2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of Reggae Legends, Black Uhuru, who first formed in 1972. The group is celebrating this milestone on March 18th when they release a brand new single titled, “Brand New Day,” along with an album pre-order for their new full length record, New Day, via Law Records.
Kingston, Jamaica’s Black Uhuru was the first to ever win a Grammy Award for reggae music with their album, Anthem, back in 1985 and have eight other nominations to boot. They were one of the first bands to incorporate dub elements into their songs while also being known for its profound presence of bass. They have the highest reggae record sales behind Bob Marley along with some of the most sampled songs in the genre being used by countless producers & artists.
“We’ve been around for over 50 years,” says the bands iconic founder, Duckie Simpson. “We started when we were youth and the band has come right through all these years in abundance. There have been a couple of changes over the years with some guys left to do other things, and a couple of lead singers passed through the band: Don Carlos, Michael Rose, Junior Reid, and then Don Carlos again, and Andrew Bees now for like 25 years. This album is my second up front doing lead vocals.”
Black Uhuru’s new single, “Brand New Day,” finds Duckie back at lead vocals and trading verses with Dylan Seid of the Chico-based Dylans Dharma. The track is actually a rewrite of a Dylans Dharma song by the same name with new verses by the Black Uhuru founder. Duckie noted that this rendition of the song was inspired by California’s deadliest & most destructive fire known as The Camp Fire that ravaged through Northern, CA in 2019. Seeing a community come together with love & positive energy to regenerate and rebuild what was lost is what moved him to pen the lyrics to the verses he sings with, “Brand New Day.”
The basic tracks were recorded at Helltown Studios in Helltown, California, with both Duckie and Dylan Seid on lead vocals. Then Simpson took the recordings to Leebert Cougar Studio in Kingston, Jamaica to do overdubs and mix in backing vocals by Niki Burt and Elsa Green, guitars by Leebert “Gibby” Morrison, horns by Everald Ray, and drums by Rolando Alphanso Wilson.
The new album will feature additional collaborations with long-time Black Uhuru frontman and solo artist, Andrew Bees, as well as a cover by CA-based singer-songwriter, Baharat Karmakar. Karmakar’s song “I Can See the Light”, which was about The Camp Fire, actually inspired this “Brand New Day” release.
“Strategically,” says LAW Records General Manager Paul Milbury, “what we want to do is connect the burgeoning American-Cali reggae scene back to the original legends, who helped create the scene that inspired this one: Black Uhuru is foremost among those legends. We really want to introduce the old to the new and the new to the old, to ensure the newer generation of reggae fans are aware of the legends and their importance, and hopefully introduce the older reggae fans to some newer artists who are pushing the contemporary reggae scene forward.”
Black Uhuru’s new album, New Day, drops May 13th, 2022 via Law Records. You can listen to the albums next single, “Brand New Day,” while pre-ordering the new album by clicking HERE!
Listen: Black Uhuru – “Brand New Day”
Black Uhuru – New Day Tracklisting:
1.) Jamaica To Here
2.) Helltown
3.) I Can See The Light
4.) New Day
5.) Just Begun
6.) Gal Next Door
7.) Hold You
8.) Star General
9.) Top Rankin’
10.) Scorching Day
11.) Colour Blind
Related Links:
@BlackUhuru_Official
Black Uhuru Website
Black Uhuru Facebook
Law Records Website
Article By: Mike Patti
Listen: Black Uhuru & Andrew Bees – “Jamaica to Here” (ft. Dylans Dharma & King Hopeton)