Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae band that was formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru which is a Swahili word meaning freedom. From 1972 till the present, the band has gone through a number of line-up changes only with Derrick “Duckie” Simpson being the mainstay. Arguably, the 1980s was their most successful period when they released their album “Anthem” that became a remarkable hit and won them the first ever Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1985.
Black Uhuru was formed in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica with the members Don Carlos, Garth Dennis, and Derrick “Duckie” Simpson. The first song they released was the cover for Curtis Mayfield’s “Romancing to the Folk Song” followed by “Time is on Our Side” but unfortunately, none of them was a success. The band then spilt up, Dennis and Carlos left Simpson behind who got Errol Nelson and Michael Rose to join him. This continued to happen over the years, where the band got their fair share of success with notable tracks and the groundbreaking album “Anthem”. The band has created music in the dub and reggae genres and has worked with labels such as Island, Warner Bros, Taxi, and Ras. Here are my picks of “Top 10 Black Uhuru Songs”.
1. Solidarity:
2. Sponji Reggae:
3. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner:
4. What Is Life:
5. System:
6. Great Train Robbery:
7. Plastic Smile:
8. Puff She Puff:
9. Shine Eye Gal:
10. Party Next Door:
Honorable Mentions:
11. Boof N Baff N Biff:
12. Vampire:
13. General Penitentiary:
Photo Credit: Instagram @blackuhuruofficial
