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Reggae icon and social activist Winston Hubert McIntosh, more commonly known as Peter Tosh, is often remembered for his controversial interviews and unmovable stance on topics he was passionate about.
However, according to reggae music historian Allan ‘Skill’ Cole, Tosh was far more than just the big, bad, and dangerous ‘Stepping Razor’ people make him out to be.
“Hearing Peter Tosh and his pronouncements on interviews is a completely different individual and human being than the one you met when you get close to him and get to know him. I think he was so militant as a Pan Africanist that he tended to be misunderstood,” Cole told The Gleaner.
“He was warm and friendly and such a smooth ladies’ man. He was someone you could talk with, extremely loveable. Not to mention his talent …He was very different from the rest of the Wailers. Peter Tosh was something special,” Cole continued.
Cole, who was the very first manager of the iconic reggae band Bob Marley and The Wailers, was speaking at Tosh’s 80th birthday symposium at The University of the West Indies Mona Campus on Wednesday night.
The event was hosted by the university’s Department of Sociology, Psychology, and Social Work in collaboration with the Institute of Caribbean Studies and the Peter Tosh Foundation.
The symposium looked at Tosh’s life from the days of his youth to his time performing with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer and his time as a solo artiste. From these discussions came the question of Tosh’s relevance to today’s music industry.
“Peter Tosh’s philosophy was all about the empowerment and mental freedom of black people. And I think that is relevant in every part of our history as Jamaicans,” Cole said in response to The Gleaner’s questions on the topic.
“He [Peter Tosh] was a man who did a lot of reading, and so he knew the history of his foreparents. And this influenced how we walked and talked and interacted with others. So as an advocate – a human-rights advocate – I think Peter Tosh will always remain relevant in our society.”
Cole, being one of the few individuals alive who interacted directly with Tosh and the rest of The Wailers during their formative years, has been described as a goldmine of long-forgotten stories. One of his favourites surrounds the writing of Get Up, Stand Up – one of The Wailers’ most popular songs.
“Peter, Bob, and Bunny started … there was maybe about six of us there at the time. Bob took the lead with the chorus and everybody falling in. But when it got to the bridge, Peter came up and started doing his thing and really splash the record,” Cole recalled.
“I remember thinking to myself in that moment, ‘Is this a dream?’, and when I realised it wasn’t, I became secure in the fact that I was now a part of history and that we were all a part of something much bigger than us,” Cole said.
The 80th anniversary of Peter Tosh’s birth, dubbed Tosh Fest, was marked by the Tosh Legacy Talk at The University of West Indies, Mona campus; Tosh Foundation Benefit Gala, Memorial Garden Tour and the main event.
Tonight’s concert, being held at the Natty’s Ocean View Entertainment Centre in Westmoreland, will feature performances from Andrew Tosh, Sevana, Ras-I, Yaksta, Sizzla, Shaggy, and more.
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