THROWBACK THURSDAY: REMEMBERING ANOTHER RAGGAE LEGEND, PETER TOSH 29 YEARS ON

Last Sunday makes it exactly 29 years ago that The Reggae Superstar, Peter Tosh, was murdered during a home invasion. Peter Tosh, OM was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley) and Neville O'Reilly Livingston (Bunny Wailer), he was one of the core members of the band THE WAILERS (1963-1974), after which he established himself as a successful solo artist and a promoter of Rastafari.

Life History

Peter Tosh, (born Winston Hubert McIntosh; October 19, 1944, Grange Hill, Jamaica) in Westmoreland Jamaica, the nation's westernmost parish. He was abandoned by his parents and "shuffled among relatives." When McIntosh was fifteen, his aunt died and he moved to Trench Town in Kingston, Jamaica. He first picked up a guitar by watching a man in the country play a song that captivated him. He watched the man play the same song for half a day, memorizing everything his fingers were doing. He then picked up the guitar and played the song back to the man. The man then asked McIntosh who had taught him to play; McIntosh told him that he had. During the early 1960s Tosh met Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley) and Neville O'Reilly Livingston (Bunny Wailer) and went to vocal teacher Joe Higgs, who gave out free vocal lessons to young people, in hopes to form a new band. He then changed his name to become Peter Tosh and the trio started singing together in 1962. Higgs taught the trio to harmonize and while developing their music, they would often play on the street corners of Trenchtown.

In 1964 Tosh helped organize the band The Wailing Wailers, with Junior Braithwaite, a falsetto singer, and backup singers Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith. Initially, Tosh was the only one in the group who could play musical instruments. According to Bunny Wailer, Tosh was critical to the band because he was a self-taught guitarist and keyboardist, and thus became an inspiration for the other band members to learn to play. The Wailing Wailers had a major ska hit with their first single, "Simmer Down", and recorded several more successful singles before Braithwaite, Kelso and Smith left the band in late 1965. Marley spent much of 1966 in Delaware in the United States of America with his mother, Cedella (Malcolm) Marley-Booker and for a brief time was working at a nearby Chrysler factory. He then returned to Jamaica in early 1967 with a renewed interest in music and a new spirituality. Tosh and Bunny were already Rastafarians when Marley returned from the U.S., and the three became very involved with the Rastafari faith. Soon afterwards, they renamed the musical group The Wailers. Tosh would explain later that they chose the name Wailers because to "wail" means to mourn or to, as he put it, "...express one's feelings vocally". He also claims that he was the beginning of the group, and that it was he who first taught Bob Marley the guitar. The latter claim may very well be true, for according to Bunny Wailer, the early Wailers learned to play instruments from Tosh. In 1973, Tosh was driving home with his girlfriend Evonne when his car was hit by another car driving on the wrong side of the road. The accident killed Evonne and severely fractured Tosh's skull. He survived, but became more difficult to deal with. After Island Records President Chris Blackwell refused to issue his solo album in 1974, Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the Wailers, citing the unfair treatment they received from Blackwell, to whom Tosh often referred with a derogatory play on Blackwell's surname, 'Whiteworst'. Tosh had written many of the Wailers' hit songs such as "Get Up, Stand Up", "400 Years", and "No Sympathy".

Solo career

Tosh began recording and released his solo debut, Legalize It, in 1976 with CBS Records Company. The title track soon became popular among endorsers of marijuana legalization, reggae music lovers and Rastafari all over the world, and was a favourite at Tosh's concerts. His second album Equal Rights followed in 1977.

Tosh organized a backing band, Word, Sound and Power, who were to accompany him on tour for the next few years, and many of whom performed on his albums of this period. In 1978 the Rolling Stones record label Rolling Stones Records contracted with Tosh, on which the album Bush Doctor was released, introducing Tosh to a larger audience. The album featured Rolling Stones frontmen Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the lead single – a cover version of The Temptations song "Don't Look Back" – was performed as a duet with Jagger. It made Tosh one of the best-known reggae artists.

During Bob Marley's free One Love Peace Concert of 1978, Tosh lit a marijuana spliff and lectured about legalizing cannabis, lambasting attending dignitaries Michael Manley and Edward Seaga for their failure to enact such legislation. Several months later he was apprehended by police as he left Skateland dance hall in Kingston and was beaten severely while in police custody

Mystic Man (1979), and Wanted Dread and Alive (1981) followed, both released on Rolling Stones Records. Tosh tried to gain some mainstream success while keeping his militant views, but was only moderately successful, especially when compared to Marley's achievements. That same year, Tosh appeared in the Rolling Stones' video waiting on a Friend.

In 1984, after the release of 1983's album Mama Africa, Tosh went into self-imposed exile, seeking the spiritual advice of traditional medicine men in Africa, and trying to free himself from recording agreements that distributed his records in South Africa.[citation needed] Tosh had been at odds for several years with his label, EMI, over a perceived lack of promotion for his music.

