Steel Pulse

Among the leading reggae ensembles to emerge from Britain, Steel Pulse rank near the top, matched only by Aswad in artistic reach and marketplace impact. A Rastafarian collective with pronounced political leanings, the group began by delivering roots reggae laced with jazz and Latin inflections, quickly attracting followers among both U.K. punk enthusiasts and dedicated reggae supporters. Their opening long-player, Handsworth Revolution, arrived in 1978 and has since been viewed by numerous observers as a pivotal achievement within British reggae history. As the decade progressed, the band incorporated sleek synthesizer textures along with dance-music and R&B components, yet retained militant lyrical concerns, evident on the 1988 release State of Emergency. By the close of the 1980s, Steel Pulse had secured a Grammy and were actively pursuing full crossover appeal in both the British and American markets. They later revisited a robust, roots-oriented approach that incorporated contemporary dancehall and hip-hop touches on the 1994 album Vex and the 1997 album Rage and Fury. Like many veteran acts, Steel Pulse concentrated on live performance rather than new recordings throughout the 2000s and 2010s, until studio work resumed for the 2019 project Mass Manipulation.

The ensemble came together in 1975 in Birmingham, England, specifically within the Handsworth district. Founding members included school friends David Hinds, who handled primary songwriting duties as lead singer and guitarist, Basil Gabbidon on guitar, and Ronnie “Stepper” McQueen on bass. All originated from economically disadvantaged West Indian immigrant households and possessed limited prior musical training. They gradually honed their instrumental skills, frequently drawing on Rastafarian-themed material by Bob Marley and Burning Spear. McQueen proposed the band’s name, inspired by a racehorse, after which the lineup expanded to include drummer Steve “Grizzly” Nisbett, keyboardist and vocalist Selwyn “Bumbo” Brown, percussionist and vocalist Alphonso “Fonso” Martin, and vocalist Michael Riley.

Initial attempts to secure club dates proved challenging, since venue operators hesitated to host the group’s outspoken Rastafarian viewpoints. The concurrent rise of punk, however, created fresh performance opportunities across Britain while fostering an ideological affinity with protest-oriented reggae. Consequently, Steel Pulse served as support for punk and new-wave acts including the Clash, the Stranglers, Generation X, the Police, and XTC, thereby cultivating a diverse following. Reflecting the era’s ethos, the group cultivated an elaborate stage presentation that blended social critique with satirical wit; several members adopted attire that lampooned classic British stereotypes, such as Riley appearing as a vicar, McQueen as a bowler-hatted aristocrat, and Martin as a coach footman. The band issued early singles “Kibudu, Mansetta and Abuku” and “Nyah Love” on independent imprints before Island Records took notice following a support slot for Burning Spear.

Their debut Island single, the enduring “Ku Klux Klan,” translated effectively to the group’s visually striking, costume-driven live shows and surfaced on the 1978 debut album Handsworth Revolution. That collection soon earned acclaim as a landmark British reggae statement, thanks to tracks such as the title song, “Macka Splaff,” “Prodigal Son,” and “Soldiers.” Riley exited prior to the follow-up, 1979’s Tribute to the Martyrs, which contained notable early singles “Sound System” and “Babylon Makes the Rules” and reinforced the band’s image for unflinching political intensity. This reputation shifted with 1980’s Caught You, a pop-leaning collection centered on dance numbers and lovers rock. Eager to penetrate the American market, Steel Pulse toured despite Island’s reservations. The album reached U.S. stores as Reggae Fever yet failed to establish the act, prompting a split from the label.

Steel Pulse subsequently joined Elektra/Asylum, which documented their headline appearance at the 1981 Reggae Sunsplash Festival on LP. Their first proper studio effort for the company, 1982’s True Democracy, received widespread praise for balancing accessible production values with renewed social awareness; it became the group’s initial charting album in America, appearing on both pop and R&B lists. The smoother follow-up, Earth Crisis, surfaced in 1984 and featured producer Jimmy “Senyah” Haynes substituting on guitar and bass for original members Gabbidon and McQueen, both of whom departed after the sessions. Guitarist Carlton Bryan and bassist Alvin Ewen stepped in for 1986’s Babylon the Bandit, another Haynes-produced release that stood as the band’s most refined, synthesizer-driven recording to that point. Although it included the potent “Not King James Version” and earned a Grammy for Best Reggae Album, sales remained modest and some longtime supporters felt alienated, leading Elektra to drop the act.

Steel Pulse resurfaced on MCA in 1988 with State of Emergency, their most overtly crossover-directed album to date. They also supplied the track “Can’t Stand It” to the soundtrack of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. In 1991 they delivered another commercially oriented set, the Grammy-nominated Victims, which included the single “Taxi Driver.” Reinforcing the song’s perspective, Steel Pulse pursued a class-action suit against the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, alleging that drivers engaged in discrimination toward Black passengers and especially Rastafarians. Founding member Fonso Martin departed that same year, leaving Steel Pulse as a core trio of Hinds, Nisbett, and Brown. Their supporting ensemble retained Ewen and added guitarist Clifford “Moonie” Pusey, keyboardist Sidney Mills, and drummer/percussionist Conrad Kelly.

The 1992 live album Rastafari Centennial signaled a return to the group’s foundational musical style and garnered another Grammy nomination. The following year the band performed at Bill Clinton’s inaugural celebration, becoming the first reggae act featured at such an occasion. The 1994 studio album Vex completed Steel Pulse’s reclamation of classic roots reggae while acknowledging current dancehall trends through several guest toasters and digital-tinged production. Rage and Fury, released in 1997, followed a comparable path and received a Grammy nomination. In 1999 the group issued another live collection, Living Legacy.

With 2004’s African Holocaust, Steel Pulse revived the assertive political themes of their formative years. Although the band focused on touring for the subsequent fifteen years, the 2019 album Mass Manipulation reaffirmed their dedication to roots reggae and forthright lyrical statements. Drummer Conrad Kelly passed away on May 8, 2024, at age 65.