Biography:

Nathaniel Ian Wynter (30 September 1954 – 30 March 2022^[1]), also known as Natty Wailer, was a Jamaican-born musician and Rastafarian, best known for his work with Bob Marley and the Wailers, Aston Barrett and King Tubby. He is credited on recordings as Natty Wailer, Ian Winter, Ian Wynter, or Brother Ian.

Early life

Wynter was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. His father was a psychiatric nurse and his mother a housekeeper and day labourer. He developed an interest in music while still at school, playing keyboards, guitar. In 1972, soon after finishing high school, Wynter met Wailers bass player Aston “Family Man” Barrett at the home of Robert Shakespeare, one of Barrett’s students.^[2] Wynter had become interested in the bass guitar, and told Barrett he wanted to improve his playing. Barrett invited him to spend some time at 56 Hope Road (now the Bob Marley Museum), where Marley lived and recorded.^[3]

Career with Bob Marley and the Wailers

The house at 56 Hope Road (aka Island House) was open for rastas to come and go as they pleased,^[4] and Wynter was one of those who took up residence.^[5] Family Man Barrett introduced Wynter to Marley, and told him he was a keyboard player who would be staying at the house for a while.^[3] Over the next several years, Wynter became a part of the Wailers’ entourage and a contributing member of the group. “He was always in the music room [the band’s demo studio at Island House] with us,” recalls Barrett.^[6] Wynter played (usually keyboards) during rehearsals, toured with the band as both an assistant chef and musician, and served as an alternate keyboard player on tour.^[7]

Wynter’s first appearances on Marley’s studio releases were on “Who the Cap Fit” and “War” from the Rastaman Vibration album.^[8] He would go on to be a regular session musician with the band, credited on 18 songs on the Songs of Freedom Bob Marley box set, including the 12″ mixes of “Exodus” and “Jammin'” as well as “Rat Race”, “Crazy Baldheads” and a live version of “No Woman No Cry”.^[9]

Tyrone Downie and Earl Lindo (aka “Wire” or “Wya”) were the Wailers’ main keyboard players. But because the band’s sound relied so heavily on keyboards, Wynter was on standby and would fill in on tour for either Downie or Lindo, as required.^[3] He first performed on stage with the Wailers during a 1979 Trinidad show^[10] that followed the band’s residency at the Apollo Theater.^[11] Wynter went on to appear on stage with the Wailers in the US, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.^[3] He was the band’s keyboard player during Bob Marley’s final performance, at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, on 23 September 1980.^[12] Of the final show, Wynter says, “Lindo decided not to play for reasons beyond my knowledge… Bob called me in to fill his position that night at his last show in Pittsburgh.”^[13]

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