TAKING REGGAE TO THE WORLD - 50 years of Island Records @ Reggae University 2009

With Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records and Bunny Wailer.
The collective in charge to chair the sessions is formed by David Katz, biographer of Lee “Scratch” Perry, author of “Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae”, creative consultant to various reggae labels; Ellen Koehlings and Pete Lilly, editors of the German Riddim Magazine; Pier Tosi, Italian journalist who runs a radio-show that is a benchmark for the Italian reggae massive.
21* Rototom Sunsplash 2009
Jul 1-11 Osoppo, Italy
rototom.com

[@jenniferdaley6248]

I just love ❤ me some Bunny Wailer! May God bless & keep you nuff respect

[@Rebelmuzikk]

This great man was underrated. He truly deserves the same recognition as Bob Marley. Such as wise and intelligent man.

[@klangstrum]

I was there, one of the best educations in life I have ever been blessed with. Thank you All.

[@djhanslegal6075]

The wailers are the true foundation and true meaning good life our inspiration . They’re so great. Rip papa Bunny Wailer

[@theresajames1773]

His voice is so strong

[@djzezeman2715]

I think that’s the day bunny wailer was waiting for so long to sit with chris on one table and air out what was going on behind the scene

[@rascardoreggaereggae4589]

THERE IS SO MUCH YOU DO NOT KNOW. ASK RAS CARDO TO WHOM BUNNY CONFIDES. MAYBE HE MIGHT TELL YOU SOME TRUTH. RAS CARDO IS STILL AROUND. GOOGLE HIM.

[@djzezeman2715]

@@rascardoreggaereggae4589 okay tell me now what I don’t know

[@robbieandkimberly]

@@djzezeman2715 KZbin search, WHAT HAPPENED TO BOB MARLEY AND PETER TOSH

[@maureenm1163]

He was so intelligent. So wise

[@bombohclat]

I am very proud to say that i went to the same school as Bunny at the same time,Chetolah Park school.

[@ServiDho]

Were you friends?

[@bombohclat]

@@ServiDho no, we were not friends really, because we nearly had a fight and we were in different class.

[@draregniknot6542]

Great to have this film, thanks. It was quite a long time ago now, but I seem to remember listening to the "Trenchtown Rock" album on Trojan label some time before "Catch A Fire" was released in the U.K. I believe Trojan and Coxsone (Studio One) were pressing a variety of small batches of singles here already, but they didn't have wide exposure and they promoted a lot of other artists too. Before that, the only reggae in the U.K. pop world seemed like novelty stuff, but we mostly weren't equipped to hear or appreciate the bass in those days. I had a little radio and early "Top Of The Pops" t.v., so the heavy monster sound was initially lost on me. Also reggae fashion had apparently been commandeered by violent skinhead "boot boys", so the music had been misunderstood at first by peaceful teenagers here. For me, reggae and dub carried over and beyond where the beloved Beatles had left off (and they had gently pointed us in it's direction when they split). Of course there had been Ska ("Bluebeat") and Rocksteady beforehand, but these were mainly enjoyed by relatively small numbers of dancers in clubs and I was too young to attend. Reggae has nourished me ever since I left school and inspired me away from hopelessness and despair, thank God and thanks to the singers and players.

[@rasineway591]

The one and only Bunny wailer.... Give thanks for the contribution ..RASPECT..2021

[@skullyranking5268]

Jamaica and jamaican government do not respect these men what a shame ..more life king ❤💚💛

[@ServiDho]

My favourite reggae artist. Rest In Power!

[@user-np3uh4xk7k]

Bunny wailer. Household name . World wide . RIP. Jah B.

[@Lorettafavorites]

RIP Bunny Wailers

[@alimahad7520]

Ahsante sana uncle Bunny for many years of positive knowledge wisdom and much impowerment from the children of stonetown Zanzibar. Rest in power mjomba Bunny na wasalimie wote peponi

[@KingMellow11]

I like it when dem crook dem turn red. Lol.

[@inellesingleton3458]

Baba ESU DIETIES BLESS JAMAICA THE GREATEST WARRIORS SALUTE TO MASTER BUNNY WAILER YES SIR RE JAH JAH RASTA

[@deryckhaynes3657]

Hz

[@Maya-tv6kf]

Yea.. that’s their special sign that dem ah liard!

