Black Uhuru
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Black Uhuru is a Jamaican
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful period in the 1980s, with their album ''
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
'' winning the first ever
Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in sev ...
in 1985.


History

The group formed in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1972, initially called “Uhuru" (the Swahili word for freedom), with a line-up of
Garth Dennis Rudolph "Garth" Dennis (2 December 1949 – 9 December 2021) was a Jamaican musician who was a founder member of Black Uhuru, later a member of The Wailing Souls for ten years before returning to Black Uhuru in the mid-1980s, and also recorded ...
,
Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Fried ...
, and Derrick "Duckie" Simpson.Thompson, p. 38 Their first release was a
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
The Impressions The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul. The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...
' "Romancing to the Folk Song", which was followed by "Time is on Our Side"; Neither song was a success and they split up, with Carlos pursuing a solo career, as did Dennis, before joining
The Wailing Souls The Wailing Souls (originally The Renegades) are a Jamaican reggae vocal group whose origins date back to the 1960s. The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years with Winston "Pipe" Matthews and Lloyd "Bread" McDonald the only c ...
. Simpson also briefly worked with the Wailing Souls, before forming a new version of Uhuru with Errol Nelson (of The Jayes) and Michael Rose, the group now taking the name Black Sounds Uhuru.Thompson, p. 39 Their
Prince Jammy Lloyd James (born 26 October 1947),Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter: "Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub ma ...
-produced debut album, ''Love Crisis'', was released in 1977. Nelson returned to The Jayes in late 1977, and was replaced the following year by Sandra "Puma" Jones, a social worker from
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
, US, who had previously worked as a dancer for
Ras Michael Michael George Henry OD (born 1943), better known as Ras Michael, is a Jamaican reggae singer and Nyabinghi specialist. He also performs under the name of Dadawah. Biography Henry was born in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, where he was raised in ...
& the Sons of Negus, and as a member of the group Mama Africa.Harris The band now took on their most familiar name, Black Uhuru. The group began working extensively with
Sly and Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separa ...
, and recorded a string of successful singles, including "General Penitentiary" a re-recording of Rose's solo hit "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", and "Shine Eye Gal", which featured guest guitarist
Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...
.Thompson, p. 40 The group's second album ''Showcase'' drew on these singles, and the band cemented their status with a performance at the 1980 Reggae Sunsplash festival. They planned to record an album with
Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...
producing, but this didn't materialise, although two singles, "Wood for My Fire" and "Rent Man", were released. They were signed by
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
in 1980, who issued the ''
Sinsemilla Cannabis sinsemilla () also known as sensimilla, sinse or sensi (can be translated into English as seedless cannabis) is the female ''Cannabis'' plant that has not been fertilized and therefore does not develop seeds, increasing the density of can ...
'' album to an international audience in 1981. The follow-up, ''
Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
'' reached number 28 in the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
in 1981, ''
Chill Out Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
'' reached number 38 a year later, and they toured with
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
.Black Uhuru
Chart Stats
In 1989, their album ''Red'' was ranked No. 23 on ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine's list of the "100 greatest albums of the 1980s." Their next studio album, ''
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
'', appeared in 1984, and won the first ever
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best Reggae Album the following year. Despite this success, Rose left the group in 1984 to resume his solo career after falling out with Simpson, and was replaced by Junior Reid. They signed to
RAS Records RAS Records, also known as Real Authentic Sound, is a reggae record label. History RAS Records was founded in 1979 by Doctor Dread. In his travels to Jamaica he created a network within the reggae artist community there. By the early to mid-1980 ...
and moved in a different direction with the album '' Brutal'' and the single " The Great Train Robbery", the latter recorded with New York dance producer Arthur Baker. Although these alienated much of their roots reggae following, ''Brutal'' was nominated for a Grammy and " The Great Train Robbery" gave them their second UK hit single, reaching number 62. The band began to disintegrate; their next album with Jammy was started but never completed, they stopped working with Sly and Robbie, and Jones left the band due to ill health (she died in 1990 from cancer). Her replacement was Janet "Olafunke" Reid, and the group returned in 1987 with the ''
Positive Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to: Mathematics and science * Positive formula, a logical formula not containing negation * Positive number, a number that is greater than 0 * Plus sign, the sign "+" used to indicate a posi ...
'' album. Reid was unable to obtain a US visa, and unable to tour, left the band, followed shortly by Olafunke. Black Uhuru, now reduced to Simpson alone, had been booked to play at an awards ceremony in California, which coincidentally had original Uhuru members Don Carlos and Garth Dennis on the bill, and they took the opportunity to reunite the original line-up for a performance at the event, and decided to continue afterwards. The ''Now'' album followed in 1991, and was also nominated for a Grammy. In 1996 the group fragmented again, with Simpson leaving to tour Europe with dub poet
Yasus Afari Yasus Afari (born John Sinclair, 1962)Harris, Craig " Yasus Afari Biography" ''Allmusic'', Macrovision Corporation.Dawes, Mark (2007)Mind and Spirit – Yasus' gift to Jamaica (Pt 2)" '' Jamaica Gleaner'', 21 April 2007. is a Jamaican dub poet ...
, under the name Black Uhuru, while Carlos and Dennis also toured the US under the same name.Thompson, 41 A legal battle over the name followed, won by Simpson in 1997. Carlos resumed his solo career, while Simpson formed a new line-up of Black Uhuru with Andrew Bees and Jennifer Connally. Only two albums, ''Unification'' and ''Dynasty'', were released before Bees went back to pursue his solo career in 2003. In February 2004, it was announced in the Jamaican press that Simpson and Michael Rose had reunited under the name "Black Uhuru feat. Michael Rose".Campbell (2004) Together with a female backing singer named Kay Starr, they released a single, "Dollars", and performed at several concerts including "Western Consciousness 2004" on 28 April in Jamaica, of which a live video was released shortly thereafter. A new album was reported to be in progress, although it was never released. The group toured throughout Europe in 2006. In 2008, Simpson took on lead vocal duties, and in 2012 the group recorded a new album, ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...
'', with guest appearances from Aterciopelados and Jarabe De Palo, although this was still unreleased a year later due to the master files getting corrupted.Campbell (2008) A 25th Anniversary Edition DVD of their ''Live in London'' concert was released in June 2008. In 2011, the group now featuring Derrick "Duckie" Simpson, Andrew Bees, and Kaye Starr, toured the US for the first time since 2002. In 2014 Jojo Mac joined the group, and left in 2016 to continue her solo career. The band re-recorded all but one track of ''As the World Turns'', which was eventually released in September 2018. In 2012 Black Uhuru was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Music by the City of Las Vegas and was handed the KEY TO THE CITY. Alongside that Award, August 31st was of officially named Black Uhuru Day in Las Vegas. Black Uhuru undertook a US tour in 2016 with Andrew Bees on lead vocals and Elsa Green on backing vocals. Singer Onesty opened for the band.


