Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Bob Marley remembered

MC George Barrett headlines reggae night at The Shack What: Bob Marley Birthday Bash Where: The Shack When: Feb. 9 Roots knotty roots. The Shack celebrates Bob Marley’s birthday Saturday with Vancouver reggae MC George Barrett and Dubfreque.

MC George Barrett headlines reggae night at The Shack

What: Bob Marley Birthday Bash

Where: The Shack

When: Feb. 9

Roots knotty roots.

The Shack celebrates Bob Marley’s birthday Saturday with Vancouver reggae MC George Barrett and Dubfreque.

Marley, born Robert Nesta Marley on Feb. 6, 1945 in St. Ann’s, Jamaica, was known as the first Jamaican musician to achieve international stardom. From 1963 through 1966, his band, Bob Marley and the Wailers, recorded 70 tracks in Kingston. He made songs like One Love and People Get Ready national anthems, still popular today in clubs, on the road, or singing in the shower.

His music included political reggae, roots reggae, and other beats. The Wailers originally consisted of Marley, Junior Braithwaite, Bunny Livingston, Beverley Kelso, and Peter McIntosh. In the ’70s Bob Marley and the Legendary Wailers became the trio of Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh, joined by the rhythm section of Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett and Carlton Barrett on drums.

Vancouver MC George Barrett brings a history of reggae to the party. He was recently awarded the Peter Tosh Memorial Award at the 16 th Annual Reggae Awards held this past March.

A veteran of the reggae music industry, he was honoured by the Black Women’s Congress and acted as judge for the reggae music category at the Juno Awards held recently in Newfoundland.

Born in Bath in the parish of St. Thomas in Jamaica, in the ’60s, he produced the band GB All-Stars in Jamaica, his trade being an electronics technician. He immigrated to Canada in 1971.

In 1972, Barrett began work at the Co-Op radio station just beginning in Vancouver as well as CITR-FM radio. That same year Bob Marley performed two shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

For the birthday bash, Dubfreque joins the reggae vibes lineup, featuring Roots Roundup founder Greg Hathaway booming on bass guitar. Hathaway regularly plays guitar for The Rootabeggers and Troublemaica, but sports a fretless Fender jazz for this show. Omalara Oyesiku is on vocals and "energy." He has performed with among others the Afro Nubians and Tarig Abouboukar. Kirk Layman is on drums, with Mark Campbell on guitar and pedal steel.

Reggae traditionally draws on West Indian roots, where emphasis is put on the offbeat.

Don’t be waitin’ in vain.