Aston Francis Barrett
22 November 1946
“Family Man” or “Fams”
Jamaican musician and Rastafarian
Aston Barrett was born in Kingston, Jamaica, Aston “Family Man” Barrett was one of the Barrett brothers (the other being the younger brother on drums Carlton “Carly” Barrett) who played with Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Hippy Boys and Lee Perry’s The Upsetters. He was the bandleader of Marley’s backing band, co-producer of the albums, and the man in charge of the overall song arrangements. He was the mentor and teacher of Robbie Shakespeare of the duo Sly & Robbie.
Awards and recognition
In 2012 he received a Lifetime Achievement award from Bass Player Magazine.
In 2020 he was selected as number-one by the staff of Bass Player Magazine, in their ranking of: ”20 legendary players who shaped the sound of electric bass.”
In 2021 he was honored with the National Honours and Awards on Jamaica’s 59th Anniversary of Independence.