Bunny Wailer to headline at conference opening

Jamaican reggae legend Bunny Wailer is slated to headline the opening of the regional reparations conference, set to take place at the Victoria Park this Sunday.{{more}}

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, during his address at the opening of the Georgetown Smart Hospital last Saturday, announced that the founding member of Bob Marley and the Wailers, and three-time Grammy winner would perform, alongside his band.

“Bunny Wailer has contacted me and he has said he’s coming to the conference, and he wants to perform,” Gonsalves announced.

“We said to Bunny… ‘you want to perform with your tracks?’ and he said ‘perform with my tracks? Bunny Wailer? He say ‘I move with my band’. So he moving with his seven-member band, so you can’t put that in Methodist Church Hall, you don’t have space….”

The Prime Minister also said that the artist, real name Neville O’Riley Livingston, has expressed to him interest in becoming a citizen of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

“He say is the country in the Caribbean which building the relationships properly with Africa and he love what is happening in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

The 66-year-old performed with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and three others as the Wailing Wailers, before going solo, and producing memorable tracks such as Rootsman Skanking, Soul Rebel, Another Dance, Rock and Groove, Cool and Deadly, and Blackheart Man, among others.

Wailer won the Grammy award for Best Reggae Album in 1991, 1995 and 1997.

He is one of two surviving members of the Wailing Wailers.