Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
Screenwriter John Dixon has dreams of honouring the multi-
talented group The Wailers. - Contributed
AN AFRICAN American fan's obsession with The Wailers has inspired him to write a screenplay on reggae's most famous group.
The Black Beatles is the title of a screenplay by John Dixon, a self-described 'amateur and novice screenwriter' who lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Earlier this year, the 37-year-old Dixon launched a website (black beatles.com) to help shop his idea to Hollywood.
Dixon told The Gleaner recently that the script has been five years in the making. He stressed that The Black Beatles is not just another Bob Marley and The Wailers story.
"What makes my project stronger is it is not another documentary, which I personally feel there are too many," he said. "The Black Beatles script is part fictional and dramatised to make the film more interesting."
Floating around
Talk about Bob Marley and Wailers films has been floating around for several years. At one time, Warner Brothers was in the running to produce a major budget Marley bio-pic and recently there was talk of another Marley project with Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx in the lead role.
Dixon said he deliberately stayed away from making Marley - who was the group's chief songwriter - the centre of attraction.
"I focus on all of The Wailers, especially Peter and Bunny and other band members such as (Aston) 'Familyman' Barrett and Constantine 'Vision' Walker," he said. "With all due respect to Bob Marley, I want the film to show that Peter and Bunny were just as talented."
The Wailers were formed in Kingston during the early 1960s, recording a series of ska hits for Studio One. They went on to become a successful reggae group that scored cutting-edge songs for producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry.
After recording two albums (Catch A Fire and Burnin') for Island Records, Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the group in late 1973 to pursue solo careers. Marley died from cancer in Miami in May 1981, while Tosh was murdered at his St. Andrew home in 1987.
Bunny Wailer, now 58, continues to record and tour.
Marley had the most success of the trio during the 1970s when roots-reggae had its biggest impact. Yet, the music never found a mass audience among African Americans.
Dixon, however, has been drawn to reggae's rebellious message since he was 12 years old. In addition to The Wailers, he says he listened to South African Lucky Dube, British band Steel Pulse and Buju Banton. Getting his story of The Wailers on screen, he says, would be the ultimate tribute to one of popular music's outstanding groups.
