UB40

Taking their name from the official unemployment benefit form, UB40's home-grown interpretations of Jamaican ska and reggae struck a chord with disaffected youth in Thatcherite Britain. Originally formed around brothers Robin and Ali Campbell - sons of the famous Scottish folk singer Ian Campbell - they recorded their first album Signing Off in a Birmingham bedsit and set up their own label Dep International to release it. They had a string of hits with protest anthems like One In Ten and affectionate covers of old reggae singles, getting their first No 1 in 1983 with Red Red Wine, re-recreating Tony Tribe's ska cover version of a Neil Diamond song. A collaboration with Chrissie Hynde on a cover of Sonny & Cher's I Got You Babe in 1985 was another smash and they remained one of Britain's biggest bands for two decades. Ali Campbell quit to go solo in 2008, replaced by younger brother Duncan Campbell and Maxi Priest.