Who is in UB40 now and where are the former band members?

UB40 has announced they will play at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Birmingham

In 1979 a new sound hit the radio waves. It was a fusion of pop and reggae, a re-working of classics with a totally unique style. This was the birth of UB40 and people loved it.

Ali Campbell, Earl Falconer, Brian Travers and James Brown formed the band in December 1978, having known each other from Moseley School of Art. Joined by Norman Hassan, who had been a friend of the Campbell’s since junior school, they began experimenting with ‘jazz-dub-reggae’.

When Ali’s brother Robin Campbell, Michael Virtue and Astro joined, they famously decided on the name UB40 as all of the band members were unemployed and each was collecting unemployment benefits with a government issued UB40 card.

They didn’t need these cards for long, however, as their first album, released in 1980 on Graduate Records, was to turn platinum. They would go onto release 19 additional studio albums plus seven live albums, 17 compilation albums and a whopping 62 singles, many of which topped the charts across the world. They sold more than 100 million records.

The line-up of the band remained in place for nearly 30 years until Ali Campbell left in 2008. There are technically now two versions of UB40.

UB40's Astro (Terence Wilson), Norman Hassan, Brian Travers, Ali Campbell, Earl Falconer, Jimmy Brown, Robin Campbell and Mickey Virtue in 1983

UB40’s Astro (Terence Wilson), Norman Hassan, Brian Travers, Ali Campbell, Earl Falconer, Jimmy Brown, Robin Campbell and Mickey Virtue in 1983 (Image: Getty Images)
Robin Campbell is the lead singer of the original UB40 and this is the band that has the rights to the official UB40 name. They have continued to perform and release music together, their most recent album being For the Many, which launched in 2019.

Ali Campbell created his own group with Mickey Virtue and Astro, called UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey. They released albums Unplugged in 2016 and A Real Labour of Love in 2018.

Let’s take a look at where they are now and what they are doing …

Ali Campbell

Ali Campbell fronted UB40 for nearly 30 years. During this time, the band formed their own record company DEP International, with all eight members owning an equal share, and opened a studio in Birmingham called The Abattoir.

They became known for introducing classic reggae songs and artists to new audiences around the world, especially through their Labour of Love series of albums.

In January 2008, Ali decided to leave the band in order to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by his brother Duncan, who had been invited to join the band at their inception, but declined.

Six years later, in August 2014, Ali reunited with former UB40 bandmates Astro and Mickey Virtue to record a new album, Silhouette. He continues to perform as ‘UB40 with Ali Campbell’.

Astro

Terence Wilson got his nickname Astro as a result of his love for Dr. Martens boots emblazoned with the model name Astronaut. He joined the UB40 shortly after the band’s formation in late 1978, adding additional vocals, trumpet and percussion to the line up.

He also served as the band’s ‘toaster’ delivering spoken word or rap-style vocals over the music. You can hear Astro prominently on the 1983 hit Red, Red Wine, which reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic.

At the end of 2013, Astro decided to leave the group and he reunited with Ali and Mickey in 2014 to form a new band. Sadly, Astro died in November 2021 following a short illness.

Brian Travers

Sax player Brian Travers was the band’s most prolific lyricist. As a founder member, he had been with the band from their humble beginnings through to their heady chart-topping success.

Just days before UB40’s For The Many UK tour was due to start in 2019, the band had the devastating news that Brian had been diagnosed with brain tumours and required immediate surgery for their removal. This meant he could not join the tour and the subsequent recovery period would prevent Brian from touring for the whole of 2019.

The final concert of 2019 was a hometown Birmingham show where Brian was able to join in for a few emotional numbers, to rapturous applause, during the encore. Travers sadly died from cancer on August 22, 2021.

Mickey Virtue

Keyboard player Mickey joined the band with Robin and Astro shortly after the band had first formed. He left not long after Ali left the group in 2008.

Reunited with Astro and Ali in 2014, they recorded the album Silhouette and went on tour. However, he left the band in late 2018 and so they became UB40 featuring ‘Ali Campbell and Astro’.

Duncan Campbell

Duncan joined the band in 2008 after the departure of his brother Ali. In February 2010, UB40 released Labour of Love IV, the band’s first full album with Duncan Campbell on lead vocals and embarked on a sell-out tour of the UK where they played the album live in its entirety.

This tour was preceded by a warm-up date at The Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath, the venue where the band made their live debut in February 1979.

Campbell announced his retirement from music after suffering a seizure in August 2020. His replacement as lead singer was announced in July 2021 as Matt Doyle, formerly of the band Kioko.

Robin Campbell

Vocalist Robin Campbell continues to perform as part of the original UB40 line-up with band members James Brown, Earl Falconer and Norman Hassan, who have the rights to the official UB40 name. Their most recent album was 2019’s For the Many.

Earl Falconer

Warwickshire-born Earl hails from Meriden and attended St. Benedict’s junior school. He moved on to Moseley Road School of Art and was an unemployed plasterer at the time of UB40’s formation.

He continues to perform in the original UB40 line-up with Robin Campbell.

Norman Hassan

Norman, born in 1958, is the band’s percussionist and brass section player. The Birmingham City FC fan still lives in Birmingham and plays in the original UB40 band.

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