Legend Bob Marley would have turned 70 on Feb. 6, and although money couldn’t buy him life, something else has.
“His music keeps him alive. His messages keep him alive,” said the Wailers lead singer, Dwayne “Danglin” Anglin, in a phone call from a tour stop in Tucson, Arizona.
The next stop on their tour is tonight at High Dive, located 210 SW Second Ave., to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of “Legend,” the best-selling reggae album of all time.
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $22 or can be purchased in advance for $18 at High Tides Tobacco and Gifts, the High Dive box office or on ticketweb.com.
The band will play the album in its entirety, along with various other fan favorites not featured on the album.
“The Wailers are a fantastic, legendary band that backed Bob Marley for his entire career,” said Pat Lavery, owner of Glory Days Presents, Gainesville’s longest running event promotion company. “Crowds always treasure their performances.”
The Wailers current lineup includes the band’s long-time bass player Aston “Family Man” Barrett, who was recruited by Bob Marley himself.
Today, Barrett leads the band as it continues its movement to promote peace, love and equality throughout the world.
“We have to cross seas and mountains and all these things to get to the people,” Anglin said. ”But people need the message so we have to transfer the message.”
Anglin, who has been the lead singer of the band for five years, first moved to the U.S. from Jamaica when he was 15.
His musical talent was brought forth by the years he spent overseas while serving in the U.S. Navy.
“I needed to find something; I needed some time away when there was really limited space, limited time, and I found music,” Anglin said. “I always listened to music, but I never really explored any writing or performing until then.”
In February 2010, Anglin received the phone call that would alter his career. He had just released his single “Excuse Me Miss” when the Wailers got in contact with him and asked him to join the band.
“I started singing a few songs and from there it just brought something special and here I am as an artist,” Anglin said. “It’s just one of those things that just happens, and you have no control over it because it wasn’t planned.”
From that moment, Anglin inherited some big shoes as the front man for the world’s most influential reggae band, the band that played the largest role in spreading reggae music from Jamaica to every corner of the world.
“If I could say anything to (Bob Marley) now, I would say thank you. Thank you for this legacy.”
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 2/12/2015 under the headline “‘Get up, stand up’ for The Wailers concert at High Dive tonight"]
