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Biography
UB40 Biography
🌟 About UB40
The band's name, "UB40," was inspired by the Unemployment Benefit form 40, reflecting the members' experiences with unemployment during Britain's economic struggles in the late 1970s. The original lineup included Ali Campbell (vocals, guitar), Robin Campbell (guitar, vocals), Earl Falconer (bass), Brian Travers (saxophone), Jimmy Brown (drums), Norman Hassan (percussion), Mickey Virtue (keyboards), and Astro (toasting, vocals). Their diverse backgrounds contributed to a rich, multicultural sound that resonated with a broad audience. UB40's debut album, Signing Off (1980), was both a commercial and critical success, marking the beginning of their influential presence in the music industry. SeatUnique
🎶 Genres & Style
-
Reggae
-
Pop
-
Dub
UB40 is celebrated for their smooth reggae rhythms infused with pop sensibilities and dub influences. Their music often addresses social and political issues, delivered through melodic tunes and compelling lyrics that appeal to a diverse audience.
🏆 Notable Achievements
-
Grammy Nominations: UB40 has received four Grammy Award nominations for Best Reggae Album, highlighting their significant impact on the genre. GRAMMY.com
-
Brit Award Nomination: In 1984, they were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group, reflecting their prominence in the UK music scene.
-
Chart Success: The band has achieved over 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, with hits like "Red Red Wine" and "(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You" reaching number one.
-
Global Sales: With over 100 million records sold worldwide, UB40 stands as one of the best-selling music artists globally.
🎧 Hit Songs
-
"Red Red Wine": A reggae-infused cover of Neil Diamond's song that became a global hit, showcasing UB40's ability to reinterpret classics with their unique style.
-
"(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You": A soulful rendition of Elvis Presley's classic, this track topped charts internationally and remains a fan favorite.
-
"Kingston Town": Originally by Lord Creator, UB40's version brought the song renewed popularity, highlighting their knack for revitalizing beloved tracks. DancehallMag
-
"I Got You Babe" (feat. Chrissie Hynde): A duet that blends reggae with pop, offering a fresh take on Sonny & Cher's hit.
-
"Here I Am (Come and Take Me)": A smooth, reggae adaptation of Al Green's song, demonstrating UB40's signature style.
🎥 Watch & Listen
📺 YouTube:
🎧 Spotify:
🎬 Featured Videos:
💡 Booking Appeal
UB40's live performances are renowned for their vibrant energy and the seamless blend of classic hits with contemporary tracks. Their music's universal appeal ensures that audiences of all ages and backgrounds are engaged and entertained.
Perfect for:
-
Music Festivals
-
Corporate Events
-
Private Celebrations
-
Cultural Festivals
-
Charity Galas
🎤 Quote to Remember
"Our music has always been about love, peace, and social justice." – UB40
Book UB40 for an unforgettable experience that brings together timeless reggae rhythms, heartfelt lyrics, and a performance that resonates with audiences worldwide.
🌟 About UB40
The band’s name, “UB40,” was inspired by the Unemployment Benefit form 40, reflecting the members’ experiences with unemployment during Britain’s economic struggles in the late 1970s. The original lineup included Ali Campbell (vocals, guitar), Robin Campbell (guitar, vocals), Earl Falconer (bass), Brian Travers (saxophone), Jimmy Brown (drums), Norman Hassan (percussion), Mickey Virtue (keyboards), and Astro (toasting, vocals). Their diverse backgrounds contributed to a rich, multicultural sound that resonated with a broad audience. UB40’s debut album, Signing Off (1980), was both a commercial and critical success, marking the beginning of their influential presence in the music industry. SeatUnique
🎶 Genres & Style
-
Reggae
-
Pop
-
Dub
UB40 is celebrated for their smooth reggae rhythms infused with pop sensibilities and dub influences. Their music often addresses social and political issues, delivered through melodic tunes and compelling lyrics that appeal to a diverse audience.
🏆 Notable Achievements
-
Grammy Nominations: UB40 has received four Grammy Award nominations for Best Reggae Album, highlighting their significant impact on the genre. GRAMMY.com
-
Brit Award Nomination: In 1984, they were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group, reflecting their prominence in the UK music scene.
-
Chart Success: The band has achieved over 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, with hits like “Red Red Wine” and “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You” reaching number one.
-
Global Sales: With over 100 million records sold worldwide, UB40 stands as one of the best-selling music artists globally.
🎧 Hit Songs
-
“Red Red Wine”: A reggae-infused cover of Neil Diamond’s song that became a global hit, showcasing UB40’s ability to reinterpret classics with their unique style.
-
“(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You”: A soulful rendition of Elvis Presley’s classic, this track topped charts internationally and remains a fan favorite.
-
“Kingston Town”: Originally by Lord Creator, UB40’s version brought the song renewed popularity, highlighting their knack for revitalizing beloved tracks. DancehallMag
-
“I Got You Babe” (feat. Chrissie Hynde): A duet that blends reggae with pop, offering a fresh take on Sonny & Cher’s hit.
-
“Here I Am (Come and Take Me)”: A smooth, reggae adaptation of Al Green’s song, demonstrating UB40’s signature style.
🎥 Watch & Listen
📺 YouTube:
🎧 Spotify:
🎬 Featured Videos:
💡 Booking Appeal
UB40’s live performances are renowned for their vibrant energy and the seamless blend of classic hits with contemporary tracks. Their music’s universal appeal ensures that audiences of all ages and backgrounds are engaged and entertained.
Perfect for:
-
Music Festivals
-
Corporate Events
-
Private Celebrations
-
Cultural Festivals
-
Charity Galas
🎤 Quote to Remember
“Our music has always been about love, peace, and social justice.” – UB40
Book UB40 for an unforgettable experience that brings together timeless reggae rhythms, heartfelt lyrics, and a performance that resonates with audiences worldwide.
Expand Full Bio
Named after a British unemployment benefit form, pop-reggae band UB40 were formed in a welfare line in 1978, and their multiracial lineup reflected the working-class community their members came from. The band consolidated its street credibility with political topics appealing to dissatisfied youth and got a boost from fans of the waning 2-Tone ska revival movement. Brothers Robin (lead guitar) and Ali Campbell (guitar, lead vocals) formed the centerpiece of the group, which also included bassist Earl Falconer, keyboardist Mickey Virtue, saxophonist Brian Travers, drummer Jim Brown, percussionist Norman Hassan, and toaster Terence 'Astro' Wilson. Their 'Food for Thought' single 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' reentered the charts and went all the way to the top. Finally having hit on a way to conquer 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).' 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. Their 2010 release Labour of Love IV introduced Ali's brother Duncan as the group's new lead singer.
Named after a British unemployment benefit form, pop-reggae band UB40 were formed in a welfare line in 1978, and their multiracial lineup reflected the working-class community their members came from. The band consolidated its street credibility with political topics appealing to dissatisfied youth and got a boost from fans of the waning 2-Tone ska revival movement. Brothers Robin (lead guitar) and Ali Campbell (guitar, lead vocals) formed the centerpiece of the group, which also included bassist Earl Falconer, keyboardist Mickey Virtue, saxophonist Brian Travers, drummer Jim Brown, percussionist Norman Hassan, and toaster Terence ‘Astro’ Wilson. Their ‘Food for Thought’ single 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’ reentered the charts and went all the way to the top. Finally having hit on a way to conquer 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).’ 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. Their 2010 release Labour of Love IV introduced Ali’s brother Duncan as the group’s new lead singer.
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