[@chrisjames8524]

Most countries defend and support their natural resources which brings in foreign currency,they wouldn't allow anything to take advantage of it.But it seems like the Jamaican government has still not realised the benefits Reggae music has brought to Jamaica,maybe it's because Reggae is the voice of the poor and underprivileged and with the mentality of the colonial master they would never allow themselves to accept the opportunity that Reggae music offers. More than tourism or agriculture without having to bow or be subservient to the white man. Government of Jamaica defend your culture don't let the music be stolen by culture vultures.

[@djhanslegal6075]

True talk family 🔥✅💖

[@jerry76411]

Bunny wailer king of roots reggae. He spoke so well as a reggae roots artist. As far as my eyes see we black peoples always get Rob in this music world 🌎. Chris Blackwell did push reggae to the world but?? He should of deal with the reggae artist better. The damage is done. It is just a lesson we must take seriously when it comes to music and business in the music industry... peace and love ❤️ reggae music lovers

[@louise-yo7kz]

Racist AF

[@techrontef8089]

What a Legend

[@AuthenticSelector64]

Chris Blackwell saying the Wailers made a record…. They made an Album!…..A Classic Album!

[@troywilkinson8839]

In the recording music industry all records whether they are singles or full albums are referred to ubiquitously as records.

[@amennamaste9173]

Well done to chris blackwell and bunny wailer maintaining there strong presence

[@Soulboy63]

@ 1.57 clever lady , great vision

[@Noname-tt5sj]

How awkward! 🤭 I wonder if Chris Blackwell knew that he would be sharing a stage with Bunny Wailer 😬

[@jracerichards]

This is powerful. Learning about the history of the music should also include the cheating of these creators of the music by the record companies.

[@louise-yo7kz]

Yes. The truth must be told

[@ZachKopkaZake]

Bunny sells this on his reincarnated souls set

[@josepacheco3263]

É muito som 👍😎🇯🇲👏👏👏👏😃

[@LKaramazov]

Strange that he stood up, but they didn’t. They don’t know this man! That’s just my opinion.

[@rascardoreggaereggae4589]

TO KNOW THE HISTORY YOU WOULD HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT JOE HIGGS, ROY WILSON, JUNIOR BRAITHWAITE, RAS CARDO. CARDO AND JUNIOR BRAITHWAITE WERE THE FIRST GROUP OF WAILING WAILERS, THEN WHEN THEY LEFT TO GO TO SCHOOL, BUNNY AND PETER JOINED BOB MARLEY TO CONTINUE ONWARDS. CARDO IS STILL ALIVE AND AROUND WITH THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE TRENCH TOWN WAILERS FAMILY.. CHECK OUT -RAS CARDO REGGAE ON GOOGLE.

[@TB-us7el]

You can give the world to these people and it will never be enough.

[@sealie15]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="69">1:09</a>:00 Milly Smalls died penniless 😡 so Bunny Wailer was right about Chris Blackwell 🤬

[@1iok___music325]

🥇

[@jahknightbarrett7607]

If bunny had worked in his lifetime he would have know that the way artists are mistreated by the musical industry is the same way that industrial workers are. And it's called alienation of the value it's called capitalism. It's sad to see a folk who is so wise never realise that work for his rights as an artist is foolish while the babylon system is ruling everywhere, and that babylon rules or laws, are more powerful than even folks like chris blackwell and sir coxsone who are puppets on a stream too. Jah B has the greatest integrity in his actions since a very early age, but i know for i have read all his biographies, that bob was mistreating or exploiting his musician just the exact same way island did for them. And it's the same at every scale in this system. Not that he wasn't genearous cause he was, but their rights were not respected at the level of their importance and most of them have become poor the same day bob passed. Bob would have never become the artist he was and the richman without people like wire lindo for example. And i think it's time for my bredren to realize that they should get involved in economics issues and the way the shitstem works.

