Aston “Family Man” Barrett was already an accomplished bassist who had toured internationally when he started working with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in the early 1970s. The trio had recruited Barrett and his brother, late drummer Carlton “Carlie” Barrett, to serve as their backing band. Barrett remembers sitting down with the group to record a few demos on a cassette tape recorder.

“I said, ‘I’m gonna rig up these machines so the three of them can record and play back, so we can get to tape our new concept of lyrics, melodies and music and listen to it before we go in the studio,’” he said. “And that’s when we came out with an album called ‘Natty Dread.’”

Released in 1974, “Natty Dread” was a global sensation, featuring hits like “Lively Up Yourself,”  “No Woman No Cry” and “Rebel Music.” According to Barrett, the album’s success boosted sales of the band’s previous records.

“It made ‘Catch a Fire’ and ‘Burnin’’ begin to sell, and also itself, and opened the way for the following album, called ‘Rastaman Vibration.’ Yeah man. And that’s when young people who have music in them began to get inspiration from us.”

By the time “Natty Dread” came out, though, Tosh and Wailer had left the band to launch their own careers. The Barrett brothers became the core foundation of Bob Marley & The Wailers, locking down the beat on bass and drums.

“The drum is the heartbeat and the bass is the backbone,” Barrett said.

More than 40 years since he first joined the band, and more than 30 years after Marley’s death, Family Man still leads the Wailers on tours around the world. He’ll bring them to the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom for a concert on Friday, July 13.

Barrett—or “Fams,” as he is known to his fans—spoke to The Wire by phone from Leeds, England, where the Wailers were about to play a show. The following day, they would perform in Scotland’s T in the Park festival, also featuring Nicki Minaj, The Stone Roses, Noel Gallagher, Florence + the Machine and others. 

A native of Jamaica, Barrett first traveled to England in 1969 as a member of The Upsetters, the legendary reggae act led by Lee “Scratch” Perry. He and his brother were both members of Perry’s band.

“I’ve been on the road from 1969 to 2012, nonstop. I’ve never taken a vacation yet,” Barrett said with a laugh.

Reggae was a Jamaican novelty in the late 1960s, blending elements of rhythm and blues, ska and rocksteady. Barrett said he and his brother began practicing the style around 1967. Asked how he first got into the reggae scene, he made a bold assertion.

“Well, let me tell you, I am the one who created reggae,” he said. “I am the architect of reggae.”

That’s a big claim to back up. But it is certain that Barrett was instrumental in composing every song on the seven albums Bob Marley & The Wailers released between 1974 and 1983, a discography that includes reggae masterworks like “Exodus,” “Kaya,” “Survival,” “Uprising” and “Confrontation.” He wrote highly recognizable bass lines on the band’s now classic tunes. He also produced and arranged much of the work that made Bob Marley the most famous musician in the world. And he’s not bashful about taking credit for his accomplishments.

“I am the musical arranger and producer of the whole Bob Marley & The Wailers catalogue,” he said.

He has continued to carry the torch since Marley’s death in 1981, touring simply as the Wailers.

But Barrett is not eager to discuss his relationship with Marley, perhaps because he feels the singer has taken too much of the praise for pioneering a sound that Barrett, himself, has been engineering for three times as long.

“I’ve been on the road before Bob, with Bob, and after Bob,” he said.

In total, the Wailers have sold more than 250 million albums worldwide and have played for an estimated 24 million people around the globe. Carlie Barrett died in 1987, but the band now features close to 10 touring members, including one of Barrett’s sons (Family Man has somewhere around 50 children—no exaggeration). At the microphone is long-time lead singer Koolant Brown. 

The band mostly sticks to roots reggae classics from throughout the Wailers’ vast catalogue. Barrett said some of his personal favorites to play on bass include “Forever Loving Jah,” “Exodus” and “Positive Vibration.”

Barrett is also a devoted Rastafarian who attaches deep spirituality to reggae. He said he listens to all kinds of global music, and reggae has elements of many, including rhythm and blues, funk, soul, samba, merengue and soca. But, in his mind, it’s the music’s spiritual depth that separates it from other styles.

“Reggae music is the heartbeat of the people. It’s a universal language. We carry the messages of roots, cultures and reality. That’s reggae music. It’s not like any other. And no matter what’s before it or after, we are coming from the throne of King David and King Solomon, the chief musicians. And we are the archangels.”

Before he was an international touring musician, Barrett noted, he worked in Jamaica as an electrical welder, bike mechanic and blacksmith. He has applied those same mechanical skills to his music, building a global sound.

“I in-graft all of those talents into the music and construct it and make it what it is today,” he said. “That’s why it stands out in the crowd.”

The Wailers will perform on Friday, July 13 at 8 p.m., at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, 169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton, 603-929-4100. Tickets are $20 in advance or $23 day of show. Visit www.casinoballroom.com.