Community News
Neville O’Riley Livingston Aka Bunny Wailer hospitalized
BY MICHAEL THOMAS
According to a well-known Jamaican news source, Neville Livingston Wailer also known as (Jah B or Bunny Wailer) was hospitalized after suffering complications from a stroke he had in 2018. Rumors were making the rounds that the famous reggae icon had died, but that was all it was, rumors, Mr. Wailer is alive and recovering, said his manager, Maxine Stowe.
Wailer’s manager also said the family and his rehabilitation team are making preparations to have him released from the hospital as early as this weekend and is actively transforming the outpouring of interest into prayers for his recovery and strength for the families.
One has to know the musical history of this iconic foundation member (Jah B Aka Bunny Wailer) in order to understand why he is so important in the world of Reggae music today.
A founding member of the Wailers born Neville O’Riley Livingston on April 10th, 1947, in Kingston Jamaica, Bunny Wailer’s life took a series of twists and turns before he landed on his feet musically.
He grew up in the village called Nine Miles St Anns, and it was there that he met his childhood friend and Reggae king as he is called today Bob Marley. Wailer and Bob both had an interest in music, but Bob’s mother and Wailer’s father also had an interest in each other, and the two single parents join forces to become a family with the boys.
Bunny Wailer is the youngest of the three famous Wailers, and the only surviving one of the trio. The others are Bob Marley and Peter Tosh who died in 1981 and 1987, respectively.
The group called the Wailers was formed in the Kingston ghetto named Trench Town during the early 1960s and had seven members. They had numerous hits in the ska and rocksteady eras, like Simmer Down, Lonesome Feeling, and Thank You Lord.
Wailer, who did not like touring, split from the Wailers in 1976 upon returning to Jamaica, his real reason for quitting was never revealed even though, the one that is given is that his religious beliefs did not allow for the eating of processed food, and there was nothing else to be had on the road.
Although Wailer had many ups and downs musically, his perseverance eventually allowed him to achieve a very successful solo career with a string of hits for many years; hits like: (Rock and Grove), (Dance Rock), and the famous (Ballroom Floor), launched his own recording label named Solomonic Productions, and has also won three Grammy awards for best reggae album. He was also awarded the Order of Jamaica in 2017 which is the fifth-highest civic honor in the country.
Wailer released Blackheart Man, considered one of reggae’s all-time best albums ever. On this album, Wailer was accompanied by Peter Tosh, the Barrett Brothers (that is the Wailers own riddim section) plus Marley himself who joined in on one of Wailers song called “Dreamland.”
Never one to shy away from the issues, Wailer has concentrated his energies on political issues in his homeland and helping the youth, which has taken him out of the studio for about a decade. He also formed a political party called The U.P.P. platform which calls for the decriminalization of marijuana. Jah B is back this time with a full album called “Communication.”
One of the things that has made Wailer successful, is the fact that he has never sat and cried about the trials of life but has accepted changes and as such has adapted to the times musically.
The 73-year-old is also suffering emotionally, as his wife and longtime companion Jean Watt has been missing since Saturday, May 23rd, 2020. Fans and well-wishers join together to wish Wailer a speedy recovery and hope that his wife is found safe and sound.