A ska, rocksteady and reggae group formed in Kingston, Jamaica in 1963, consisting of Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, Bunny Livingston (aka Bunny Wailer), Bob Marley, Winston McIntosh (aka Peter Tosh) and Cherry Smith. They were called variously the Teenagers, the Wailing Rudeboys, the Wailing Wailers and finally the Wailers.
By 1966, Braithwaite, Kelso and Smith had left the band, leaving the trio of Livingston, Marley and McIntosh. Marley took on the role of leader, singer and main songwriter.
Much of the Wailers' early work was produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One and the Wailers were established as one of the hottest groups in the country. After a conflict with Dodd, Marley and his band teamed up with Lee 'Scratch' Perry and his studio band, the Upsetters. Although the alliance lasted less than a year, they recorded what many consider the Wailers' finest work. Marley and Perry split after a dispute over recording rights, but they remained friends and worked together again later.
The Wailers' first album, Catch A Fire, was released worldwide in 1973, and sold well. It was followed a year later by Burnin'.
In the early 1970s, a rhythm section known as the Wailers Band, consisting of the brothers Aston 'Family Man' Barrett and Carlton (Carlie) Barrett, was added to the Wailers.
The Wailers broke up in 1974, with each of the three main members going on to pursue solo careers. The reason for the breakup is not clear; some believe that there were disagreements over performances, while others claim that Livingston and McIntosh simply preferred solo work.
Marley went on to international fame with Bob Marley & The Wailers (with the I-Threes as backing vocalists), McIntosh (under the name Peter Tosh) had a moderately successful solo career recording, while Livingston continued as Bunny Wailer but remained relatively unknown outside of Jamaica.
Often, usually for marketing purposes, Bob Marley, the Wailers and Bob Marley & the Wailers are used indiscriminately to refer to recordings actually made by separate entities.