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As leading lights of the 1980s roots reggae scene, Black Uhuru became the first Jamaican act to win a Grammy Award and helped fill the void left by Bob Marley's death. Named after the Swahili word for freedom, the band was led by Derrick "Duckie" Simpson, fuelled by Marley's vision of Rastafari spirituality and social justice within the music. With producers Sly And Robbie crafting their sound, they were signed to Island Records and came to mainstream attention with the albums Red (1981) and Chill Out (1982). They toured with The Rolling Stones and guitarist Keith Richards featured on their track Shine Eye Girl, before Anthem (1984) won them a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Recording. Vocalist Puma Jones died from cancer in 1990 but the band continue to skank around the world under the guidance of Simpson and released new album As The World Turns in 2011.Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
