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(1944 - 1987) Get Up! Stand Up!

The singer Peter Tosh was besides Bob Marley the figurehead of the Jamaican music of the 70s and 80 and he made the religion Rastafari worldwide familiar at the same time.

Peter Tosh was born as Winston Hubert McIntosh in Church Lincoln.

Because his mother was too young at the time he was born to manage the education he was brought up by his aunt who took him to Kinston. When his aunt died in 1959 he came into the care of an uncle in Trenchtown.

Peter Tosh founded his own family in 1967 together with Shirley Livingston (the sister of Neville O'Reilly Livingston alias Bunny Wailer) and they had a son together.
Only six years later the pair crashed with their car - Shirley Livingstondied, Peter Tosh sustained serious head injuries.

As a musician he already appeared in 1963 when he founded together with Neville O'Reilly Livingston, Bob Marley, Franklin Delano, Alexander Braithwaithe and the background singers Cherry Smith and Beverley Kelso the band"The Wailers". Peter Tosh remained with this band till 1974.
Peter Tosh soon became a popular singer with his political and religious songs.

The breakthrough followed when the band was able to publish first songs at "Studio One", among them "One Love", "Hoot Nanny" and "Simmer Down".

The music of the band developed into the direction of Roots-Reggae at the beginning of the 70s and established with it a new music style which soon attracted interest worldwide. The triumphal procession around the world began the band with the publication of the album "Catch a Fire" (73) and songs like "Get Up, Stand Up" and "Trenchtown Rock" found their way into many hit parades.

Because of the huge success there came up some conflicts within the band and Peter Tosh and the other members were pushed into the background by Bob Marley.

After the album "Burnin'", in which Peter Tosh had been degraded to a background singer more or less he separated from the band.
 

Peter Tosh was contracted by Capitol Records and his solo career began to flourish.
Beside his solo career he also founded a new band called "Word, Sound and Power", who with "Legalize It" realised the first album, it followed "Equal Rights" (77).

Peter Tosh demonstrated early his political interest and he propagandized the legalization of Marihuana at his concerts. At the same time he did not avoid to criticize the prime president at that time in public which brought him in enemies. Finally he was arrested for the possession of drugs and during his arrest he was bashed.zusammengeschlagen.

After his release he still appeared fearless and he signed by the label of the Rolling Stones on the recommendation of Mike Jagger. He realised three albums with "Bush Doctor" (78), "Mystic Man" (79) and "Wanted Dread and Alive" (81).

The last albums of Peter Tosh came into being with "Mama Africa" (83) and "No Nuclear War" (87)

When Peter Tosh returned to Kingston on September 11, 1987 he was attacked in his house and they asked for money at gunpoint.
Because Peter Tosh did not have any money at home the intruders piled on the pressure. In the meantime there came many followers of Peter Tosh together in front of his house because they have heared about his return and wanted to greet him. In the house followed a panic reaction and Peter Tosh was executed with two shots in the head. Afterwards the offenders opened fire on the crowd and killed the waiting DJ Jeff "Free-I" Dixon.
It turned out that one of the offenders was an acquaitance of Peter Tosh. Tosh supported him after a longer prison stay and got a job across to him. His selflessly service was rewarded badly.

The public was shocked of the violent death of Peter Tosh and Jamaica lost with him the second ambassador of the Jamaican music after the death of Bob Marley in 1981.