Culture: Uptown Top Ranking ; Birmingham's Contribution to the History of Reggae Is the Subject of a Day-Long Celebration at This Year's Artsfest. Terry Grimley Reports

Summary

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'You have to remember that reggae was what we call 'suffering' music. It used to reflect the kind of stress that was going on inside the community.'

Basil Gabbidon, guitarist and founder member of Birmingham reggae pioneers Steel Pulse, is recalling the social context for what is arguably the most distinctive West Midlands contribution to popular music in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

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Culture: Uptown Top Ranking ; Birmingham's Contribution to the History of Reggae Is the Subject of a Day-Long Celebration at This Year's Artsfest. Terry Grimley Reports

Within a few years of Steel Pulse's classic 1977 debut album Handsworth Revolution, Birmingham's Musical Youth, UB40 and The Beat, plus Coventry's The Specials, had all made their mark. The last three represented the uniquely West Midlands phenomenon of '...

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