UB40

About UB40

The multiracial English band UB40 were one of the first acts to marry Jamaican reggae and dub rhythms with mainstream pop. Though the band were all Birmingham, England natives they hailed from incredibly diverse backgrounds and members' heritage included English, Scottish, Irish, Yemeni and Jamaican. They cynically named themselves after the government form that the English government required to collect unemployment at the time. Keeping with the theme, they titled their first album Signing Off, waving goodbye to their life on the dole. The eight-piece band bought their instruments with a compensation payout lead vocalist Ali Campbell got from a bar fight, but got their big break when Chrissie Hynde caught their act at a local club and invited them to tour with The Pretenders. Their sound proved to be an eclectic stew of local influences-the Balsall Heath area of Birmingham where they grew up was home to a large Jamaican immigrant community and the members of UB40 loved the local soundsystem parties. Aside form ska and reggae rhythms, the UB40 sound included accomplished guitar riffs, a smoking brass section and cutting-edge synthesizers. Their singular sound was captured best on singles like "Madame Medusa," "Signing Off" and "One In Ten." UB40 made a point of taking on issues like racism and social inequality and they introduced music lovers to some of the more obscure Jamaican ska singles that might have been forgotten otherwise. One of their first commercial hits was a light-grooving cover of the Neil Diamond tune "Red, Red Wine," but their biggest commercial success was their version of Elvis Presley's "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You."