 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Word, Sound and Power" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Word, Sound and Power are aJamaicanreggae band, formed in 1976 asPeter Tosh's backing band after Tosh leftThe Wailers.
It is believed that each word in the name stood for parts of the ensemble, Word – vocals, Sound – guitars, and Power – percussion.[by whom?] It is also aRastafarian concept regarding the power of words.[1]
Word, Sound and Power toured with Tosh in America in 1976, Europe in 1978 and 1979, and backed him at theOne Love Peace Concert inKingston, Jamaica. For this concert, their line-out wasSly and Robbie,Al Anderson,Mikey Chung,Robbie Lyn,Keith Sterling,Uziah Thompson andNoel Simms.[2]
Carlton "Santa" Davis (drums) and George "Fully" Fullwood (bass) replaced Sly and Robbie, when they began touring withBlack Uhuru (Mykal Rose, Duckie Simpson and Puma Jones).
Although the band has switched in and out of members fairly consistently throughout the years, the band generally consisted ofSly and Robbie,Mikey Chung,Keith Sterling,Robbie Lyn, and male background singersThe Tamlins and three other unnamed female background singers.
From around 1978 through 1981, the role of the lead guitar would change several times withDarryl Thompson andAl Anderson. In 1978, Keith Richards took the role during the recording of the 1978 albumBush Doctor.
Although Sly and Robbie had mostly been a duo throughout their career with Peter Tosh, in 1977, Carlton Barrett took the drumming role for the 1977 albumEqual Rights, although Sly had played another album the year before,Legalize It.
Notable people such as Rita Marley (Legalize It),Glimmer Twins (The Rolling Stones) and Bunny Wailer (Wailers) trio have joined in to perform in the Word, Sound and Power band occasionally. Keyboardist/pianistRobbie Lyn often did not appear at Tosh's shows and recording sessions.
In 1981, notable members of Tosh's band such as Sly and Robbie backed out on performing with him after a lack of payments as well as Tosh's short temper when Sly began to play the drums during one of Tosh's shows. Due to this, Sly and Robbie left the band in 1981 shortly after the start of theWanted, Dread And Alive tour and album release, and focused on touring with Black Uhuru. Due to this, regarding Mikey Chung's earlier affiliations with Black Uhuru and Sly and Robbie, he also joined the duo and left the band as well. In the same year, Tosh had personal arguments with Keith Richards regarding his house and left the Glimmer Twins, and stopped affiliating with the Rolling Stones after leaving the label shortly after the release of theWanted, Dread and Alive album. Darryl Thompson and Al Anderson also stopped affiliating with the band.
Shortly after, from late 1981–1983, and then again shortly before Tosh's death in 1987, Carlton Davis joined the leading drumming role including Aston Barrett as the leading bassist role, on theWanted, Dread and Alive tour, as well as the album and tour ofMama Africa, and the albumNo Nuclear War.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
