Musician Spotlight: Peter Tosh

Peter Tosh, whose real name was Winston Hubert McIntosh, was born on 19th October 1944 in Grange Hill, Jamaica, and died on the 11th September 1987 in Kingston, Jamaica. Throughout Tosh’s relatively short career, he made a real name for himself, most noticeably as part of The Wailers with fellow musician Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer.

As a singer-songwriter, Tosh was able to infuse his melodies with plenty of meaningful lyrics, and it was his depiction of the ghettos of Trench Town and the unfairness of the cultural dynamic he saw around him that lit a fire and boosted his career.

The Wailers was formed in 1963, with Tosh providing vocals in a deep baritone, a wonderful counterpoint to Marley’s unforgettable tenor voice. Perhaps Tosh’s most well-known contribution to the group was ‘Stepping Razor’, a song all about demanding dignity and respect, something that Tosh, a forthright opponent of Jamaica’s political elite who was deep into the religion of Rastafarianism, was very much a proponent of.

In 1974, Tosh chose to leave The Wailers despite the success that came from being in a group that held such grounded principles and was focused on activism through music. It wasn’t that the ethos had changed – far from it – it was simply that the charismatic, charming, and supremely talented Bob Marley was getting all the attention, and this was something that Tosh had no patience with.

Feeling he was just as talented, feeling that his own music and contributions were being overlooked, Tosh left The Wailers to begin a solo career.

The albums he went on to release, perhaps especially Legalize It (1976), Equal Rights (1977), and No Nuclear War (1987) were stark and unashamedly political in nature. Anything and everything was part of the discussion when it came to Tosh’s music, and whether it was the legalization of marijuana or the threat of nuclear war, or anything in between, in Tosh felt strongly about it, a song would be written, and sometimes an entire album would be released.

Yet although this might be considered off-putting since listening to music is, for the most part, meant to be a relaxing pastime, this was not the case with Tosh. His fans, and plenty of fellow musicians, had much respect for the man, and his music was admired. So much so in fact that in 1978 he recorded a duet with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones who was a big fan. This song was ‘(You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back’.

Peter Tosh’s unique musical style can be seen in this live performance:

Unfortunately for Tosh, the love of the musical world was not enough to spare him from the ire of the political and governmental offices he so vehemently opposed, and about whom he sung in extremely negative tones. When he was arrested for possession of marijuana in 1978, he was beaten badly by the police, and he was kept high up on their radar.

And then, in 1987, Tosh was murdered in his own home. Although many fans initially thought this was something that the authorities had carried out, the truth was that he was killed by Dennis ‘Leppo’ Lobban, a man who had just been released from prison and who Tosh had helped. To repay this act of kindness, Lobban broke into Tosh’s home and demanded money. When no money was forthcoming, he shot Tosh in the head.

In 2012, Peter Tosh received a posthumous Jamaican Order of Merit. Learn more about him and his music at the official website.