The very first and definitive biography of Peter Tosh, rude boy, founder member of the Wailers and a compelling recording artist in his own right —Tosh was Jamaica’s most controversial reggae star.

For the Mystic Man, music was the message. A fiery advocate of Rastafari and African nationalism as well as the legalization of marijuana, his uncompromising political stance has won him a reputation as Jamaica’s Malcolm X. One of reggae’s most extraordinary stories, the life of Peter Tosh came to an end when he was brutally murdered in 1987 amidst rumors involving the supernatural and Kingston’s criminal underworld.

In this essential biography, John Masouri—esteemed reggae journalist and author of Pressure Drop: Reggae in the Seventies – conducts hundreds of interviews with those who knew Peter Tosh best, including Bunny Wailer and other close associates. Tracing his recording career, we learn of his encounters with Eric Clapton and Joe Cocker, and volatile relationships with Bob Marley and Lee Scratch Perry. Tosh’s darker side is also revealed in tales of the singer’s fascination with the occult and in unprecedented detail, his untimely and tragic demise.