During Peter Tosh’s solo career, the reggae musician contracted with the Rolling Stones Record Label through which his album, Bush Doctor, and singles – Wanted Dread or Alive and Mystic Man – were released.
A relationship developed with Tosh and members of the Rolling Stones band, which led to intense collaborations, in particular, Walk and Don’t Look Back, also recorded on the label with Mick Jagger.
“So this year, the Peter Tosh Museum, for all the obvious and not so obvious reasons, requested Mick Jagger’s contribution to the performances,” said Kingsley Cooper, co-founder of the Peter Tosh Museum.
Unfortunately, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is currently on tour in Europe and will not be able to attend the event and perform live. Instead, the organisers have opted to accept a pre-recorded piece from Jagger.
Cooper added, “The pre-recorded piece will be shown as a video recording with Jagger’s direct comments included as well. As the frontman for the Rolling Stones, he is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – music stars in the world, and it will be an honour to show the recorded piece at the event,” said Cooper.
Peter Tosh’s music has been recognised as a catalyst for a generation to fight for what they believed in and never give up. His legacy lives on with his children, the formation of his estate, and most recently, the Peter Tosh Music Festival, in addition to his productions with Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Jagger enhances the already special line-up, which includes a wide span of both old and new talents representing for the reggae legend. Adding to the guest performances, the reassembly of Tosh’s original backing band – Word, Sound and Power – will be done again for this second staging at the Peter Tosh Museum, as was done last year.
“When musicians of the calibre of Donald Kinsey, Santa Davis, Fully Fullwood, Mikey Chong, Steve Golding, Robbie Lyn, Keith Sterling and Dean Fraser come together, the result is going to be exceptional,” said Cooper.
Word, Sound and Power’s original members who toured with Tosh from 1976 included Grammy award-winning production duo Sly and Robbie, songwriter and co-founder of The Original Wailers band, Al Anderson and percussionists, Uziah Thompson and Noel Simms. The members had expected a long-lived career as Tosh’s supporting band, prior to his demise.
“Feedback for this event, as was the case last year, is excellent, and everyone involved wants to give their best, as this Tribute to Tosh is a key part of the process of cementing his legacy,” said Cooper.
The Peter Tosh Music Festival is scheduled for October 19-22 with a few lead-up events before the actual event. The Peter Tosh Museum, which hosts the event, is also open to the public.
