Drummer / Musical Director

Aston Jr. was born into musical greatness. His rhythm-based lineage begins with his maternal grandfather, Joe Higgs, “godfather” of the Trench Town sound, legendary singer, producer, and mentor. His famous father is Aston “Familyman” Barrett, co-founder of The Hippy Boys in the mid-60s and The Wailers band in the ‘70s, along with his iconic uncle, Carlton “Carly” Barrett, renowned drummer and driving force behind the vision and creativity of The Wailers sound.

Aston Jr. will tell you he was born to play music. The multi-talented young Barrett plays bass, drums, guitar, organ, and keyboards. Growing up watching his father create, record, and perform, it makes sense that Aston Jr.’s passion is the bass. He began at age three, and the first bass line he learned was “Positive Vibration,” played entirely on the E-string. Equally inspired by his uncle’s unique one-drop style, he invested time watching and studying Bob Marley & The Wailers videos. Aston Jr. has captured that complex feel, distinctive style, and clearly evolved into the singular next-generation Carly Barrett.

Aston Jr. has received rave reviews since he began playing drums with The Wailers in 2009. That praise comes after decades of playing and performing. An 8-years old Aston Jr. played bass for I-Three member Judy Mowatt at an all-girls high school. As a teen, he learned to play the Hammond B3 organ while in church. Because the B3 was a huge part of the Wailers sound, he appreciates the fact that this increased his Wailers skills. In 2004, he began playing bass in Julian Marley’s Uprising band. By 2006, Aston Jr. joined his father and Junior Marvin on stage for his very first Wailers show.

Aston Jr. gives credit to Aston Sr. for his talent and abilities. “I love playing with my father,” he says, “the best thing is we get to the true sound of the ‘roots’, which goes way beyond the depths of the bass.” He loves playing the drums because, as he claims, “it brings me closer to Uncle Carly, the best Reggae drummer ever.” Along with his brothers Kevin Barrett and John aka Floyd Barrett, Aston Jr. knows that they are here to keep their father’s history-making career moving forward.

The rhythm force duo created alongside the highly praised Familyman Barrett brings a mix of Roots-Rasta-Reggae and modern technology; the result is a new-generation Barrett sound. This is evidenced in the musical soundtrack they created for the documentary Bob Marley: The Making of a Legend, an early look at Marley’s life through the lens of Jamaican photographer and Marley paramour Esther Anderson.

As part owner of Bad Lions Studio located in South Florida, Aston Jr. produces, writes, creates, and records for himself and others. A student of jazz, funk, and freeform music, he fully appreciates The Wailers sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and he brings that old-school style to his creative projects. Whether it’s playing bass, drums, guitar, or organ, Aston Jr. has increased his visibility and reputation by recording or touring with such popular artists as Lauryn Hill, Stephen Marley, and Julian Marley. While touring with Ms. Hill in 2013, he recalls the excitement of sharing the stage with Lauryn Hill and NAS.

Aston Jr. will proudly tell you that the music The Wailers created then, and the music they are creating today “has no category…there is no old sound – there is no new – it’s just there.”  The Wailers sound is the Barrett sound. The legacy continues.