GeekForce

Peter Tosh will probably forever be remembered more as Bob Marley’s bassist during the sixties and seventies than he’ll ever be known as a solo artist.

His powerfully strong aspirations and convictions toward the legalization of marijuana endures as his most striking memory. Performing early on as a VERY vocal activist in the then (and now) messed up Jamacian political scene, he’s a legend in that he pulled it off.

Somewhere along the way, the Rolling Stones’ Kieth Richards discovered his voice-out-of-hell baritone, and already admired the rastafarian dance and drumbeat. In early 1978, an absolulte giant of a man, Tosh opened for the stones, complete with a dancing Mick Jagger, to hoards of people–the tour, like all modern Stones tours, were massive in scope and attendance. Tosh capitalized with exposure to American audiences, and (sort of) pulled it off.

‘Bush Doctor’ Tosh’s best produced and best manned recorded work. Kieth Richards played backgroud Regae ’strum-up licks’, and Jagger actually sang background vocals on “Don’t Look Back’, the album’s opening track. The next two tracks, ‘Pick Myself Up’, and ‘I’m the Toughest” (add: title track ‘Bush Doctor, buried back on side 2, track # 6; and ‘Creation’, the last track) are the best recorded works of Tosh’s career. To own this record is to embrace an understanding of all Tosh stood for, and how tough-as-nails he was.

He split for Africa after signing with another label after the Rolling Stones Records deal expired.

(Remember: Record companies were still as powerful as hell, and artists, no matter how rich and famous, were generally no match for them–unless they were of the caliber and crowd-popular as the Stones)

In South Africa, his records flew off the shelves, but by then, Tosh was wearing out from the touring he did in both the shanty black towns as well as in the Dutch Afrikanas white cities.Â

He came home to Jamaica, got robbed by armed bandits (Jamacia was, then and now, desparately poor and one only needs to stray ‘off the path’ to realize this) and demanded money. Tosh unwisely said he had none, and took several bullets in the body.Â

Since his murder in ‘87, Tosh’s record sales have dwindled to nothing in the US and in SA, and that’s that on that.

‘Bush Doctor’ is available all over the Internet for pennies on the dollar, so I suggest you stick a copy in your cart, play it in your car stereo, blast the volume ’til your car shakes, and teach the youngsta’ rap fans what great cultural music REALLY is about.