UB40

The band purchased its first instruments with compensation money Ali Campbell received after a bar fight. Usher is the only artist to have spent over half of a year (28 weeks) atop the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart in one year with "Yeah" (12 weeks), "Burn" (6 weeks), "Confessions Part 2" (5 weeks), and "My Boo" (5 weeks). Its members include:. Confessions has so far been certified 7x platinum in the US selling over 6 million albums by November 2004. Other artists that UB40 have collaborated with include: Pato Banton, Bitty McLean, Chrissie Hynde and Afrika Bambaataa. Confessions has so far spawned the following hits:. Their early music style was unique, with a heavy influence of analogue synthesizers, psychedelic rock guitar, saxophone and Dub Reggae producer techniques which were later perfected by the late Pablo Falconer. "Yeah" features contributions by Ludacris and Lil Jon and was released as the first single.

UB40 were influenced by the many Blues Parties they attended as teenagers in multiracial Birmingham, their love of ska and reggae inspired such original tracks as "King", "Madam Medusa", "Ivory Madonna", "Signing Off" and "One in Ten", later covered by 808 State. The album topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic as well as topping US R&B charts and Internet albums charts and reaching number 2 in Australia. for claiming unemployment benefits (UB40 = Unemployment Benefits, Form 40). Along with the success of the Norah Jones album Feels Like Home, it was seen as a sign that record sales were slowly recovering after three straight years of decline in the US. The band is named from the paper form issued by the U.K. Confessions sold 1.1 million records in its first week of release, the most first-week sales by any R&B artist and the highest sales by any artist in three years. The band may be the world's most culturally diverse dub reggae band with English, Turkish, Welsh, African and Jamaican parentage musicians. Usher released the Confessions album on March 23, 2004.

UB40 is a popular dub reggae / reggae pop music band formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England.
Usher was in a relationship with fellow R&B singer Rozonda Thomas (Chilli of TLC), but it was over as of 2004. Homegrown (2003),UK #49. Usher continued in his acting career, appearing in Texas Rangers in 2001 and in Geppetto in 2000. Cover Up (2001), UK #29. He won a Grammy for best male R&B vocal for his work on "U Remind Me". The Very Best of UB40 (2000), UK #7. 8701 contained a number of hit singles including:.

Labour of Love III (1998), UK #8. This album started to build a market for Usher outside his traditional markets in Canada and the US. UB40 Present the Dancehall Album (1998). It reached number one in the UK and Canada, number four on the Billboard 200 and number three on the R&B charts. Guns in the Ghetto (1997), UK #7. The 8701 album so called because of the date of its release proved to be another success. The Best of UB40 - Volume Two (1995), UK #12. However, this album to be called All About U was extensively leaked on Napster, leading to new material being recorded for release later in the year.

Promises and Lies (1993), UK #1. The live album was widely perceived as a stopgap measure while he recorded his follow-up album, scheduled for release in early 2001. Labour of Love II (1989), UK #3. Usher released a live album that failed to achieve the success of My Way, only reaching number 73 on the Billboard 200 and number 30 on the R&B/Hip Hop Charts. UB40 (album)|UB40 (1988), UK #12. Usher also commenced an acting career appearing in TV series such as The Bold and the Beautiful and Moesha and movies such as The Faculty and She's All That. The Best of UB40 - Volume One (1987), UK #3. The album would eventually go multi-platinum on the back of the hit singles from the album such as:.

UB40 CCCP: Live in Moscow (1987); Live in Moscow, Russia 1986. When released in 1997, My Way was the breakthrough album for Usher reaching number 4 on the Billboard 200, number 1 on the R&B album charts, and number 13 on the Canadian charts. Rat in the Kitchen (1986), UK #8. Diddy to ensure its success. Baggariddim (1985), UK #14. Usher co-wrote 6 out of the 9 tracks on the album and recruited leading producers Jermaine Dupri, Babyface and P. Geffery Morgan (1984), UK #3. Usher produced his second album My Way after graduating from high school.

Labour of Love (1983), UK #1. This song proved to be his most successful to date reaching number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1994 and reaching number 5 of the Hot R&B/hip Hop Charts. UB40 Live (1983), UK #44. He also formed a vocal group with other vocalists called Black Men United which recorded a song called "U Will Know" from the Jason's Lyric soundtrack. UB44 (1982), UK #4. Usher continued to build a national profile by recording jingles for Coca-Cola and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Present Arms in Dub (1981), UK #38. There were three singles released in the US from the album namely:.

