Ali Campbell

Ali Campbell
Campbell in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Alistair Ian Campbell
Born	(1959-02-15) 15 February 1959 (age 65) Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Genres	Reggae dub
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Cooking Vinyl
Website	www.alicampbell.net ub40.org

Alistair Ian Campbell (born 15 February 1959) is an English singer and songwriter who was lead singer and co-founder of the British reggae band UB40.

UB40 sold more than 100 million records worldwide and toured for 30 years with the original lineup of the band. In 2008, Campbell left UB40 due to a dispute with band management, alongside Mickey Virtue (Keyboard) also left for the same reasons and teamed up with Ali in the new band.

In August 2014, Campbell announced he had reunited with former UB40 bandmate Astro who also left due to management disputes and the musical direction of the band. Campbell then formed UB40 Featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey.

Early life

Alistair Ian Campbell was born in Birmingham, England. He is the brother of former bandmate Robin Campbell and former UB40 frontman Duncan Campbell, and is a son of the late Scottish folk singer Ian Campbell.^[1]

Career

In the UK, his solo albums Big Love and Running Free both reached the UK Top 10, while Flying High and Great British Songs reached the Top 20.^{[citation needed]} Campbell scored a number 1 hit in 1994 as featured artist, along with brother Robin, on Pato Banton's cover of The Equals' "Baby Come Back".^{[citation needed]}

In October 2007, Campbell released a solo album titled Running Free. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 9 and went gold. This was the first top ten entry for Campbell for a new studio album since UB40s Labour of Love 3 album, which was released 10 years prior.

On 24 January 2008, it was reported that Campbell was to quit the group after almost 30 years.^[2] Campbell, who was a founding member of UB40, songwriter and lead vocalist, finally quit the band in 2008. Their last gigs together were in February 2008 in Australia, New Zealand and Uganda.^[2]

Campbell then issued a statement on his website and through his solicitors stating that for many years he had been unhappy with the business practices and business managers of UB40 and launched an investigation into the financial handling of the business. This was the reason for his departure.

A few months later, Michael Virtue the keyboard player also left UB40, citing the same reasons as Campbell, and joined Campbell's legal investigation. Virtue subsequently joined Campbell's new band, the Dep band.

On 18 October 2010 Ali released his fourth solo album Great British Songs—a collection of British pop and rock hits from the 1960s and 1970s. The album reached 15 on the UK Albums Chart where it remained for three weeks. It also gave Campbell his third top 15 charting album in as many years.^[3] Critic David Jefferies of AllMusic said of the album, "Longtime fans will appreciate that Campbell's voice is as strong as ever, but it deserves a better showcase than this mixed bag".^[4] Campbell's label Jacaranda Music was number one on the UK independent chart in October 2010 and Great British Songs also entered the iTunes reggae album chart at number one.^[5]

In 2012, Campbell was announced as one of the three judges on the judging panel of the TV show, New Zealand's Got Talent, along with Jason Kerrison and Rachel Hunter. In 2013, Campbell was replaced for the third series by American choreographer Cris Judd.^[6]

In August 2014, Campbell announced that he had reunited with former UB40 bandmates Astro and Mickey Virtue to record a new album, Silhouette.^[7] He said of his brother Duncan's singing, "I sat back for five years and watched my brother Duncan murdering my songs. We're saving the legacy".^[8] They initially toured under the name 'UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey', leading to legal action brought by the other UB40.^[9][10] Their first release was The Hits of UB40 Live in 2015. In 2016, their Unplugged album reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart.^[11] A Real Labour of Love was released in March 2018, an album much in the vein of UB40's Labour of Love series.^[12] It reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, and entered the Billboard Reggae Albums chart at number one.^[11][13] Virtue departed the band in late 2018, following which the band has operated under the name 'UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro'.^[14] In July 2021, vocalist Matt Hoy quit the band,^[15][16] while on 6 November 2021, the group's social media announced that Astro had died after a short illness.^[17] In 2022, the first single from the band's final album with Astro, "Sufferer" was released, which was joined in the countdown as shown on The Heritage Chart Show^[18] by Matt Hoy's solo single "We Are One", a fact which was picked up by presenter Mike Read on the programme broadcast on Talking Pictures TV on 10 April 2022.^{[19][20][21][22]} On 17 June 2022, UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro released the album Unprecedented via UMC, with Campbell fulfilling his UB40 tour dates in the run-up to the album's release, with the tour now billed as being 'in memory of Astro'.^[23][24]

Awards and nominations

UB40 received an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement in 2003. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, UB40 were nominated for best reggae album of 2006. Mauritius Government award to Ali Campbell for his services to Music and Charity – December 2010

Personal life

Campbell is the father of eight children, including two with his current wife, Julie.^[1]

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Filmography

Live Concert Stream

• In Memory Of Astro (2022) - On 27 May 2022, streaming service On Air released the In Memory of Astro live concert stream. Recorded at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, the career-spanning show was performed in memory of Ali Campbell’s dearly departed friend and bandmate Astro.

References

Further reading

• Ali Campbell interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' July 2010

External links

• Official website