Black Slate
Encyclopedia
Black Slate are a reggae
band based in the United Kingdom
, and formed in 1974. They toured heavily around London
and backed Jamaica
n musicians such as Dennis Brown
, Delroy Wilson
, and Ken Boothe
when they played in the UK. They toured the UK in their own right for the first time in 1978, and released four albums between 1979 and 1985.
, and Anguilla
. They backed Delroy Wilson
and Ken Boothe
on their UK appearances, and had their first reggae-chart hit themselves in 1976, with the anti-mugging song "Sticks Man", also lined up with Disco Reggae Band under Disco Reggae Band & Black Slate. The record hit the Dutch and Flemish charts as well, after being an underground hit in Antwerp discothèques. They toured the UK for the first time in 1978, and formed their own TCD label, having a minor hit with "Mind Your Motion". They also backed Dennis Brown
when he played live in the UK, and in 1980 their Rastafarian rallying call, "Amigo", was picked up by Ensign Records
, and broke into the UK Singles Chart
, reaching #9. The follow-up, "Boom Boom" was also a hit, though less successful. An album, Sirens In The City, followed on Ensign the following year. The band released two further albums in 1982 and 1985, but little was heard of them after that. Keyboard player George Brightly was fatally shot in Jamaica in 1995.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
band based in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and formed in 1974. They toured heavily around London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and backed Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n musicians such as Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a sub-genre of reggae...
, Delroy Wilson
Delroy Wilson
Delroy Wilson was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer.-Biography:Wilson released his first single "Emy Lou" in 1961 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen...
, and Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe OD is a Jamaican recording artist.-Biography:Ken Boothe was born in the Denham Town area of Kingston in 1948, the youngest of seven children, and began singing in school...
when they played in the UK. They toured the UK in their own right for the first time in 1978, and released four albums between 1979 and 1985.
History
Black Slate was formed in 1974, including musicians from England, JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and Anguilla
Anguilla
Anguilla is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin...
. They backed Delroy Wilson
Delroy Wilson
Delroy Wilson was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer.-Biography:Wilson released his first single "Emy Lou" in 1961 for record producer, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, at the age of thirteen...
and Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe
Ken Boothe OD is a Jamaican recording artist.-Biography:Ken Boothe was born in the Denham Town area of Kingston in 1948, the youngest of seven children, and began singing in school...
on their UK appearances, and had their first reggae-chart hit themselves in 1976, with the anti-mugging song "Sticks Man", also lined up with Disco Reggae Band under Disco Reggae Band & Black Slate. The record hit the Dutch and Flemish charts as well, after being an underground hit in Antwerp discothèques. They toured the UK for the first time in 1978, and formed their own TCD label, having a minor hit with "Mind Your Motion". They also backed Dennis Brown
Dennis Brown
Dennis Emmanuel Brown was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lovers rock, a sub-genre of reggae...
when he played live in the UK, and in 1980 their Rastafarian rallying call, "Amigo", was picked up by Ensign Records
Ensign Records
Ensign Records was started in 1976 by Nigel Grainge, as an independent Phonogram subsidiary.-History:Grainge had been the head of A&R at Phonogram in London for the previous two years and directly signed Thin Lizzy, 10cc, The Steve Miller Band, and a worldwide license for the successful All...
, and broke into the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, reaching #9. The follow-up, "Boom Boom" was also a hit, though less successful. An album, Sirens In The City, followed on Ensign the following year. The band released two further albums in 1982 and 1985, but little was heard of them after that. Keyboard player George Brightly was fatally shot in Jamaica in 1995.
Albums
- Black Slate (1979, TCD)
- Amigo (1980, Ensign, Wise Owl)
- Sirens In The City (1981, Virgin, Ensign)
- Rasta Festival (1981, Alligator)
- Ogima (1981, hit and run) (CD)
- Six Plus One (1982, Top Ranking)
- Black Slate (1985, Sierra)
- Get Up and Dance (1995, FairWood Music)
Singles
- "Sticks man" (1977, CNR) - NL # 31
- "Amigo" (1980, Ensign) - UK #9
- "Boom Boom" (1980, Ensign) - UK #51
- "Mind Your Motion" (12" TCD)
See also
- List of reggae musicians
- List of Jamaican backing bands
- List of roots reggae artists
- Fabric Live 31Fabric Live 31FabricLive.31 is a DJ mix compilation album by The Glimmers, as part of the FabricLive Mix Series.-Track listing:# Roxy Music - Same Old Scene - Virgin# Fingerprintz - Wet Job - Virgin...