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Born Constantine Anthony Walker, Jr. on October 19, 1951 in Jamaica, "Dream"
or "Vision" as he is known, began singing at a very early age and
was a founding member of the Soulettes, with his cousin Rita Anderson (Marley)
and Marlene "Precious" Gifford in the early 1960s. At the tender
age of 13 years old, a friend introduced Vision and Vision eventually moved to America and was featured in several U.S. based reggae bands, including The Rastafarians from California, playing on their landmark album "Orthodox." Another U.S. based band that Vision performed in was Jah Malla based out of New York, which also featured Noel Alphonso, son of the legendary Skatalites' saxophonist Roland Alphonso. During the 1982-83 Peter Tosh world tour, Vision played percussion and
can even be seen in the Peter Tosh "Captured Live" video and heard
on its companion album. Vision reunited with Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh and
Junior Braithwaite in the 1980s to record "The Never Ending Wailers,"
a monument in reunion albums for any band. He not only sang together with
his fellow Wailers, but also played all of the guitar work on the album.
He continued to perform with Bunny on tours and albums throughout the 1980s
and '90s. The Bunny Wailer "Live" video, which was recorded on
August 16, 1986 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, also
features a reunion of The Wailers, including Vision, together with Bunny
and Junior Braithwaite, singing a moving rendition of "Together Again."
Vision also played guitar and vocals on several Ziggy Marley and the Melody
Makers' albums and toured with the group as well. With Heartbeat
Records' releases of several compilations of early Wailers' material, Vision
can finally be heard in his work with The Wailers. He played an important
part in the group, and is not only a crucial link in the history of The Wailers,
but in reggae's history and future as well. Bunny Wailer captured Vision's
immense talent and important role in The Wailers by saying, "... Vision
now, he can twist and turn and go into any lead and come back to harmony." Respect for Vision is long overdue! It is now time for Vision to shine, as his voice and messages are too crucial to overlook!
You can listen to Vision's version of Fools Die at YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Pandora. |