Bob Marley (b. 1945)
Rastaman Vibration (1976)
Rastaman Vibration
War
Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley OM (February 6, 1945 - May 11, 1981) was a Jamaican musician, singer-songwriter and Rastafarian. He was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the reggae bands: The Wailers (1964 – 1974) and Bob Marley & the Wailers (1974 – 1981). Marley died nearly 30years ago, but remains the most widely known performer of reggae music, and is credited for helping spread Jamaican music to the worldwide audience.
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Ron Wilson (June 1945 – May 7, 1989) was an American musician and recording artist, best known as one of the original members and drummer of The Surfaris, an early surf rock group of the 1960's. Wilson's energetic drum solo made Wipe Out (a #2 US/#5 UK hit) the best-remembered instrumental song of the period.
Ron Wilson's drum riff on "Wipe Out" was so striking that "the yardstick for every aspiring young drummer in the early 60's was to be able to play a drum solo called Wipe Out. Wilson played for a high school surf band in Glendora, California in 1962. Their parents took them to gigs because none of them was old enough to drive. The members were inspired by the guitarist Dick Dale but it was the drummer who inspired their biggest hit. Wilson said he had dreamed of a surfer and with the others wrote a song called "Surfer Joe".
It was recorded at Pal Studios in Cucamonga in January 1963.
The band needed a B-side and Wilson played a drummer's practice exercise called a paradiddle.
Wilson added stresses to what had been a rhythm he played in his school marching band and the guitarists followed. The opening sound of a surfer falling is a plasterboard broken close to the microphone. The studio owner, Dale Smallen, laughed and screamed "Wipe out" and the song was recorded in two takes. The tune fades on the recording because there had been no way to end it. One of the band members, Bob Berryhill, said:
Ronnie loved Scottish marches and played with our high school Tartan marching band. That came into play coupled with my suggestion of bongo rock-type breaks for an arrangement, a drum-solo type of song with a simple guitar melody. Ronnie started playing the famous Wipe Out solo and in about ten minutes we had the song together.
The band toured in various forms for many years and at times invited members of the audience to attempt Wilson's drum riff while the guitarists played the melody.
He died of a brain aneurysm on May 7th, 1989.
[8945 Clapton / 8945 Marley / 8944 Diana Ross]