Junior Marvin's Wailers

THE WAILERS featuring Julian Junior Marvin

Julian Junior Marvin was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He moved to London as a child, where his family and the UK theater community nurtured his love for acting and music. He appeared in The Beatles’ film Help, followed by a number of successful appearances on British television. Julian Junior was also a member of the London cast of the musical Hair and can be heard on the original London cast recording.

After playing in various London-based bands, including Blue Ace Unit, Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers, White Rabbit, and Salt & Pepper, Julian Junior continued his musical apprenticeship in America, playing with such Blues and R&B legends as T-Bone Walker, Billy Preston, and Ike & Tina Turner. He quickly earned a reputation as an innovative and expressive blues/rock guitarist.

Invited to join the Keef Hartley Band, pioneers of the burgeoning British blues/rock scene, Julian Junior made a significant contribution as a writer, singer, and lead guitarist to their acclaimed Seventy-Second Brave album. He also appeared on their follow-up release Lancashire Hustler.

Julian Junior followed up with his own rock band, Hanson, who was quickly signed to Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s Manticore label by Mario “The Big M” Medious, label manager. Their debut album, Now Hear This, featured Junior Marvin (lead guitar & lead vocals), Jean Roussell (keyboards), Conrad Isidore (drums) and Clive Chaman (bass). This was followed by the album Magic Dragon on which Julian Junior was joined by Glen LeFleur (drums), Neil Murray bass) and Brother James (percussion).

Finding himself an in-demand session guitarist, particularly for artists on the Island label, Julian Junior contributed to albums by Traffic, Fairport Convention, Reebop Kwaku Baah, Toots & The Maytals, Stomu Yamashta, Remi Kabaka, Eddie Quansah, Rico Rodriguez, and Steve Winwood.

On February 14, 1977, Julian Junior was invited to join both Stevie Wonder’s band and Bob Marley & The Wailers. His parents and musician friends helped him to take Bob Marley’s invitation because they were both Jamaicans. The rest is history. The acclaimed Exodus LP became Julian Junior’s first with Bob Marley & The Wailers. In 1999, Time Magazine declared Exodus Album Of The Century, while “One Love” was named Song of the Millennium in 2000. Julian Junior was lead guitarist and musical contributor on all subsequent Bob Marley & the Wailers albums, and toured worldwide with the Wailers until Bob’s passing in 1981.

Since then, Julian Junior has released four CDs with The Wailers band: ID, Majestic Warriors, Jah Message and My Friends (Live), as well as numerous solo projects, including “Wailin’ For Love,” “Smokin’,” “To The Big M Music,” and “Lion To Zion Dub Wise.” Julian Junior will also be found on albums by Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, Beres Hammond, Culture, Joe Higgs, SOJA, The Meditations, Israel Vibration, Alpha Blondy, Joe Yamanaka, The Congos, O.A.R., and Alborosie, amongst others.

After touring with many incarnations of The Wailers since Bob Marley’s passing, Julian Junior has stepped out to front his own unique version of The Wailers, playing and singing Bob Marley & the Wailers hits the way Bob intended them to be heard.

Julian Junior Marvin’s new album drops worldwide in 2019; entitled The Message Of Love, featuring the title track as the first single.