Black Slate
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Black Slate were a reggae band based in the United Kingdom, and formed in 1974. They toured heavily around London and backed Jamaican 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.
History
Black Slate was formed in 1974, including musicians from England, Jamaica, 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". 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"[1], was picked up by Ensign Records, and broke into the UK Singles Chart, reaching #7. 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.
