Ali Campbell

Alistair Ian Campbell was born on February 15, 1959, in Birmingham, England. He is the son of Scottish folk singer Ian Campbell and is known for his distinctive vocal style in the reggae genre. In 1978, Ali Campbell co-founded UB40, a British reggae band that would go on to achieve significant global success. The band sold over 70 million records worldwide and toured for 30 years with its original lineup. Campbell’s career with UB40 saw the release of 24 studio albums and charted over 40 Top 40 UK singles, including four number one worldwide singles such as ‘Red Red Wine’ and ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love.’ Throughout this period, the band received an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement in 2003 and a Grammy nomination for Best Reggae Album in 2007.

In 2008, Campbell departed from UB40, citing disputes over business practices and management. Following his departure, he embarked on a solo career, releasing albums that achieved commercial success in the UK. His solo album ‘Running Free’ entered the UK Albums Chart at number nine in 2007, achieving gold status, marking his first top ten entry for a new studio album since UB40’s ‘Labour of Love III.’ This was followed by ‘Flying High’ in 2009 and ‘Great British Songs’ in 2010, both reaching the UK Top 20. In 2012, Campbell served as a judge on ‘New Zealand’s Got Talent.’

A significant career turning point occurred in August 2014 when Campbell reunited with former UB40 bandmates Astro and Mickey Virtue, forming a new iteration of UB40. They released the album ‘Silhouette’ in 2014, which peaked at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart. The group continued to tour and record, releasing ‘Unplugged’ in 2016 which reached number 17, and ‘A Real Labour of Love’ in 2018, which climbed to number two on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. After Mickey Virtue’s departure in late 2018 and Astro’s passing in 2021, Campbell continued to perform as ‘UB40 featuring Ali Campbell,’ releasing the album ‘Unprecedented’ in 2022, which reached number eight in the UK.