Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

Maxi Priest

LOVERS ROCK singer Maxi Priest will replace Ali Campbell as UB40's frontman, a British newspaper has reported.

UB40's hometown 'paper', The Birmingham Mail, in its March 14 edition, quoted a source close to the band as saying Priest has recorded a version of Marley's I Shot The Sheriff with them.

"The recent recording session with Maxi Priest turned out brilliantly and the band are really buzzing about the year ahead," the source was quoted as saying.

There was no response to the report from Priest's booking agent or his tour manager, Zola Burse, when The Gleaner tried to contact both.

The 45-year-old Priest, who was born in London to Jamaican parents, joined UB40 on tour last year. Campbell, one of two brothers in the classic UB40 lineup, left the pop-reggae unit in January.

Legal squabbles

Ali Campbell (right) performing with UB40 at Reggae Sunsplash in 2006. - FIle photos

"Ali made a very simple decision, he chose to pursue and put his solo career over and above continuing to work with UB40 after February 2008; it's as simple as that," read a statement from the band.

Campbell left following legal squabbles with the group's management. Keyboardist Mickey Virtue has since left, citing similar reasons.

The reported alliance between Maxi Priest and UB40 comes at a crossroads in their careers. They headed a British reggae invasion of North American reggae charts in the 1980s and 1990s, but have not had a major hit song in some time.

UB40 emerged from the Birmingham club scene during the late 1970s when the punk movement was still hot. Although they tackled social issues, such as racism, their sound was far more commercial to other British reggae bands of the time, including Aswad and Steel Pulse.

Homage

Strongly influenced by reggae, the multiracial eight-piece band built a strong following throughout Britain and Europe before releasing several well-received albums in the United States.

Their Labour of Love albums pay homage to Jamaican music of the 1960s and 1970s. They include covers of songs by Johnny Osbourne, Johnny Clarke, Eric Donaldson and Lord Creator.

Priest cut his teeth in London's vibrant reggae circuit in the early 1980s. He first got the attention of Jamaicans with a cover of Cat Stevens' Wide World, In The Springtime and Should I.

Both acts had chart-topping albums in the United States. UB40's 1983 Labour of Love spawned the hit song Red Red Wine and sold millions of units. Priest's 1990 Bonafide disc, driven by the hit song Close To You, sold over one million units.

He also topped the US singles chart the following year with Set The Night to Music, a collaboration with Rhythm and Blues singer Roberta Flack, and scored a Top 20 hit with Housecall alongside Shabba Ranks.

Prior to Campbell's departure, UB40 continued to tour and made their debut Jamaican appearance in 2006 at Reggae Sunsplash. Priest has maintained a local presence by working with leading local producers.