Aston Barrett Archives

In this “Keep It Groovy” lesson, Ryan Madora honors the great Aston “Family Man” Barrett and learn the bass line to Bob Marley’s classic, “Stir It Up.”

Aston “Family Man” Barrett, best known for his work with Bob Marley and the Wailers, has died after a prolonged illness. He was 77 years old. The news was shared by his son, Aston Barrett, Jr. on Facebook.

On May 1, 1973, Bob Marley and The Wailers visited The Old Grey Whistle Test’s studios for a live performance. Here’s their incredible performance of “Stir It Up” from the broadcast.

Four decades after its initial release, the historic Bob Marley and the Wailers album Kaya is new once again with a 40th Anniversary edition. The album features some of the band’s most recognizable songs including “Is This Love”, “Satisfy My Soul”, and “Easy Skanking”. The Wailers lineup was of course anchored by the mighty Aston “Family Man” Barrett, who contributed...

Bob Marley’s historic Live! album has been reissued in a three-LP set with never-before-released music. The original album, released in December 1975, was compiled from the second of two performances at the Lyceum Theatre in London on July 17 and 18, 1975. Driven by the genius bass lines of Aston “Family Man” Barrett, the band’s period captured on the recordings...

A fan’s handheld video, combined with audio and newly created animations, brings to life two previously unreleased June 1978 Boston Music Hall performances by Bob Marley & The Wailers. The CD/DVD package called Easy Skanking in Boston ’78 is being released in celebration of the late Marley’s 70th birthday year and the 1978 band, of course, features Aston “Family Man”...

Bob Marley was one of the largest musical successes of the 20th century, but that legacy would not have been the same without bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett. Barrett, who was and still is the Wailers’ bandleader, is credited with writing much of the musical content and arrangements from that iconic music. The Wailers recently posted an alternate take of...

A performance by Bob Marley and the Wailers, filmed for German television the year before Marley’s death from cancer at age 36, is now available on the . The show, recorded in June 1980 in Dortmund, Germany features not only the charismatic, now-legendary Marley, but also Aston “Family Man” Barrett, bassist and bandleader for The Wailers. The restoration of the...

During my radio interview on WPR’s Central Time yesterday, we discussed a lot of legendary bass lines (not enough, but the segment was only about 20 minutes long.) One of the bass lines discussed was the one on Bob Marley’s “Stir It Up”. I couldn’t get it out of my head after the segment. So I’m paying that forward with...

Think of your favorite reggae song and chances are what comes to you is actually the bass line. That’s because the bass line is often the actual musical hook of the song, which leaves people humming for days. No reggae music has reached as many people as the songs of Bob Marley, and no reggae bass lines have been as...

Together with Bob Marley, The Wailers changed the face of popular music by fusing reggae with rock, pop, and soul elements. Marley’s death in 1981 rocked the music community, but the band kept playing under the leadership of bassist Aston “Family Man” Barrett. The group is now on tour in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Legend, a greatest hits...

Bass Player Magazine’s annual exhibition Bass Player Live! is set to take place October 20th and 21st at SIR Studios and the Key Club in Los Angeles, California. The event brings guest artists to present clinics and concerts as well as exhibits from bass-centric companies. The highlight of weekend is the presentation of this year’s “Lifetime Achievement Award,” which will...