Reggae’s Roots: Bunny Wailer- “Fig Tree”

Bunny Wailer was the last of the three founding members of The Wailers, alongside Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Something like the Ringo Star to Jamaica’s Beatles, Wailer was not typically a songwriter for the group, and was mostly limited to percussion and backing vocals. Nevertheless, his influence on the group’s direction following their first four albums cannot be understated. As The Wailers caught fire with their fifth and sixth albums, garnering international acclaim, Wailer became more reserved, refusing to tour American bars and clubs as he felt the venues went against his Rastafarian belief system. 1973’s Burnin’ would be the final Wailers album containing the full original trio, as Wailer and Tosh would depart for solo careers. In 1976, each member would release their own landmark album, Marley’s Rastaman Vibration, Tosh’s Legalize It, and Bunny’s Blackheart Man. Blackheart Man featured contributions from both Marley and Tosh, but Wailer was the primary songwriter on each of the tracks. Wailer approached his subject matter from a perspective of wholesome spirituality, with a particularly laid-back cadence, guiding the listener through a spiritual journey of both joy and protest without breaking a sweat, that is, unless you count a dancing sweat. Wailer was a reggae master, unparalleled in his sheer feel for a rhythm and rhyme, Bunny once said that while “we are not seeing brother [Bob Marley] physically, or brother [Peter Tosh] physically, but in Bunny Wailer rests the other two brothers.” Now, they are all laid to rest, yet their spirit continues to carry through the music left behind.