I could never have achieved the successes I have had were it not for the following people, beginning with my early years as a promoter and on through the present.
To the following I acknowledge my sincere appreciation: Stephen Hill, Sr.; the R & B family of 1958 to 1968; Ben E. King; Jerry Butler; Chuck Jackson;, the late Jackie Wilson; the Shirelles—especially Shirley Owens; Walter Godfrey; the Drifters; the late Tammi Montgomery Terrell; Betty Everett; Little Anthony and the Imperials—especially Anthony Gourdine; that great contributor Henry Wynn, who was the guiding light at “sweet” Auburn Avenue; Bobby Schiffman, owner of the Apollo; and Murray the K, “fifth Beatle,” who was responsible for so many shows at the Brooklyn Fox; to Patti La Belle and the Blue Belles; Dick Griffey; Kendal Minter; Vivian Scott; Danny Sims; Janet Davidson and Jackie Davidson; and in later years, the Top Line crew of Marcia Davis, Bagga Davis, and my close confidante, Danny Marks. Thanks to all the “Wise Guys” that I have met and worked with in the world, for being “standup” people. I would also say thanks to Mrs. Irwin Marsh, Nari and Hotu Chatani, Nicky Nicholas, Tom Tavares-Finson, and my other mother, Aunt Daisy Belizario.
In the life of my association with Bob, special thanks to all those who played a part in his success and indeed, by extension, my own success. In this category I place Chris Blackwell, Rita Marley, Cedella Booker, Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, the Wailers band, “Family Man” Barrett, Carlton Barrett, Tyrone Downie, Alvin “Seco” Patterson, AJ Anderson, Junior Marvin, Alex Sadkin (deceased), King Sporty, Captain Curry, and of course, Bob’s children. I will be forever grateful to Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh who together with Bob formed the original Wailers; without them I would have no story to tell today. Thanks also to Frankie Crocker of WBLS, New York, and all DJs and program directors, and all the Island Record licensees around the world, who played their part in building Bob’s career. I am also immensely grateful to April Taylor, my former wife, who did so much for Bob while he stayed with us in Miami.
With respect to the book itself, I must pay special thanks to coauthor Mike Henry and to Camille Hines-Henry for bringing Mike and me together to make this book a reality. Many thanks also to Dawn Chambers who transcribed the tapes as I recorded them, spending endless hours typing and retyping. To Abe Dabdoub for his legal advice and Dwight and Christine Simons of WRR. Special thanks to Kim Robinson-Walcott for her incisive editorial advice, editor Annie Paul who helped to bring coherence to the manuscript, and to Susan Anderson for her work on the book, as well.
I wish to acknowledge the role played in my research by such publications as Catch a Fire by Timothy White, Boh Marley: Reggae King of the World by Malika Whitney (a former secretary of mine) and Dermot Hussey, Reggae International’by Stephen Davis and Peter Simons, In His Own Words (Omnibus Publishers), Reggae Report magazine (owned by Peggy Quattro, also a former secretary of mine), and the Daily Gleaner.
My eternal thanks to the medical fraternity who saved my life. I refer specifically to Dr. William Bacon of Miami, Florida, and Dr. Phillip Thompson of Nassau, Bahamas. And finally, I must thank my wife Sonia, who has shared the birth of this book.
Don Taylor