Selected album discography

*1980 – ''
Sinsemilla Cannabis sinsemilla () also known as sensimilla, sinse or sensi (can be translated into English as seedless cannabis) is the female ''Cannabis'' plant that has not been fertilized and therefore does not develop seeds, increasing the density of can ...
'' *1981 – ''
Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
'' *1982 – ''
Chill Out Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
'' *1983 – ''
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy (in his final role), Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn, and feature ...
'' (''Black Uhuru'' re-edition) *1983 – ''
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
'' *1986 – '' Brutal'' *1987 – ''
Positive Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to: Mathematics and science * Positive formula, a logical formula not containing negation * Positive number, a number that is greater than 0 * Plus sign, the sign "+" used to indicate a posi ...
'' *1990 – ''
Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...
'' *1991 – '' Iron Storm'' *1993 – ''
Mystical Truth ''Mystical Truth'' is a studio album by the Jamaican reggae band Black Uhuru. It was released in 1993 through Mesa Recordings. The album peaked at number 6 on the US '' Billboard'' World Albums chart and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Re ...
'' *1994 – ''
Strongg ''Strongg'' is a studio album by the Jamaican reggae band Black Uhuru. It was released in 1994 through Mesa Recordings. The album peaked at number 6 on the US '' Billboard'' Reggae Albums chart and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Reggae Al ...
'' *2018 – ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...
''


Awards and nominations

Black Uhuru has won one
Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
and were nominated eight times. , - , align=center,
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, ''Reggae Sunsplash '81, A Tribute To Bob Marley'' , Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording , , - , align=center, 1984 , ''
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
'' , rowspan="3" , Best Reggae Recording , , - , align=center,
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
, '' Brutal'' , , - , align=center,
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
, ''
Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...
'' , , - , align=center,
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
, '' Iron Storm'' , rowspan="4" ,
Best Reggae Album The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1985 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works in the reggae music genre. Honors in sev ...
, , - , align=center, 1993 , ''
Mystical Truth ''Mystical Truth'' is a studio album by the Jamaican reggae band Black Uhuru. It was released in 1993 through Mesa Recordings. The album peaked at number 6 on the US '' Billboard'' World Albums chart and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Re ...
'' , , - , align=center,
1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, ''
Strongg ''Strongg'' is a studio album by the Jamaican reggae band Black Uhuru. It was released in 1994 through Mesa Recordings. The album peaked at number 6 on the US '' Billboard'' Reggae Albums chart and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Reggae Al ...
'' , , - , align=center, 2018 , ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...
'' , , -


Notes


References

*Campbell, Howard (2004)
Michael Rose returns to Black Uhuru
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 4 February 2004, retrieved 26 September 2009. *Campbell, Howard (2008)
Duckie sings lead
, '' Jamaica Gleaner'', 9 September 2008, retrieved 26 September 2009. *Harris, Craig "
Black Uhuru Biography Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
, ''
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
'', Macrovision Corporation. *Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae and Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books,


External links


Black Uhuru on Discogs
*
Black Uhuru on Myspace
{{Authority control Jamaican reggae musical groups Musical groups established in 1972 Grammy Award winners Island Records artists ROIR artists Palm Pictures artists