by André Depienne

Winston Hubert MacIntosh was the real name of the Jamaican Reggae musician Peter Tosh. He started his career in 1963 together with Bob Marley and the “Wailers”. Already their first single “Simmer Down” was a top hit in Jamaica in 1964. Peter Tosh left the Wailers in 1974 and started his own career. But also with the support from Rolling Stones-boss Mick Jagger, he never reached the top as a solo singer, except in his homeland Jamaica. His destiny wasn’t always easy. In 1974 he had a car accident with his girl-friend Shir- ley Livingston. He got badly hurt and Shirley died. That night they were on their way home from Bob Marley. Shirley Livingston is also the mother of Peter’s son Andrew McIntosh, and the sister of Neville O’Riley Livingston, known as Bunny Wailer. On September 11, 1987 Peter Tosh got shot in his house by a bur- glar because he had no money to give. One of the burglars was Dennis “Leppo” Lobban, the guy getting a home at Peter Tosh’s house after leaving the prison. He wanted to socia- lize Leppo but this help was cruel. Prophetic the sad story appeared in a song of his last album, as Peter sings in „Lessons in my Life“: „Take always care of your friends, money can make friendship end“.