes the significance of Aston Barrett's bass alongside Carlton's drumming in his father's music, noting, "They have their own style."[21] Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones acknowledges the Wailers' rapid improvement with Barrett's addition on bass.[22] Robbie Shakespeare of Sly & Robbie fame hails Barrett as a master bassist, attributing much of his own success to Barrett's influence.[23]

Awards and recognition

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  • 2012: Lifetime Achievement award from Bass Player Magazine[24]
  • 2020: Selected as number one by the staff of Bass Player Magazine, in their ranking of "20 legendary players who shaped the sound of electric bass"[25]
  • 2021: Received the Jamaican Order of Distinction[26]

Discography (selected)

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Compilations

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  • Familyman in Dub [197X][27]

As producer

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  • Aston Barrett – Familyman in Dub [197X][27]
  • Horace Andy & Winston Jarrett & Wailers – The Kingston Rock [1974][28]
  • Various Artists – Cobra Style [197X][27]
  • Various Artists – Juvenile Delinquent [1981][5]

As engineer

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As musician

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References

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  1. ^ "Lockdown Check-In With Aston "Family Man" Barrett: Aston "Family Man" Barrett". Bass Magazine. May 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Aston "Family Man" Barrett". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  3. ^ Steckles, Garry (June 2006). "Family's fortunes: Aston "Family Man" Barrett". Caribbean Beat. No. 79. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  4. ^ Kaloi, Stephanie (4 February 2024). "Aston 'Family Man' Barrett, Bob Marley & the Wailers Bassist, Dies at 77". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Katz, David (4 February 2024). "Aston 'Family Man' Barrett obituary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  6. ^ Bugel, Safi (3 February 2024). "Aston 'Family Man' Barrett, bassist with Bob Marley and the Wailers, dies aged 77". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  7. ^ White, Timothy (2 May 2006). Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley. Henry Holt and Company. p. 233. ISBN 9780805080865. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  8. ^ Campbell, Howard (20 April 2012). "Aston 'Familyman' Barrett: Rockstone Wailer". The Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  9. ^ Taylor, Angus (26 June 2012). "Interview: Robbie Shakespeare". United Reggae. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  10. ^ Murphy, Bill (6 May 2023). "An interview with Aston "Family Man" Barrett". Bass Player. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  11. ^ Johnson, Kevin (26 June 2014). "Legend: An Interview with Aston "Family Man" Barrett". No Treble. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Marley bassist loses royalty bid". BBC News. 15 May 2006. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  13. ^ Lewis, Paul (16 May 2006). "Wailer with 52 children waits in vain for Marley's millions". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  14. ^ Youngs, Ian (25 September 2013). "Keeping Bob Marley's Legend alive". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  15. ^ Chen, Isabell (3 February 2024). "Reggae Musician Aston "Family Man" Barrett Has Died At Age 77". WMV. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Aston 'Family Man' Barrett, Bassist and Rhythmic Backbone of Bob Marley & The Wailers, Dead at 77". Rolling Stone. 3 February 2024. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d Risen, Clay (7 February 2024). "Aston Barrett, 77, Bass-Playing Force With Bob Marley and Wailers, Dies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  18. ^ "The iconic bassists who developed the sound of low-end as we know it". BassPlayer. 1 January 2020. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  19. ^ "Reggae is as influential as it was in the 60's and 70's". BBC News. 4 February 2011. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  20. ^ Goldman, Albert (1988). The Lives of John Lennon. Bantam Press. p. 644.
  21. ^ Macdonald, Kevin (director) (2012). Marley (Documentary film). Archived from the original on 21 July 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  22. ^ Richards, Keith (2010). Life. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 126.
  23. ^ Rao, Shivu (19 July 2009). "FCJ interviews Sly and Robbie". Fog City Journal. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  24. ^ Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (26 October 2012). "Bass Player honour for 'Family Man'". The Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  25. ^ "The iconic bassists who developed the sound of low-end as we know it". BassPlayer. 1 January 2020. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Honours in order Ernest Ranglin, Aston Barrett, Lt Stitchie, The Mighty Diamonds to receive national awards". Jamaica Gleaner. 8 August 2021. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  27. ^ a b c d T, Mr. (13 April 2018). "Aston "Family Man" Barrett & The Wailers Band – Soul Constitution: Instrumentals & Dubs 1971–1982". Reggae Vibes. Archived from the original on 9 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  28. ^ Magni, Erik (15 July 2016). "Horace Andy and Winston Jarrett – The Kingston Rock". United Reggae. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  29. ^ a b c Mills, Claude (21 September 2022). "Family row deepens over health of Wailers bassist 'Family Man'". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 9 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  30. ^ Sinclair, David (13 April 2023). "Bob Marley & The Wailers – Catch A Fire". UDiscoverMusic. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
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