Aston Barrett

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Aston Francis Barrett (born November 22, 1946, Kingston, Jamaica), often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian. He was one of the Barrett brothers (the other being Carlton "Carlie" Barrett) who played with Bob Marley and The Wailers and Lee Perry's The Upsetters. It has been stated that Aston was the 'leader' of the backing band and responsible for many, if not all bass lines on Bob Marley's greatest hits, as well as having been active in co-producing Marley's albums and responsible for most overall song arrangements. He is an influential bassist, and Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers amongst many other famed bassists cite him as an influence. He was the mentor of famed reggae session bassist Robbie Shakespeare of the duo Sly & Robbie and is considered one of the elder statesmen of reggae bass guitar playing. Although obscure from a public and historic standpoint, Aston continues to tour with and lead The Wailers Band, who carry Marley's torch in the music world by performing his songs with several original band members. Aston has strong support from Marley's fan base to this day, despite his legal wrangling with the Marley family. Barrett died of heart failure after a series of strokes in Miami, Florida on 3 February 2024, at the age of 77. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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