The Michigan Daily-Monday, September 14, 1987- Page 11
Reggae world mourns mu,
1 By Todd Shanker
Three gunmen attempting to rob'
reggae star Peter Tosh forcibly
entered his Jamaican home killing
him and another man. Five others
were also wounded after the gunmen
were unable to find money,
according to police reports Saturday.
According to the reports, the
gunmen arrived on motorcycles at
Tosh's residence on Friday night and
forced their way into the house. The
killers ordered everyone to lie face
down on the floor, searched the
victims and rooms for cash, then
opened finre.
Tosh and Wilton (Doc) Brown, a
maker of health food potions from
plants, died from their wounds before
arrival to a hospital, according to the
police.
Wounded were Tosh's long-time
companion, Andrea Marlene Brown;
Carlton Santa Davis, a drummer in
Tosh's band; Michael Robinson,
another musician; disc jockey Jeff
Dixon, and his wife, Yvonne.
Dixon, who worked for the
Jamaica Broadcasting Corp., was in
critical condition with a bullet
wound in the head. His wife was
wreated and released and the three
others were reported in stable
condition.
* A detective, who asked that his
name be witheld, said police have"
tentatively identified the killers but
no arrests have been made.
Tosh had just returned from the
rUnited States and the robbers
apparently thought he had a large
amount of cash with him. The
gunmen parked their motorcycles by
the door, knocked, forced their way
in when the door was opened and
ransacked the two-story house, the
detective said.
The survivors said Tosh told the
robbers he didn't have any cash but
they could take anything in the
house. When no money was found,
the killers, armed with pistols,
opened fire on the victims lying on
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the floor, they said.
Tosh's house is normally
protected by a dozen German
shepherds, police said, but the dogs
were in their kennel at the time the
gunmen arrived.
Tosh first gained recognition as
the original leader of the Wailers, an
influential reggae band that voiced
the concerns of repressed Blacks in
Jamaica. The Wailers also included
well known reggae star Bob Marley,
Neville Livingstone (Bunny Wailer),
Aston "Family Man" Barrett, and
Carly Barrett.
Unlike other Jamaican bands of
the 1960s, the Wailers were one of
the first roots reggae bands to adopt
the testifying life of the Rastafarian
religion as well as the Rastafarian
rder oJ
rhythm, straying away from the ska
and rock steady sounds which were
popular at the time in Jamaica. Tosh
was instrumental in exposing the
reggae rhythm to a wider audience,
which left a trail of reggae
enthusiasts that extends from
America to Africa, and on into
Europe.
In the early '70s, Tosh left the
Wailers claiming that Bob Marley
was no longer sincerely representing
the concerns of the Rastafarian
brethren and was catering more to a
wider, more commercial, white
audience. Tosh claimed that Marley
and Island Record Producer Chris
Blackwell were exploiting reggae
music and forgetting their roots.
After the original Wailers' break
Tosh
up, Tosh embarked on a solo career,
which included the albums Bush
Doctor, Equal Rights, Legalize It,
as well as his latest release, N o
Nuclear War. Although Tosh gained
much of his international popularity
due to the success of Bob Marley and
reggae music wordldwide, he always
stayed true to his roots and what he
felt represented the Rastafarian
people.
Tosh's unique vision and
dedication to the concerns of Black
people worldwide have made him a
legend. His progressive musical
ideas and his fiery defense of his
people make his untimely death all
the more unfortunate.
A.P. reports contributed to this
story.
Reggae star Peter Tosh was shot and killed while three gunmen attempted
to rob him Friday night.
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