Aswad
Aswad | |
|---|---|
 Aswad in 2002 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Reggae, reggae fusion, R&B |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Island Records Grove Music CBS (UK) Simba Mesa Ark 21 PROTV |
| Members | Tony Robinson |
| Past members | Brinsley Forde Angus Gaye Donald Griffiths Courtney Hemmings George Oban |
Aswad are a British
History
The members of Aswad are UK descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean. They attended John Kelly/Holland Park School. Aswad was formed in 1975 in Ladbroke Grove area of West London.[3]
The original members of Aswad were guitarist/vocalist Brinsley "Chaka B" Forde, drummer/vocalist Angus "Drummie Zeb" Gaye, lead guitarist/vocalist Donald "Dee" Griffiths, bassist George "Ras" Oban, and keyboardist Courtney "Khaki" Hemmings.[4] Aswad were the backing band of Burning Spear's 1977 Live album, recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London. Other contributors included Vin Gordon, and Karl Pitterson.[5]
Initially, the band produced music in the roots reggae vein, with members contributing songs individually and with Forde acting as the band's principal songwriter. The band's dynamic soon began to change however. Shortly after the release of their self-titled debut album in 1976, Hemmings left and was replaced by Tony "Gad" Robinson (the only time in the band's history where a departing member would be officially replaced by an incoming musician). The band then released their second studio effort, Hulet, in 1978, before Oban departed the band in 1979, with Robinson taking over the position of bassist as well as continuing his role as keyboardist. The following year saw Griffiths depart, leaving Forde as the band's sole guitarist.[4] During this early period in the band's history they were distinctly different from Jamaican reggae acts, in that they wrote songs that dealt with the issues surrounding the experiences of black youths growing-up in the UK;[4] such as "Three Babylon" and "It's Not Our Wish", and the powerful jazz-influenced instrumental "Warrior Charge".
Once the band's line-up had stabilised into the trio of Forde, Gaye, and Robinson, Aswad followed a more commercial reggae style, gaining a wider audience with the New Chapter album (1981). They then followed this with the Michael Reuben Campbell-produced A New Chapter of Dub LP which was a dub of the entire New Chapter album. Not Satisfied was a London roots-reggae album released in 1982. In August 1983, Aswad played live at Meanwhile Gardens on the Sunday of the Notting Hill Carnival; the resulting live album Live and Direct is a faithful record of that event, where they played a live dub set. "Love Fire" gained wide recognition when it was used as the backing rhythm for Dennis Brown's "Promised Land".
Among Aswad's catalogue of
The band also hold the distinction of having played with each one of the ex-
The band has toured extensively, playing in diverse locations from London's Royal Albert Hall and Montego Bay's Reggae Sunsplash, to gigs in West Africa, Israel and Japan.[7]
Aswad underwent their first line-up change in sixteen years in 1996, when Forde departed the band for spiritual reasons, leaving Gaye as the only founding member. Once again, the remaining members opted not to seek to recruit a replacement musician, and thus Aswad became a duo of Gaye and Robinson. With the exception of a brief reunion with Forde in 2009 for the Island record label's 50th-anniversary celebrations,[8] the band's line-up remained the same until Angus Gaye’s death in 2022. Gaye died on 2 September 2022, aged 62.[9]
Aswad released their final studio album to date in 2009, with City Lock. They released the singles "What Is Love?" and "Do That Thing" in the same year.[10]
Members
- Current members
- Tony "Gad" Robinson - bass, keyboards, vocals (1976-present)
- Former members
- Brinsley "Dan" Forde – vocals, lead & rhythm guitars (1975–1996, 2009)
- Angus "Drummie Zeb" Gaye – vocals, drums (1975–2022; his death)
- Donald "Dee" Griffiths – lead guitars (1975–1980)
- Courtney "Khaki" Hemmings – keyboards (1975–1976)
- George "Ras" Oban – bass (1975–1979)
- Additional musicians
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Discography
Production work
See also
- List of reggae musicians
- John Arnison
References
- ^ Snowden, Don (14 July 1985). "Reggae—brit Style". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ^ "Aswad". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ "Drummie Zeb obituary". The Times. 5 September 2022. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ ISBN 0-313-33158-8.
- ISBN 0-7535-0242-9.
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Aswad Band | Ads Company". Archived from the original on 3 March 2010.
- ^ Morris, Davina (17 May 2009). "Aswad reunites for Island's 50th anniversary". The Gleaner. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012.
- ^ Abdul, Geneva (2 September 2022). "Drummie Zeb, lead singer of UK reggae band Aswad, dies aged 62". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Aswad Band | Ads Company". Archived from the original on 28 February 2010.
- ^ "VANESSA-MAE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.
External links
Media related to Aswad at Wikimedia Commons- Biography and discography Archived 11 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- "Aswad: Reggae Gold", interview by Pete Lewis, Blues & Soul, July 2009.
- Gallery of Aswad party pictures by dz studios
- Myspace profile
- Aswad discography at Discogs
- Aswad at IMDb
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