Tosh also participated in the international opposition to South African apartheid by appearing at Anti-Apartheid concerts and by conveying his opinion in various songs like "Apartheid" (1977, re-recorded 1987), "Equal Rights" (1977), "Fight On" (1979), and "Not Gonna Give It Up" (1983). In 1987, Peter Tosh seemed to be having a career revival. He was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Performance in 1987 for No Nuclear War, his last record.

HIS DEATH

On the night of September 11, 1987, he and two other gunmen entered the home, robbed all the persons there, then shot and killed Tosh, Free I and Wilton Brown. Marlene Brown, who was also shot, played dead and survived.Indeed, all the persons present, were shot, after being ordered to lie face down on the floor.The popular word on the street was that Lobban felt betrayed after allegedly serving jail time in place of Tosh.

 But that was not the evidence that came out in court. Tosh had fed, nurtured and even provided a new bed for Lobban, who had recently been released from prison. Lobban had been allowed to visit the Barbican Road residence from time to time and had even become familiar with the trained dogs therein.Dennis “Leppo” Lobban appeared in court later, looking like the victim rather than the cruel monster the prosecution was seeking to prove that he was. Attorney R L Williams was representing him.

It was Marlene Brown's testimony that about 7:30 pm on September 11, 1987, Tosh and she were at home with friends, enjoying a private, peaceful evening watching a programme by satellite, in their living room. Amidst drinks and subdued laughter, the night's quietude was shattered by the unexpected entry of “Leppo” Lobban, accompanied by two gunmen, hitherto unknown to her. Lobban was toting a gun. They were ordered to “belly it”. She understood that to mean, they should lie face down. Lobban demanded “US currency”.

Brown explained that Tosh had recently returned from a business trip to the United States where he was expecting to be paid in US dollars. Lobban seemed to have overheard bits of telephone conversation prior to Tosh's visit to the US and had, it seemed, planned the robbery. Tosh responded to Lobban that he had no money. Lobban then complained that Tosh was giving his woman “authority over we” and that she, Marlene, was responsible for the inability of Tosh “to maintain we”. Brown heard Lobban instruct the two men who accompanied him to disarm Tosh, as “he was a Black Belt”, whereupon Tosh was frisked and gunbutted; he seemed unconscious. When she objected to the remarks made by Lobban, witness testified that Lobban threatened to kick Tosh, who was lying there helpless on the floor.

Just about then, witness recalled, there was a knock at the door. One of the gunmen opened the door. Free I and his wife were ushered in. They too, were ordered to lie face down on the floor. Free I objected and a gun was jammed into his side. He obeyed. They were all stripped of their jewellery and other personal effects.What followed after was a barrage of shots. Tosh, Free I and Wilton Brown were killed instantly. Marlene Brown was shot in the head but lived.

When the men were about to leave, one of them observed: “She no dead!” He was about to turn back, but Lobban commanded: “Come! She dead a'ready.” Michael Robinson, another survivor, gave evidence pretty much similar to that of Marlene Brown. The widow of Jeff Dixon, o/c Free I, knew none of the gunmen, including Lobban. She never attended an identification parade.

Steve Russell, a taxi driver of a St Andrew address was taken into custody for questioning in connection with this investigation. He revealed that prior to the murders; he had been engaged by “Leppo” Lobban to transport him and two men in his taxi to the Barbican Road residence of Tosh. He was not advised as to the purpose of the visit.

On the night of the murders, Lobban and two men boarded his taxi in the vicinity of the Carib Theatre at Cross Roads, St Andrew, as arranged. He was told by Lobban to wait at a particular point, while they went to the house. Sometime after the three left, he heard several gunshots and he saw “Leppo” and the other two men running towards his taxi; all three men running, each with “gun in hand”.

According to Russell's story, Lobban shouted to him: “Drive! Drive!”

All three men jumped into the taxi. He drove as directed. Not a word was spoken.

He had been driving along the Half-Way-Tree Road when he noticed a police radio car, following closely behind him. Russell, in the statement, told how, on reaching in the vicinity of the Carib Theatre, “Leppo” Lobban and the other two men jumped from the taxi and escaped.

The following morning, Russell heard on the news about the murders of Peter Tosh and two others, as well as the shooting of other persons, at the Barbican Road residence to which he had transported Lobban and the other two men.

As a result, the witness stated, he went to see Police Constable Leonard Austin at Austin's home in Cooreville Gardens, off the Washington Boulevard. He had gone there to seek Austin's advice as to what he should do; Austin told him “to keep quiet.”That was the reason why, according to Russell, he had not gone to the police station to report the matter.

According to Police Commissioner Herman Ricketts, Dennis "Leppo" Lobban surrendered and two other men were interrogated but not publicly named. Lobban went on to plead innocent during his trial, telling the court he had been drinking with friends. The trial was held in a closed court due to the involvement of illegal firearms. Lobban was ultimately found guilty by a jury of eight women and four men and sentenced to death by hanging. His sentence was commuted in 1995 and Lobban remains in jail. Another suspect was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. The other two gunmen were never identified by name.