The Wailers bring reggae to the Paramount

It's been 31 years since reggae legend Bob Marley's death, and interest in the man and his music has rarely waned. In April, there was the well-received film "Marley," a warts-and-all documentary that explains how he escaped the squalor of Jamaica's slums to become a global icon. And his greatest-hits album, "Legend," has seemingly taken up permanent residence on Billboard's Top 200, where it has been for 226 weeks (take that, Adele).

It began when three friends -- Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston -- formed the Wailers in 1963. Fueled by ganja, the Rastafarian religion and celebratory mood brought on by Jamaica's declaration of independence a year earlier, the Wailers became stars performing songs that were rebellious but somehow also captured a vibe of peace and love. When Tosh and Livingston left the band in the early '70s, Marley created a new version of the Wailers, featuring bassist Aston "Family Man" Barrett and his brother Carlton Barrett on drums. After Marley's death, several iterations of the Wailers, led by Aston, continued to tour, paying tribute to Marley and the music he helped popularize.

Today, Barrett, 65, is the lone member of the current Wailers lineup who actually played with Marley. As the Wailers prepare to bring their message of peace, love and unity to the Paramount in Huntington on Sunday, Barrett talked to Newsday from Jamaica, where residents are celebrating the island's 50th anniversary of independence from Britain. Though his relationship with the Marley family has been strained (he filed a lawsuit against the family and Island Records for royalty payments; it was dismissed), Barrett shared why it's important to keep Marley's (and the Wailers') legacy alive.

SEE PHOTOSRock stars then and now