Present Arms (1981), UK #2. It made a modest impact on the charts peaking at number 167 on the Billboard 200 Album charts although it did reach number 4 on the Heatseeker charts for prospective stars. Signing Off (1980), UK #2. Diddy, then known as Puff Daddy and was released in 1994. Pablo Falconer (producer). His self-titled debut record was executive produced by P. Astro (toasting vocals). Reid signed him to La Face records after an audition while still in school.

Terence Wilson (percussion, trumpet). A. Mickey Virtue (keyboards). L. Brian Travers (saxophone). He started singing in a church choir and his singing talents soon became obvious. Norman Hassan (percussion). Usher Raymond was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1978 and moved to Atlanta, Georgia when he was 12.

Earl Falconer (Bass guitar, vocals). The first single from the album "Yeah" featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon has topped the US Billboard Hot 100, European, Australian, World, US and World R&B charts, World Adult, Norwegian, Swiss, and the UK charts in 2004, and it also reached number 2 in Canada. Usher won a Grammy Award for "Best Male R&B Vocal" in the Grammy Awards of 2001 for "U Remind Me" off his 8701 album. Robin Campbell (lead guitar, vocals). His 2004 album Confessions sold over a million copies in the United States in its first week of release, selling the greatest amount of records in one week for any R&B artist, and has topped the album charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Ali Campbell (guitar, lead vocals). Usher Raymond (born October 14, 1978) has been a popular R&B/pop musician since the early 1990s. Jim Brown (drums). Texas Rangers (movie) as Randolph Douglas Scipio (movie 2001).

Geppetto as Ring Leader (TV movie 2000). "Sabrina The Teenage Witch" as The Love Doctor. Light It Up as Lester Dewitt (movie 1999). She's All That as Ron James, campus DJ (movie 1999).

The Bold and the Beautiful as Raymond (TV series 1998). The Faculty as Gabe Santoro (movie 1998). Moesha as Jeremy (TV series 1997-98). Confessions (2004) #1 8x platinum.

8701 (2001) #4 4x platinum. Live (Usher album) (1999) #73. My Way (1997) #4 6x platinum. Usher (1994)#167.

9 in the UK. "Caught Up" charted at No. "My Boo", a duet with Alicia Keys, has reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was featured on a re-release/repackaged version of Confessions, giving him a total of 7 number 1 singles in the US. It is Usher's 6th number 1 single since 1998; and.

"Confessions Part II" has so far topped the Billboard Hot 100 and the US and World R&B Charts, and reached number five in the UK and Australia (as a double A-side with "My Boy", see below). "Burn" has so far reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and US R&B/Hip Hop charts as well as the Rhythmic Top 40 charts, and also topping the UK and Australian charts;. "Yeah" has topped the Billboard Hot 100, European, World, US and World R&B charts, World Adult, Australian, Norwegian, Swiss and the UK charts and reached number 2 in Canada;. "U Turn" reached the top 10 in Australia and top 20 in the UK.

"U Don't Have To Call" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the US R&B chart; and. "U Got It Bad" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B/Hip Hop charts, number three in Australia and number five in the UK;. "U Remind Me" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B/Hip Hop charts, number two on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart, number three in Canada and the UK, and number four in Australia;. "Pop Ya Collar," which reached number two in the UK, and top 30 in Australia;.

"Nice" number 12 dance and number 22 Top 40 mainstream. "Nice & Slow" (1998) Number 1 Billboard Hot 100, R&B and Rhythmic Top 40, number 2 dance number 6, UK Top 40 number 24; and. "My Way" (1998) Number 2 Billboard Hot 100, number 4 R&B, number 5 Rhythmic Top 40, number 20 Canada;. "You Make Me Wanna" (1997) Number 2 Billboard Hot 100, number 1 US R&B (11 weeks), Rhythmic Top 40 and Dance charts number 6 Canada, Number 1 in the UK Top 40 (1998 release);.

"The Many Ways" Number 42 Hot R&B/Hip Hop Charts. 59 Billboard Hot 100;. "Can U Get Wit It" Number 13 Hot R&B/Hip Hop Charts, No. "I Think Of You" Number 8 Hot R&B/Hip Hop charts, No 58 Billboard Hot 100;.