Aston Francis Barrett (born 22 November 1946), often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a retired Jamaican musician and Rastafarian. Biography Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Aston "Family Man" Barrett was one of the Barrett brothers (the other being the younger brother on drums Carlton "Carly" Barrett) who played with Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Hippy Boys and Lee Perry's The Upsetters. He was the bandleader of Marley's backing band, as well as co-producer of the albums, and the man in charge of the overall song arrangements. Mentorship Barrett was the mentor and teacher of Robbie Shakespeare of the duo Sly & Robbie. Equipment Barrett played a Fender Jazz Bass, Acoustic 370 bass amplifier. Legal battle In 2006 Barrett filed a lawsuit against Island Records, the Wailers' label, seeking £60 million in unpaid royalties allegedly due him and his now deceased brother. The lawsuit was dismissed. Nickname Barrett's "Family Man" nickname came about before he had any children of his own. Aston foresaw his role as a band leader and started to call himself "Family Man". He has fathered 41 children since. Awards and recognition In 2012 he received a Lifetime Achievement award from Bass Player Magazine. In 2020 he was selected as number-one by the staff of Bass Player Magazine, in their ranking of: ”20 legendary players who shaped the sound of electric bass." In 2021 he was honoured in the National Honours and Awards on Jamaica’s 59th Anniversary of Independence. Quotes Bass Player (magazine): Perhaps no music evokes the notion of bass and bass tone like reggae and dub, and no two words are more synonymous with those plucking practices than Family Man. Ali Campbell (UB40 frontman): There was bluebeat, rocksteady and ska. That all happened before reggae, which kind of happened in about '69, you know, when reggae as we know it was invented by the Barrett brothers, I'd say. John Lennon (The Beatles, discussing his plans for a comeback album in early 1980 while listening to the Bob Marley & The Wailers album Burnin'): In fact, if they really wanted the right sound, they should go to Jamaica! Go to the same studio that Bob Marley used! Get down with the Rasta men and smoke ganja in big spliffs or hash in chillums. Then they could get that deep-down, super funky, bass-box sound that comes from Trenchtown. You couldn't get that sound in New