UB40

Named after a British unemployment benefit form, UB40 are a pop-reggae band who formed in a Birmingham welfare line in 1978. Their multiracial lineup reflected the working-class community their members came from and they consolidated their street credibility with political topics appealing to dissatisfied youth, getting an initial boost from fans of 2-Tone ska revival movement that was beginning to wane. Over the years UB40 became better known for their reggae renditions of popular cover songs and they found mainstream success on both side of the Atlantic. In the late-’80s they scored number one hits with versions of Neil Diamond’s “Red Red Wine” and Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and kept their momentum going in the U.K. with the 1993 chart-topping album Promises and Lies. Although their success faded in the U.S., UB40 remained popular in the U.K. well into the 21st century, even amid membership changes and feuds. Albums like 2013′s Getting Over the Storm mostly adhered to their proven formula of cover songs, but 2019′s For the Many contained all originals. Following the death of two original members, the band regrouped for their 45th anniversary, releasing the 2024 album UB45. Brothers Robin (lead guitar) and Ali Campbell (guitar, lead vocals) formed the centerpiece of the UB40, along with Earl Falconer, saxophonist Brian Travers, drummer James "Jimmy" Brown, and percussionist Norman Hassan. The group started gigging in 1979, scoring an opening slot with the Pretenders by the end of the year. By 1980, UB40 had added keyboardist Michael (Mickey) Virtue and toaster Terence Wilson (aka Astro) to round out their initial lineup. Their first single, “Food for Thought,” reached the U.K. Top Ten in 1980, beginning a long streak of chart appearances. Signing Off and Present Arms were big sellers in Britain, if not America, and addressed the political issues of the day in songs like “One in Ten,” a Top Ten hit blasting Margaret Thatcher for the country’s unemployment rate. Released in 1983, Labour of Love, an album of reggae cover songs, gave the group its first chart album in America and first number one U.K. hit with Neil Diamond’s “Red Red Wine.” Several albums of original material sold well in the U.K., but only respectably in the U.S., where the group’s biggest hit was a Top 30 cover of Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe” featuring the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde. In 1988, the group performed “Red Red Wine” at a Nelson Mandela tribute concert, and a Phoenix radio station trotted the single out for a second go-round. Listener response was far more enthusiastic, and “Red Red Wine” re-entered the charts and went all the way to the top. Finally having a hit on the path toward conquering the lucrative American market, UB40 responded with another covers album, Labour of Love II, which produced Top Ten singles with versions of the Temptations’ “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and Al Green’s “Here I Am (Come and Take Me).” The group scored a huge hit in America with Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” which was initially featured in the Sharon Stone film Sliver and spent seven weeks at number one. By this time, UB40 had largely abandoned their trademark left-wing politics and were concentrating more on perfecting their reggae oldies covers than their original material; however, the gimmick resulted in huge sales figures in both the U.S. and U.K., with Promises and Lies reaching number six in the States and number one in Britain. In the spring of 1998, UB40 released Presents the Dancehall Album in the U.K. A third Labour of Love collection followed a year later. In fall 2002, UB40 bounced back with yet another collection. The Fathers of Reggae, which appeared on Virgin in November, highlighted the band’s roots in reggae in a selection of classics. In 2003, the band scored a major hit in the U.K. when its version of the spiritual “Swing Low” with the multicultural choir United Colours of Sound became the official anthem for the 2003 English Rugby team. The song was featured on the 2003 album Homegrown. As their 2005 album, Who You Fighting For?, was being released, an announcement was made that the band would be working with Birmingham’s Repertory Theatre to stage a new musical in the spring of 2006. Two years later, their album Twentyfourseven became their last with vocalist Ali Campbell and keyboardist Michael Virtue. UB40′s 2010 release, Labour of Love IV, introduced Ali’s brother Duncan as the group’s new lead singer. They also released a remastered two-CD/DVD version of Signing Off as a 30th Anniversary Special Edition, which the band toured across America and Europe. In 2011, Robin Campbell, Brian Travers, Terence Wilson, Norman Hassan, and Jimmy Brown started bankruptcy proceedings against the existing group over debts accrued by their label, DEP International. Alongside former singer Ali Campbell, they were declared bankrupt that year. In 2013, they released their 18th studio album. Titled Getting Over the Storm, it featured covers of country music songs by the likes of Willie Nelson, George Jones, Randy Travis, and more. Astro left the band after release of Getting Over the Storm; he’d join forces with Ali Campbell and Mickey Virtue in a separate trio in 2016, calling themselves UB40 featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey. Meanwhile, UB40 continued to tour, and in 2018 they celebrated their 40-year anniversary with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall and a new album called For the Many. Sax player Brian Travers died on August 22, 2021, after treatment for brain tumors; he was 62. Terence Wilson, better known as Astro, died on November 6, 2021m after a brief illness at age 64. With their new lead singer, Matt Doyle, UB40 performed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, held in their hometown of Birmingham, alongside other regional heroes like Dexys, Ozzy Osbourne, and Musical Youth. Ramping up for their 45th anniversary celebration, the band released “Gimme Some Kinda Sign” in early 2024, ahead of the album UB45. ~ Steve Huey