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
Aston Francis Barrett was born on 22 November 1946 in
Kingston, Jamaica.[4] He was the fourth of five children.[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]
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
Nickname
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]
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
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]