Rock-tober 08, 2014

Although reggae isn't usually at center stage in discussions of rock and roll there are times when it demands the spotlight. For example, I would argue that Peter Tosh's rendition of Johnny B. Goode is on par or maybe even better than the original.

Eddie Grant greatly boosted the popularity of reggae when he slipstreamed into pop culture with his two hits, "Electric Avenue" and "Romancing the Stone". The latter got a further boost with its association with the 1984 movie of the same name.

Bob Marley and the Wailers, which included Peter Tosh as a founding member, are probably the most successful reggae group in music history. Their compilation album, Legend, released after Marley's death, is the best selling reggae album ever, being certified 15x platinum in the US. According to online sources, 30 years after the album's release, it still sells 3,000 to 5,000 copies a week.

While on Legend, the track, "No Woman, No Cry", was originally released on the group's 1974 album Natty Dread.  In the Jamaican vernacular, the song line is "No, Woman, Nuh cry" with "Nuh" translating to "Don't". The singer is reassuring a woman who's grown up in the Jamaican slums that things will get better and not to cry.

Here's a cool factoid for you. This song was written by Marley. However, he gave songwriting credits to Vincent Ford, a friend of his who was running a soup kitchen in Kingston. As a result, the royalty checks went to Ford and he was able to keep his kitchen open.

If I were to describe this song in one word, it would be "chill". I've said before that you can't always be rocking out at 120 beats a minute. Do yourself a favor. Grab your main squeeze, a bottle of wine, and watch a sunset while Marley serenades you in the background.