[@josephbrown6513]

I don't think in the history of the music business as any record producer or label owner as been put apon so completely, what Do you think would have happened to Marvin Gaye if he done Berry Gordy like that? Bunny put it on Blackwell. Knowing the two of them like I do and seeing this for the first time I'm shocked. There is not a lot of guys in the music business would let Bunny get away with that kind of behaviour but Blackwell must feel he is in the wrong to sit down and take it Peter Tosh ran him down with a copper and he had to hide in one of his fellow producers office, if Peter had got hold of him that day, the history of Reggae music would have been different. Because no matter what you want to say no Blackwell there would be no international super star Bob Marley the sound that took the world by storm was Blackwell's vision Bob wanted to be a star and went along with Blackwell plan something that Peter and Bunny didn't see or didn't want to see. All said and done I feel Blackwell was a great man I call him the white Berry Gordy but like Gordy he signs unknown acts and gives them shit contacts whom at the time most of them were glad to sign Including the Beatles, it's just the way the business goes. Amen!

[@Soulboy63]

Do you mean Tosh chase Blackwell with a gun ? Why

[@josephbrown6513]

There is a few points I must add, no.1 'life is stranger than shit' If Peter Tosh did hurt Blackwell the funny thing is ( for the want of a better word) Peter would still be alive because his ass would have been just coming out of jail at the time people was telling Blackwell to lock up Peter and he wouldn't because of his respect for Bob no2 I don't know why Blackwell is always so modest when it comes to the production of Bob Marley's music the first time I ever went into a studios it was the Burning album and let me tell you he was the producer, when he talks he makes himself sound like he was just the man putting up the money, he was the producer in every sense of the word later on after around the first 4 to 5 albums things changed Bob had Tuff Gong and I think he was going through Tuff Gong and Island was releasing the albums on the international market. Most of those albums were mixed in London and I would hang out with Bob and the guys at Basin st, studios. I'm telling you not Asking you Blackwell was the producer! ( Who do you think was collecting the producer's money)

[@TatyanaValdaBelindaHill]

It is a testament to the kind, humble person Chris is that he always grossly understates his place in history.... I think because so much bad has happened in history and people lash out and want to criticise and blame without giving a fair evaluation and Chris is sensitive to this. It so easy to point the finger and condemn him for obvious reasons. It cannot be ignored that he came from a position of privilege,. However to put him in the same class of opportunists and parasites - as some sadly have - that have taken advantage of the have-nots from the beginning of time, until this day (in all colours, cultures and countries) is unfair in the extreme. And really this ethos does none of us who are good and kind any favours. Because there is no incentive to be a producer/organiser (whatever you want to term it) with morals, if all you are going to get is grief and accusations later down the line - be remembered as one of the abusers and takers. So it's only the true takers who really don't have any moral compass that get involved in these types of ventures with creative people full force. There are plenty of examples of talented people in every field and from every race and gender that have been taken advantage of by fatcats (equally from every race) because the talent were in need and the fatcats were holding the dollars .... To be 'real' (that is to not cover words in soft blankets to soften hurt feelings) I don't think anyone from the group was unhappy when at the time their talents were recognised and they were paid and put in the studio. I wish more people who are decent and kind that respect Bunny and Bob (and any other creatives who worked with Chris) would also stand up and openly defend him. We ARE all one people. Until we recognise this and we will not be able to cleanse the wrongs that happened in the past. Makes me sad we aren't there yet.

[@MsWildberry1]

I celebrate the life of the devinely sent and talented Peter Tosh. If your opinion about Peter is correct. Then Blackwell would have done something nefarious. Peter was not a man to act with violence with no justification. Work on Peter, Bob, and Bunny. ❤️💛💚.

[@paulosantossouza7151]

Maravilha

[@Nasenschnuckel]

Oh Bunny :(

[@truebornafrican9213]

Bunny wailer yet putting on a DandG frames .. hmmm

[@philbis2774]

Chris Whiteworst <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="62">1:02</a>:14

[@waltertebele3494]

Chris Whiteworse was racist ,he is the one who masterminded the splitting of the Wailing Wailers cos he hated Peter Tosh

[@seanb4688]

No love for the tree but they’ll take the fruit though

[@dawncampbell1284]

Back in the day people like Chris Blackwell ripped off so many black artists. What goes around will surely come around, karma is a bitch.

[@fredvan6043]

Without Chris Blackwell, many black artists (including Bunny Wailer) would never have had any international exposure.

[@MsWildberry1]

​@@fredvan6043 Oh clairvoyant one look into your crystal ball and learn that if your boy wasn't there as you assert, surely in this big wide and wild world that another nefarious, or well intentioned entity wouldn't have taken Reggae international.

