Biography
Born Alistair Campbell on February 15, 1959, in Birmingham, England, Ali Campbell rose to prominence in contemporary pop-reggae circles chiefly through his duties as lead singer and guitarist for the British reggae ensemble UB40. He assembled the group with its seven other founding members during the late 1970s, turning UB40 into a reliable fixture on the UK pop charts before expanding internationally with their reinterpretations of well-known songs such as “Red Red Wine” and “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You.” A chance bar altercation that yielded compensatory funds enabled the band to secure their long-needed instruments. Their debut performance took place in early 1979; an introduction by Chrissie Hynde soon accelerated their ascent, at least domestically. Entry into the American market arrived in 1983 via the covers album Labour of Love, which housed the hit single “Red Red Wine,” and again in 1993 with Labour of Love II, which featured the celebrated Elvis Presley ballad. Campbell’s first solo outing, Big Love, appeared in 1995 and reached the British Top Ten, aided by his successful duet “That Look in Your Eyes” with Pamela Starks. He departed UB40 permanently in 2008 after issuing another Top Ten solo album, Running Free, in 2007, citing improper business conduct by the band’s management; keyboardist and fellow original member Mickey Virtue exited the lineup shortly afterward. Flying High followed in 2009, incorporating current touches through a guest spot by grime artist Sway and a Britney Spears cover. Great British Songs arrived the next year, consisting of Campbell’s renditions of popular 1960s and 1970s material. In 2014 he confirmed an October release for his fifth solo album, Silhouette, which included contributions from Mickey Virtue and vocalist Astro, another founding UB40 member who had left the band in 2013. True to his established pattern, Silhouette concentrated on covers spanning reggae and pop, among them reworkings of songs by the Beatles, Dennis Brown, Bob Dylan, the Chi-Lites, and the Pioneers.
Albums
Singles
