Tosh became bitter about the success of his ex-bandmate, at one point claiming that the only reason Marley was so successful was that his father was white, though Peter was known to be hot-tempered but never physically violent. Many biographies focusing on members of the Wailers relate a specific incident where several people alleged that Tosh became enraged upon hearing that Marley was seeing a well known white woman in Kingston. He talked big and threatened both physical violence and damnation and hellfire for his friend, vowing to track him down and take him to task. Later that day Bob casually walked into a room where Peter was relaxing with some of their mutual friends but mysteriously Tosh seemed happy to see him and made no mention of any misgivings about the controversial relationship. When Marley was eventually told the whole story he allegedly laughed and responded: "Petah? Fussin'? You don't seh!" - suggesting like many other sources that some of Tosh's personal relationships were stormy and complicated but not necessarily mean-spirited.
Tosh began recording under the name Peter Tosh, and released his solo debut,
Legalize It, in
1976 on
CBS Records. The title track soon became an
anthem for the marijuana movement and was a favorite at Tosh's concerts. As Marley preached his "One Love" message, Tosh railed against the hypocritical "shitstem," and became a favorite target of the Jamaican police. He proudly wore his scars that he had received from the beatings he endured. Always taking the militant approach, he released
Equal Rights in
1977. Tosh put together a backing band,
Word, Sound and Power who were to accompany him on tour for the next few years, and many of whom appeared on his albums of this period.
http://www.melodymakers.de/forum/archive/index.php?t-1138.html
In the famous free
One Love Peace Concert in
1978, first Tosh lambasted the audience, including attending dignitaries, with political demands that included legalizing cannabis. He did this while smoking a
spliff, a criminal act in Jamaica. Bob Marley asked both then-Prime Minister
Michael Manley, and opposition leader
Edward Seaga onto the stage; and a famous picture was taken with all three of them holding their hands together above their heads in a symbolic gesture of peace during what had been a very violent election campaign.
Bush Doctor (
1978), Mystic Man (
1979), and
Wanted Dread and Alive (
1981) followed. Released on the Rolling Stones' personal label, Tosh tried to gain some mainstream success while keeping his militant views, but was largely unsuccessful, especially compared to Marley's achievements. This eventually escalated into a violent conflict with
Keith Richards, who loaned a Jamaican house to Tosh during their cooperation: Tosh, while staying at the house, developed a belief that the Rolling Stones owed him a substantial amount of money for his records and live performances, and consequently decided to capture the house as his own. When Richards returned, Tosh welcomed him wielding a machine gun - Richards stoically called Tosh's bluff, noting that "I'll be back in an hour and a half, so by then I hope you figure out how to put the
magazine in". Tosh subsequently left the house immediately, but not before trashing the place.
After the release of
1983's Mama Africa, Tosh went into self-imposed exile, seeking the spiritual advice of traditional medicine men in Africa, and trying to free himself from recording agreements that distributed his records in
South Africa.
