Steel Pulse

As key members of the vibrant British reggae scene of the late 1970s, Steel Pulse became a voice for the UK's migrant communities, while celebrating their Jamaican roots. Formed by Birmingham school friends David Hinds, Basil Gabbidon and Ronnie McQueen in 1975, reggae music's kinship with the punk movement saw the band become a support act for The Clash, The Stranglers and The Police and they were soon signed by Island Records. Naming themselves after a race horse, their early single Ku Klux Klan was recognised as one of the great UK reggae tracks, while debut album Handsworth Revolution (1978) captured the political and racial tensions of the time. They turned to a more accessible, pop friendly sound on Caught You (1980) and won a Grammy Award for sixth album Babylon The Bandit (1986) as the band started to build a following in America. Later albums State Of Emergency (1988) and Rage and Fury (1997) saw them experiment with synthesizers and rap lyrics and they adopted a more contemporary style of reggae by collaborating with Capleton, Tiken Jah Fakoly and Damien Marley on African Holocast (2004).

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