Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, Bob Marley & The Wailers Bassist, Has Died

Renowned Jamaician musician Aston “Family Man” Barrett died today (February 3) at age 77. Aston Barrett Jr., the son of the Bob Marley & The Wailers bassist, announced the news on social media.

“With the heaviest of hearts, we share the news of the passing of our beloved Aston ‘Familyman’ Barrett after a long medical battle,” stated Barrett Jr. “This morning, the world lost not just an iconic musician and the backbone of The Wailers but a remarkable human being whose legacy is as immense as his talent. Our family is asking for privacy during this challenging time, as words cannot express our profound loss.”

Aston Barrett and his brother, drummer Carlton Barrett, joined the Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1970. He served as the group’s bassist and bandleader through Marley’s death in 1981. Both Aston and Carlton were members of The Hippy Boys and Lee “Scratch” Perry’s house band, The Upsetters, before their tenure with Marley.

Born Aston Francis Barrett on November 22, 1946 in Kingston, Jamaica, the artist went on to become one of the country’s defining musical figures. He was a multi-dimensional force as a producer, composer, arranger, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist in addition to the work on bass for which he was best known.

While Aston purportedly fathered 41 children, he bestowed the “Family Man” nickname upon himself early in his career due to his intention to keep bands together. Aston Barrett co-produced 11 Bob Marley albums with such iconic records as 1973’s Burnin’, 1974’s Natty Dread and Exodus in 1977 among them.

Aston Barrett’s groundbreaking bass can be heard on a slew of Marley classics including “No Woman, No Cry,” “Stir It Up,” “Jamming” and “Redemption Song.” The bassist participated in several Wailers tours after Marley’s death. The highly-prolific Aston Barrett also recorded with Burning Spear, Augustus Pablo, Sons of Jah, projects featuring his Wailers bandmates and countless others ahead of his retirement in 2019.

“In the studio, sometimes we used more of a miked bass to get the real rhythm and the tone, and sometimes we used a DI,” Aston told Bass Player magazine in a 2007 interview of his approach. “I listen to the drumbeat, and I listen to where the singer’s melody was going, and I take it from there. I use both my thumb and my two fingers — it depend on the track and the feel of the rhythm. In the early years, I used my thumb most of the time.”

Olivia Grange, the Minister of Culture for Jamaica issued a statement confirming Aston’s death and paying tribute to the musician. “I share with you my deep regret at the passing of Aston Francis Barrett, CD, popularly known as ‘Family Man’ or ‘Fams’. As a bass player, keyboardist and guitarist, he was one of the two famed Barrett brothers, Aston and Carlton, who were part of Bob Marley and the Wailers and Lee Scratch Perry and the Upsetters in the early years of Reggae Music,” the note from Grange began.

“As we commemorate Reggae Month 2024, I wish to express my sincere condolences to his wife, his children, his relatives and to members of the local and international Reggae Music fraternity,” Grange wrote as part of her note. “May the Angels welcome home Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett to Mount Zion,” the statement concluded.