3 From Welder to Wailer

CHAPTER 3 From Welder to Wailer In 1961, not long after Bob started his job as a welder, he had an accident. While he was working, a small piece of metal flew into his eye! Bob had to go to the hospital and have the metal removed. It only took a little while to heal, but during that time Bob became surer than ever that he would rather work on his music than do anything else. Bob spent all his free time with Joe Higgs and Bunny, playing music. When Bob was still only sixteen, Joe helped him record his first song. It was a song with a ska beat called "Judge Not." The words reflected what Bob's grandfather had taught him from the Bible: Judge not, If you're not ready for judgment.

该页暂无翻译

Bob wanted people to accept others, no matter how different they seemed to be. "Judge Not" was played on the radio, but it wasn't a hit. People thought it was too much like the songs they heard in church. Bob was disappointed, but not for long. He knew he had so many more songs to record! He soon met someone else who was also hard at work writing songs. One day, Bob and Bunny bumped right into a man who was playing his guitar and singing as he walked. His name was Peter McIntosh, but he was called "Tosh." He had written the song he had been playing. Tosh was very tall, and like Bob, he had a reputation for being a bit tough. The three of them talked for a long time on the street and soon became friends.

Bob and Bunny introduced Tosh to Joe Higgs. The three friends played together in Joe's recording studio. Joe knew right away that they were a great team. And just like that, Bob was part of a band. They called themselves "The Wailing Wailers." Wail means to cry. People said Bob sometimes sounded like he was crying when he sang. The Wailing Wailers wanted to write songs about how it felt to live in Trench Town. Joe made sure they practiced every day and night, sometimes until around five in the morning. To see how people liked their new songs, the Wailing Wailers stood

on street corners performing. Crowds of people in Trench Town gathered and danced and sang along, just like they had in the yards. The Wailing Wailers were making a name for themselves. They were becoming popular with the girls in Trench Town, too. In 1962, Bob met a girl named Cheryl Murray. Cheryl's brother didn't like Bob, but they dated anyway. Cheryl became pregnant, and gave birth to Bob's first

child, Imani Carole, on May 22, 1963. Cheryl's brother warned Bob to stay away from Imani. Bob didn't want any trouble, so he did. That same year, Cedella and Toddy had a daughter. Her name was Claudette "Pearl" Livingston.