The Original Wailers

The Original Wailers

The Original Wailers are a reggae group from Jamaica, active since 2008. They are led by guitarist Al Anderson, a former lead guitarist with Bob Marley & The Wailers, and they perform as a six-piece band drawing on the sound and history of roots reggae.

Origins and line-up

The group brings together musicians with backgrounds in Jamaican and wider Caribbean reggae, as well as African and international popular music. Their line-up includes Al Anderson, Junior Marvin, Rohan Reid, Chet Samuel and Erica Newell. The band also includes Tyrone Downie on keyboards, Desi Hyson on vocals, Francis (Paapa) Nyarkoh on drums and Steve Samuels on bass.

Downie is a veteran keyboard player whose work includes The Abyssinians, Beenie Man, Black Uhuru, Buju Banton, Peter Tosh, Junior Reid, Tom Tom Club, Ian Dury, Burning Spear, Steel Pulse, Alpha Blondy, Tiken Jah Fakoly and Sly & Robbie. Hyson is from Dominica and previously tours internationally with Culture for seven years after working with Joseph Hill. Nyarkoh is from Ghana and combines African rhythms with Jamaican reggae, calypso and soca. Samuels is Jamaican and has worked with The Itals, Glen Washington, Everton Blender, The Abyssinians, Sister Carol, Half Pint and Cocoa Tea. Newell previously sings in a backing trio with Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers alongside Sharon and Cedella Marley.

Style and recordings

The Original Wailers focus on roots reggae and present their music as a continuation of the Trench Town tradition associated with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. Their album Miracle is described as a roots reggae release that connects the genre’s earlier period with a more contemporary approach. The band is presented as carrying forward the spirit of classic reggae rather than simply recreating it.

Context

As a live and studio unit, The Original Wailers position themselves within the legacy of Bob Marley’s Wailers while also working with a multinational membership. Their repertoire includes the opening notes of “No Woman, No Cry”, linking Anderson directly to one of the best-known songs in Marley’s catalogue.