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In 1971 Bob, Peter and Bunny took part in the election campaign support-ing the socialist People’s National Party, with the famous Victory BandWagon. The concept was the result of discussions Manley’s wife, JBC broad-caster Beverley Anderson, had with producer Buddy Pouyatt and attorneyPaul Fitzriston. Top artists of the day were invited to perform along the cam-paign trail. Manley would speak first, then a concert would follow.

The message of “resistance” was integrated in the words he spoke and thesongs they performed. It drew hundreds, sometimes thousands to the meet-ings. The nascent Inner Circle took on the invitation to be a backing band,which significantly aided Manley to reach the masses and gained him a land-slide victory. Among the rotating lineup of artists Inner Circle played behindwere Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Byles, Clancy Eccles, Marcia Griffiths,Brent Dowe (of the Melodians), Max Romeo and Ken Boothe. The backing groupconsisted of Prilly Hamilton (singer), Funky Brown, Douglas Guthrie (sax), Ianand Roger Lewis, Carrot Jarrett, Ibo Cooper, Stephen “Cat” Coore and CarlBarovier (drums). Recalls Roger Lewis: “The bandwagon was really the begin-ning of a melting pot, a fusion of the earlier music and the new music, as wellas a bridging of the Jamaican society and Rasta. The climate and the musicwere so free. The musicians weren’t politically connected. It was not as thoughwe were using the music to politically mastermind the people. It was just funto be playing music, we never even thought about politics.”

In interviews with Leroy Jodie Pierson and Roger Steffens in 1990, BunnyLivingston denied that the Wailers ever had any intention of supportingManley politically, because they were Rasta, and Rasta eschewed politics.Why then did they do it? “They paid us more than we ever made before,$150 a night.”

Producer/singer Clancy Eccles remembers things differently: “I went anddo the bandwagon for the PNP in 1971-72. Today, ask me how much money Iget—I didn’t get one dollar to do that bandwagon, not even one dollar. It wasa voluntary thing. Michael Manley asked me if could present him with a showbecause he saw the show that I did at the Ward Theater [called] ‘The Rod ofCorrection.’ Michael Manley took a rod and presented it to me on the stage. Iwas the man who made Michael Manley ‘Joshua’: It was from the music thatMichael Manley was called Joshua. And when he told me what he would do, Iwent out there and decide to do the show for free. The Wailers worked with

One of the more controversial peri-ods in the Wailers’ career cameduring the election period of late1971 leading up to a change in gov-ernment, from the right-wingJamaica Labor Party to the Socialistregime of Michael Manley, electedon Feb. 29, 1972.

The fine Italian Web site, mar-leymyguide.com recently reportedhitherto-unknown details of the PNPBandwagon, an all-star revue thattoured throughout Jamaica for sev-eral months in support of Manley’scandidacy. The following informationis adapted from original reporting byMarco Virgona, who spoke recentlyto many of the original participants.

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me on the PNP Bandwagon. They did six sets of shows for me on that bandwagon.Of course I was used by the PNP, but I’m a man of my word and I gave Manley myword. Manley never give me anything, but I could call Manley and talk to him and onmany issues. We were like non-paid advisors to Manley, we could call him any timeand say. ‘Hey, we feel that that no right.’ Financially, I went broke: I mashed up mytwo brand-new vehicles in the bandwagon for the People’s National Party; at theend of the exercise I neither had car nor van, while some singers who went with mehad an old car and got a better car, but it’s just one of those things.”

Pioneering dub poet Malachi Smith was present at a prison show. “The concert Isaw Bob and his brothers at was at Prison Oval in Spanish Town, St. Catherine. Thisoval is located on the grounds of one of the largest prisons in the island, but it hasa huge playing field that was used for cricket, football and stage shows.”

Malachi wrote on Geoffry Phillips’ blog site that Bob was “red,” meaning inherb-fueled heights. “Bunny and Peter hugged him every time he tried to skankaway, and it appeared as if he would lose his balance and fall. It was a great con-cert with the likes of Judy Mowatt, Heptones, Gaylads, Meditations, DerrickHarriott, Clancy Eccles, Max Romeo and others. I think Bob and Peter Tosh defi-nitely shared Manley’s vision. Bob was very concerned about sufferation and op-pression of the poor in the society, in Africa, and throughout the Third World. Hismusic and interviews speaks volumes about this.” Bunny also averred that theWailers felt let down by Manley almost immediately, especially since the hoped-forlegalization of ganja failed to materialize.

A contemporary review in the Daily Gleaner described the scene at a bandwag-on stop at the University of the West Indies Student Union in a “Night ofTogetherness,” which “had the largest attendance of any of the promotions in thecity on that night. This was expected with the team of promoters headed by foot-baller Allan ‘Skill’ Cole. The Fabulous Five Inc. was the band on stage and did wellbacking the artistes—with the exception of the Wailers. Wailers music demands aheavy rhythm and also the most sensitive affinity to the reggae music. The Fab Fivefell short here. They came over well with Judy ‘Julianne’ Mowatt, the Gaylads, KenBoothe, as these artistes are more suited to stage appearances than the Wailers,

who are primarily a recording group. I will suggest to manager Allan Cole that hedoes not allow the Wailers to appear on stage again if there is not the best publicaddress system to their disposal, and at least two rehearsals with the band beforegoing on stage.”

The October 1971 report continues, outlining the Wailers first U.S. tour: “Two ofJamaica’s most popular stage and recording groups, the Wailers and the Heptones,will be leaving the island towards the middle of December for appearances in theCaribbean and North America. The Wailers will be making appearances in the NewYork area, and will be joining up with their sister group the Soulettes, who havebeen in the United States since August. This will be the first time that both groupswill be appearing in America as a group.” Bunny, Bob and Peter played severalshows in New York in January, and later that month in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

On Jan. 30, 1972 the Daily Gleaner told the story of those American concerts witha little interview with Bob Marley: “Jamaica’s most popular staging group, BobMarley and the Wailers, recently returned from a tour of New York area. The Wailers,who left here in December, opened their show at the Concourse Plaza Hotel in Bronxbefore an audience estimated at well over 3,000 on New Year’s Eve night. Alsoappearing on the show was Jamaica’s leading male vocalist, John Holt. They werebacked up by the Debonaires Band. After their performance in Bronx, which was thebiggest, they went on to Brooklyn, appearing at the President Chateau [on 84th St.]on Jan. 7, and was at Manhattan Center the following night. Leader Bob Marleyinformed that one of the shows scheduled at Brooklyn was stopped by the police,no reason was given. Three bands which they performed with, the Debonaires, SydJoe and his Caribbean All Stars and Cinnamon Suns, were up to a good standard BobMarley said, although not as good as some of the bands in Jamaica.” Throughoutthe year, they continued to play concerts in support of the PNP, including a Jan. 30presentation at the National Arena; at Jamaica House for Labor Day supporting theparty on May 27; and at the annual Awards Ball to receive a prize as best vocalgroup. Other Wailers Bandwagon concerts took place in 1971-1972 in Port Antonio,Falmouth, Morant Bay, Browns Town, and Spanish Town (at Prison Oval), and in PortMaria Bay, Bob’s last concert with the Bandwagon, before leaving for London. H

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