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UB 40 music biography continued...

most ethnically diverse cities, and were drawn together by their love of the skanking Jamaican reggae vibes. Taking their name from a notorious British unemployment form, the multi-racial , liberal-leaning group originally consisted of Brothers Robin (lead guitar) and Ali Campbell (guitar, lead vocals), bassist Earl Falconer, keyboardist Mickey Virtue, saxophonist Brian Travers, drummer Jim Brown, percussionist Norman Hassan, and toaster Terence "Astro" Wilson. By early 1979 they had played their first local gig. Through the rest of the year UB40 performed at pubs, clubs, and benefits all around the UK. In 1980 they scored their first breakthrough hit single in Great Britain King" b/w "Food For Thought" and followed it by recording two successful albums-- Present Arms and Present Arms In Dub.
UB40's breakthrough in America arrived in the form of 1983's Labor Of Love, and its single "Red, Red Wine." The song topped the British singles charts in 1983 and -- five years later -- landed UB40 their first #1 smash hit in the U.S. Finally having hit on a way to conquer the lucrative American market, UB40 responded with another covers album, Labor 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 its signature left-wing politics and was concentrating more on perfecting their reggae oldies covers than their original material, but they were doing this with great success, landing near the top of the charts with each new album. Although some members of the original group have since left UB40, the band continues to record and perform to this day, delighting both reggae and pop music fans.