One of the founding members of the Reggae group, Bob Marley and the Wailers, along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, is Neville ORiley Livingston, later known as Bunny Wailer. He is a singer, songwriter, plays the bongos, and the congas. Although lesser known than Bob Marley, he is no less talented or important and influential to Reggae music.

Born on April 10, 1947, in Kingston, Jamaica, Bunny grew up with Marley, indeed living under the same roof and raised as stepbrothers. Shortly after Marleys father left his mother Cedella, she took up with Bunnys father, with whom she had a daughter.

Marley and Bunny, along with Tosh, formed several bands, each seemed to morph into the next and add members as they lost others After several iterations, in 1966, the band previously known as the Wailers became Bob Marley and the Wailers and Reggae, as we know it, was taken from the streets of Jamaica and introduced to the rest of the world.

As the band gained international fame, front man Marley shared lead vocals with Tosh and Bunny less and less. And so in 1973, following their British and US tour, both members left the group in pursuit of solo careers. This left Marley with a void, but would soon prove beneficial for all concerned.

As the success of the Wailers continued to soar, so too did Bunny’s. Trying his hand at Disco and roots style Reggae, Bunny would soon find his niche with the controversial Reggae descendant Pop Dancehall.

Since striking out on his own, Bunny has released 23 solo albums, two of which are tributes to Bob Marley, along with four compilation CDs. He has won three Grammy awards for best Reggae album in 1990, 1994 and 1996.

As Bunnys career has evolved, so too has his outspokenness. Perhaps in an attempt to gain acceptance with the Generation Y crowd, or recapture his dwindling youth, he has allowed himself to join the ranks of many in the Dancehall world by speaking negatively about homosexuals and women. Of late, violence against both groups is on the rise in Jamaica, thanks to songs by “artists” such as Buju Bantan, Elephant Man, et al.

For the man who has won three Grammys, recorded with the pioneers of Reggae Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Junior Brathwaite and garnered the honor of being named by Newsweek as one of three most influential names in World Music, it seems a shame to be remembered for advocating violence against women and homosexuals.