Born in 1944 as Winston Hubert McIntosh in Westmoreland, Jamaica, he later gave himself the stage name “Peter Tosh.”
It wasn’t long before he became a legend.
Partnering with Robert “Bob” Nesta Marley and Neville “Bunny Wailer” Livingston in Kingston, Tosh co-formed the group Wailin’ Wailers (later The Wailers), under fellow musician Joe Higgs’ guidance.
As the only member with the ability to play musical instruments, Tosh taught both Marley and Bunny to play the guitar.
After breaking ties with The Wailers’ record label, Tosh took up his guitar (made to resemble an M16 rifle), and sang lyrics calling out social and racial inequality. He demanded better treatment of Black people from Jamaica to apartheid South Africa.
Tosh often performed for free at anti-apartheid concerts, paying for band and crew expenses out of his own pocket. He gave his energy and talents to the cause of African freedom.
Tosh loved using wordplay to irritate powerful people. To him, his manager was a “damager,” the Prime Minister a “Crime Minister,” and Jamaica was “Jah Mek Ya.” The House of Representatives was the “House of Represent-a-thief” and politics was “politricks.”
Later in life he adopted his Ethiopian name, “Wolde Samayat.” Decades after his passing, we celebrate his commitment to keeping it real and empowering our people through his music.