UB40

In the summer of 1978, UB40 was born out of jam sessions in a basement rehearsal space in Birmingham, England. Several of the members, including Ali Campbell, Brian Travers, Earl Falconer and James Brown knew each other from the campus of the Moseley School of Art. With the addition of Ali's brother Robin, Norman Hassan, Astro and Mickey Virtue, the bands line-up would solidify and remain unchanged for nearly 30 years.

UB40 caught their first big break after Chrissie Hynde spotted the band rocking a London pub stage. She asked them to sign on as the opening act for The Pretenders upcoming tour. In February 1980 they released their debut single "King"/"Food for Thought" on the small independent Graduate Records. The record took off, peaking at #4 on the UK Singles Chart. It was the first single to reach the UK Top 10 without the backing of a major record company.

UB40 cemented themselves as left-wing political activists early in their career. The band took its name from a document (Unemployment Benefit Form 40) used to claim unemployment benefits from the Department of Health and Social Security in the UK. Their debut album Signing Off features cover art emulating the form, and several tracks from the album touch on social and political issues. "Burden of Shame" derides the ills of British Imperialism while "Food For Thought" addresses famine in Ethiopia and "Madame Medusa" takes on the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher's rise to power in Britain.