Donald Kinsey (1953–2024) was born in Gary, Indiana, the son of Chicago bluesman Lester “Big Daddy” Kinsey. His father put a guitar in his hands as a small boy, and he grew up playing in the family band.
Early Career
In the early 1970s he played in the band of blues great Albert King. He then formed a hard-rocking power trio, White Lightnin’, which signed with Island Records. That label connection brought him into the orbit of two of Island’s biggest reggae stars, Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.
With Bob Marley and the Wailers
In 1975 and 1976 Kinsey toured with Bob Marley and the Wailers as lead guitarist, and he played on Marley’s 1976 album Rastaman Vibration. Still in his early twenties, he brought a Chicago blues edge to the Wailers’ sound.
In December 1976, days before the Smile Jamaica concert in Kingston, gunmen attacked Marley’s home during a rehearsal. Kinsey was standing near Marley when the shots were fired and took cover behind a heavy road case, escaping unhurt. Two days later he was on stage with Marley at the concert.
He went on to record and tour with Peter Tosh, played with Roy Buchanan, and rejoined Marley for his final tour in 1979. After Marley’s death in 1981, he recorded a tribute, “Song for Bob.”
The Kinsey Report
In 1984 Donald reunited with his father and his brothers Ralph and Kenneth to form The Kinsey Report, a Chicago-area band that blended electric blues, rock and roots music and became a fixture of the city’s blues scene.
Later Years
He stayed active into the 2020s, performing with The Kinsey Report and touring the United States and Europe with The Wailers, the band carrying on Marley’s music. Donald Kinsey died on February 6, 2024, in Merrillville, Indiana, at age 70, just weeks after his brother Ralph.
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