[@fredvan6043]

@@MsWildberry1 Well, anyway, Blackwell was the one who DID take reggae international, so for that he deserves gratitude and respect. And if black artists got ripped off back in the days, it was mostly by black producers. But of course that reality does not fit in the narrow mind frame of many clueless reggae fans, who simplistically prefer to bash on Chris Blackwell as The Evil White Man...

[@MsWildberry1]

@@fredvan6043 @fredvan6043 Do not forget that Jimmy Cliff and Peter to a lesser degree took reggae international too. But maybe you don't count Africa. I am glad you took out your malicious hateful speech where you accused Peter of being racist, as I was going to ask you for your receipts. It was Bob and Bunny who renamed your boy Whiteworst, not Peter but I am sure Peter would have agreed 💯 with them both. Respect is a natural process. It is not given because people like you demand it should be given. True respect is earned. I prefer to listen to Bunny who has earned respect when he questioned Whitewell publicly in a conference held at a university and questioned him about ripping them off. I do think that Bunny has more authority and credibility than you or me . Reggae is still a young music, and way back then it had just been birthed. It would have been big with or without Chris. But unfortunately Chris was there and no one denies he helped to make Reggae international which started with Millie who reached number two in the UK and USA. You are trying to turn this into a race thing. You should have left up the lie you said about Peter. Then you accuse I don't know who. But you say sone deem Whitewell being an evil white guy which is semi interesting. No one cares about Chris's colour apart from you. A spade is a spade.

[@fredvan6043]

@@MsWildberry1 Well, after all you appear to know more about reggae history than you seemed to at first sight: good for you. But when it comes to Blackwell (who's not my boy) ripping him off, Bunny is just talking out of his ass (and thus, rather than gaining respect, making a fool of himself, which is a real pity indeed), since he only stopped receiving royalties after Blackwell sold his company to Universal - so better blame them! Instead Island did invest a lot in the production and promotion of 'Blackheart Man', which became the one and only true masterpiece Bunny will always be remembered for, mainly thanks to Island Records' support. But apparently Bunny, who always seemed a bit greedy (he even claimed royalties from Blackwell before the Wailers had even signed with Island, just because Blackwell was distributing Studio One records in the UK!) got grudgeful when Island didn't want to continue the cooperation after his 2nd and 3rd album completely failed to keep up the standards set by 'Blackheart Man' (one must admit that artistically, 'Protest' and 'Sings the Wailers' did by no means match the quality of his debut LP, and so Island ditched him: end of story). By the way, Bunny also fell out with Lee Perry before, as he would do with any producer... On the other hand, interestingly, most reggae artists Blackwell worked with (Burning Spear, Sly & Robbie, LKJ, Third World, to name just a few) have always been grateful for the opportunities Island records gave them. And no, I'm not the one who turns it into a race thing: that's usually done by who calls Blackwell 'Whitehell' (or 'Whiteworst' - name given to him by Tosh), and even more so them who ridiculously accuse Blackwell of favouritism towards Bob (at the expense of Peter and Bunny) just because he was half-white (like your boy Peter jealously did, when he referred to Bob as 'the white man son'). But tell me, which lie did I tell about Peter?

[@Unpolitisch80]

Why has Chris Blackwell a asset of 300 million dollars?? Bunny hadn’t even one million 🤔 This is the question. These people like Blackwell robbed musicians and keeps them poor. Why had Family Mann never get what he deserved?? I mean he and his brother they was responsible for the whole wailers sound and some good songs. Why they never get paid? I mean they should probably own millions of dollars.

[@djbarbergreen3388]

Typical guy that likes reggae but doesn't practice its Tennessee of truth and justice we don't require a court house he required an answer from a thief .Blackwell owed the money long before the universals take over Blackwell is from a long line of exploiters in the music industry from Elvis to Prince the artist suffered power hungry men that will have a legacy tainted by their business practices some seek power and recognition on the level of a star .Bunny Bob and Peter and the Wailers are Timeless Blackwell is blackwell

[@simonpierre6716]

Great man he was...RIP he bothered Chris Blackwell for nothing...bunny wasn't successful as bob....🤔

[@waltertebele3494]

Chris Whiteworse made Bob to be famous cos he was half white and half black ,that's why he made him the leader of the group and later changed the name to Bob Marley and the