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UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album four times, and in 1984 were nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Group. UB40 have sold over 70 million records worldwide. The ethnic make-up of the band's original line-up was diverse, with musicians of English, Irish, Jamaican, Scottish and Yemeni parentage.
Their hit singles include their debut 'Food for Thought' and two Billboard Hot 100 number ones with 'Red Red Wine' and 'Can't Help Falling in Love'. Both of these also topped the UK Singles Chart, as did the band's version of 'I Got You Babe'. Their two most successful albums, Labour of Love (1983) and Promises and Lies (1993), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart.
The band's line-up was stable for nearly 29 years, from March 1979 until January 2008, when frontman Ali Campbell left the band, followed shortly thereafter by keyboardist Mickey Virtue. Another member, Astro, remained with the band until November 2013, when he departed the original band to team up with Campbell and Virtue in a new version of UB40. In 2014, legal advice was sought by the original band (now consisting of remaining co-founding members drummer Jimmy Brown, guitarist Robin Campbell, bassist Earl Falconer, percussionist Norman Hassan, and saxophonist Brian Travers, along with new vocalist Duncan Campbell) against the group containing Campbell, Virtue, and Astro over usage of the band name, due to it being used by both parties.
Band members
Current members
Jimmy Brown (born 20 November 1957, Birmingham) – drums (December 1978 – present)
Robin Campbell (born 25 December 1954, Birmingham) – guitar, vocals (December 1978 – present)
Earl Falconer (born 23 January 1959, Birmingham) – bass guitar (December 1978 – present)
Norman Hassan (Arabic: نورمان حسن; born 26 January 1958, Birmingham) – percussion, trombone, vocals (December 1978 – present)
Brian Travers (born 7 February 1959, Birmingham) – saxophone (December 1978 – present)
Duncan Campbell (born 3 April 1958, Birmingham, England) – vocals (April 2008 – present)
Former members
Ali Campbell (born Alistair Campbell, 15 February 1959, Birmingham) – guitar, vocals (December 1978 – January 2008)
Yomi Babayemi – percussion (December 1978 – February 1979)
Jimmy Lynn – keyboards (December 1978 – February 1979)
Mickey Virtue (born Michael Virtue, 19 January 1957, Birmingham) – keyboards (February 1979 – February 2008)
Astro (born Terence Wilson, 24 June 1957, Birmingham) – percussion, trumpet, vocals (March 1979 – November 2013)
Additional personnel
Current touring musicians
Laurence Parry – trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone (September 1994 – present)
Martin Meredith – saxophone, keyboards (July 1997 – present)
Tony Mullings – keyboards (February 2008 – present)
Former touring musicians
Henry Tenyue – trombone (September 1983 – September 1994)
Patrick Tenyue – trumpet (September 1983 – September 1994)
Joe Hanratty – drums (February 1981 – August 1982)
Discography
Signing Off (1980)
Present Arms (1981)
UB44 (1982)
Labour of Love (1983)
Geffery Morgan (1984)
Baggariddim (1985)
Rat in the Kitchen (1986)
UB40 (1988)
Labour of Love II (1989)
Promises and Lies (1993)
Guns in the Ghetto (1997)
Labour of Love III (1998)
Cover Up (2001)
Homegrown (2003)
Who You Fighting For? (2005)
TwentyFourSeven (2008)
Labour of Love IV (2010)
Getting Over the Storm (2013)
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