Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae 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 winning the first ever Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1985.
A quick internet search brings up some extraordinary footage of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry producing a session at the Black Ark. Taken from the film ‘Roots, Rock, Reggae’, directed by Jeremy Marre, the sequence shows Junior Murvin collaborating with members of the Congos and the Heptones on a song improvised on the spot for the film crew. Before the vocals are recorded, the Upsetters lay down the backing track. The musical director of the session is the afro-haired bass player, Boris Gardiner; unusually, it is he who counts in the band to start each take. After a long conversation with Boris a few years back, I asked Lee about his contribution to the Black Ark sound.
This album is dedicated to the memory of both Ariane 'Ari Up' Forster and Lincoln Valentine 'Style' Scott with whom the project started. 'Dub No Frontiers' is inspired by and features women vocalists we knew from the UK or had met while travelling around the world. Many of the singers said they felt the Dub/Reggae arena was a bit of a male preserve and a little intimidating even, so we decided to invite artistes to perform a song of their choice, all in non-English on our rhythm tracks. The idea was to then try and evolve DNF into a powerful live show and to tour with a core of vocalists, musicians and guests…
2009 two CD set. Pioneered by the legendary King Tubby in the early 1970s, Dub has proved one of the most enduring and most influential styles to emanate from Jamaica's golden shores. This set highlights some of the best in Dub sounds from the '70s and early '80s, created by many of it's esteemed practitioners. Featuring the likes of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Niney The Observer, King Tubby and Prince Jammy, this is a fantastic introduction to a much-loved musical phenomenon.