Born Hubert Winston McIntosh on October 9, 1944, Peter Tosh was born in Grange Hill (Church Lincoln District), then moved to Belmont as a young child. His mother recalls his taste for music developing at a young age, playing music for the villagers to earn a few shillings. Peter left the peaceful country of Westmoreland parish for the deadly slums of Trenchtown, Kingston at the age of 15. Along with teenage friends Bob Marley and Neville "Bunny" Livingstone, he formed the Wailing Wailers.

After several years of practice, the Wailers began releasing records through Coxsone Dodd's Studio One. These included such hits as "Simmer Down", "One Love", and Peter's first lead vocal, "Hoot Nanny Hoot". As Peter recalled, "First tune hit, second tune hit, 3rd tune hit. We never sung no tune that miss." The Wailers soon found out that in the Jamaican record business, a hit record didn't necessarily mean fortune. Frustrated by the lack of what they felt to be proper compensation, the Wailers left Coxsone Dodd and over the next several years worked with producers including Leslie Kong and the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry. The Wailers also founded their own record label, Tuff Gong Records for Wailers output and Peter formed his own Intel-Diplo HIM record label for his solo output. The Wailers were soon courted and signed by Chris Blackwell's Island Records. Giving them a chance to work on their own, Blackwell gave the Wailers 4,000 pounds and in return was given Catch a Fire, what many consider to be one of reggae's defining moments. Although Blackwell did overdub some rock guitar and organ to appeal to an international audience, Catch a Fire was a major achievement in that it was the first complete album by a reggae act and it established the music as much more than a novelty. Indeed, Catch a Fire was no novelty record; the anger and pain of the lyrics and the reality that they painted were burned into the grooves of the vinyl. Even though the album was a critical success and the Wailers seemed on the verge of breaking through internationally, tensions within the band were high. Peter did not trust Blackwell (who he referred to as "Whiteworst") and was resentful that Bob was being pushed to the front of the band and he and Bunny were relegated to background singer status for much of the album. This tension continued to build through the recording of their next album, Burnin', and after an aborted tour, Peter and Bunny quite the Wailers.

Marley would continue on as Bob Marley and the Wailers and recruit the female trio I-Three to replace Peter and Bunny on background vocals. As Peter reflected later, After splitting from The Wailers, Peter secured a recording contract with Capitol Records and released his debut album, Legalize It, a controversial call to legalize ganja. Cut with most of the Wailers band, it featured re-cuts of older tunes("Burial", "No Sympathy", "Brand New Second Hand") and new songs("Igziabeher", "Why Must I", title cut). Establishing a trend that would continue throughout his career, Peter used his musical platform to fight against injustice. While the album was not the international smash hit that Peter had hoped for, Legalize It remains a strong seller to this day. Peter's second solo album, Equal Rights, is considered by many to be his best work. Replacing the Wailers band is Tosh's own Word, Sound, and Power band, anchored by the famous duo of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare on drum and bass. Equal Rights features new versions of classics like "Get Up Stand Up" and "Downpressor Man" and his signature version of the Joe Higgs penned "Stepping Razor" along with instant classics like the tite track, "Apartheid", "African", and "Jah Guide". Soon after the release of Equal Rights, Tosh performed at the One Love Peace Concert alongside the likes of Bob Marley, Ras Michael, Inner Circle, Culture, and others. Peter lashed out strongly at Prime Minister Michael Manley and Opposition Leader Edward Seaga, both in attendance, about government inaction and the legalization of ganja. He attacked the "shitstem" which he felt was designed to oppress the black race. The retribution by the embarrassed politicians was swift and brutal. Pulled into a police station for smoking ganja, Tosh was beaten by at six to seven police officers for over ninety minutes. According to Peter, it was only because he knew how to roll his eyes in the back of his head that he survived the beating. Some good did come from the One Love concert, as Mick Jagger was in the audience to witness the powerful performance Peter had given. Impressed with Tosh's magnetism, Jagger signed him as the first act on the new Rolling Stones record label. Tosh released a total of three albums on the label, the first of which, Bush Doctor, was released in 1978. Jagger contributed vocals on the hit "Don't Look Back" which led to international television exposure, including an appearance on Saturday Night Live. Tosh was also chosen as the opening act on the Stones' US Tour. While the rock and roll audiences weren't always receptive of the militant reggae which Tosh performed, the tour was generally well received and provided unprecedented exposure.

Peter released two more albums on the Rolling Stones label, Mystic Man (1979)and Wanted Dread and Alive (1981). Both were solid efforts but, due to lack of proper marketing or promotion, failed to capitalize on the momentum of "Don't Look Back." After a falling out with the Stones, Peter left the label to sign with EMI. Mama Africa was released in 1983 and featured a remake of Chuck Berry's classic "Johnny B. Goode" which had some minor success and was made into a music video. A show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles from the following world tour was captured on film and released as Captured Live in both audio and video formats. It has also been recently re-released as a DVD, testament to Peter's continued popularity. Much of the rest of Peter's life was spent quietly at his home with common-law wife, Marlene Brown. He released No Nuclear War in July 1987, a strong comeback album which he was planning to tour behind. The tour was not to be. On the evening of September 11, 1987, Peter was spending an evening with friends at his house in Kingston. Their evening was interrupted by a knock on the door. Dennis "Leppo" Lobban, a street vendor who begged money from Peter frequently, and two unidentified men stormed the house demanding money. Another knock at the door brought popular DJ Jeff "Free-I" Dixon and his wife Joy. The gunmen brought everyone into the living room and demanded money, pistol whipping Tosh and several others. When told that no money was in the house, the gunmen opened fire. "Doc" Brown was killed instantly and Free-I and Peter Tosh died later at University Hospital in Kingston.