Bunny Wailer

Neville O'Riley Livingston, known as Bunny Wailer, was born on 10 April 1947 in Jamaica and spent his earliest years in the village of Nine Mile in St Ann. He grew up in the Trench Town district of Kingston, where his father, Thaddeus, lived with Cedella Booker, the mother of Bob Marley. The two boys, Livingston and Marley, grew up together from early childhood.

In 1963, he, Marley and Peter Tosh formed a vocal group first known as the Wailing Wailers, and later The Wailers. Livingston took the name Bunny and later added Wailer. Their first Jamaican hit that year, 'Simmer Down', made them local stars when Wailer was only 15, and his sweet, high harmonies were central to the band's sound.

The group became internationally known after signing to Chris Blackwell's Island Records, with the albums Catch a Fire and Burnin' in 1973. But Wailer disliked touring, which he felt clashed with his Rastafarian beliefs, and resented the way Marley was being promoted as the star. He left the group in 1973 and by 1974 both he and Tosh had gone.

Wailer's debut solo album, Blackheart Man (1976), is widely felt to be one of reggae's highest peaks. He wrote, produced and sang lead on every track, with help from musicians including Sly and Robbie and Family Man Barrett. He went on to a prolific solo career, recording mostly in the roots style, with spiritual and political messages. He won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album three times, in 1991, 1995 and 1997.

A devout Rastafarian, Wailer lived on a farm outside Kingston where he grew food. He received Jamaica's Order of Merit in 2017. After suffering strokes, he died in Kingston on 2 March 2021, aged 73, the last surviving founding member of The Wailers. He is remembered as reggae's spiritual ambassador, alongside Marley as its global evangelist and Tosh as its militant conscience.