The Wailers perform at the Telluride Conference Center January 12: This is love

Say the name “The Wailers,” and two cultural phenomena instantly pop to mind: Bob Marley and roots rock reggae, inspired in part by the Rastafarian religion. It was Marley who brought Jamaican music to the masses in the 1970s, just after the group was formed in 1969.

Forty-plus years ago, the nucleus of The Wailers was Marley, Bunny “Wailer” Livingston and Peter Tosh. Tosh recruited the Barrett brothers – bassist Aston “Family Man” and drummer Carly – from producer Lee Perry’s in-house band, the Upsetters,to play on hits such as “Lively Up Yourself” and “Trenchtown Rock.” The Wailers, backed by the Upsetters, also recorded two groundbreaking albums for Perry: Soul Rebels and Soul Revolution. Family Man, to this day acknowledged as the band’s driving musical force and music director, leads The Wailers, fronted by lead singer Elan Alias. The current lineup also includes keyboardist Keith Sterling, guitarist Audley “Chizzy” Chisholm, drummer Anthony Watson, trumpeter Chico Chin, and trombonist Everald Gayle

In addition to their groundbreaking work with Marley, over the years the Wailers played or performed with international acts such as Sting, Kenny Chesney, the Fugees, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, and Alpha Blondy, as well as reggae legends such as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Burning Spear. In a 40-year career and counting, The Wailers have sold north of 250 million albums worldwide. Among the group’s greatest hits: “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Is This Love,” “No Woman, No Cry,” and “One Love.” The band is currently working on a release of all-new original material, due out later this year.

The Wailers 2.0 continue to lead with a social conscience, spreading their message of peace, love and defiance – with a little mayo on the side. The group has spearheaded a new charity, “I Went Hungry,” designated for touring bands’ lavish “riders” to benefit the World Food Program (WFP) in conjunction with the United Nations, feeding thousands of starving children around the globe.