our third album, and we’ d had great( UK) success with our second album, Present

that are doing music. I’ ve got Kaya, who sings on Unplugged – she did the Chrissie Hynde part in“ I Got You Babe,” and she’ s been performing it with us live at the shows. And last year my other daughter Indica came and supported me with her band for a couple of shows in London and Birmingham. And Indica and Kaya are two names for weed, basically. And I never had a daughter named Sativa. But Hey – there’ s still time. And all of my boys are musical, as well. They like making mixtapes and my son Jack is a DJ. So yeah,

Arms. So we took that opportunity to put out Present Arms in Dub, just to show people what dub was. And in those days, people didn’ t know what it was. But lots of people brought the record back to where they bought it, saying,“ This is faulty – it’ s got echoes all over it and there are no vocals!” But we were still happy that we helped show people what dub was, because now dub is the most influential thing in contemporary dance music, which all owes its production technique to King Tubby, basically.

IE: You have eight kids. Have any of‘ em said,“ Hey, dad – I’ m kinda interested in this reggae stuff”? AC: Yeah, yeah. I’ ve got two daughters

they’ re all interested.

IE: In 2014, you actually wound up being a judge on“ New Zealand’ s Got Talent.” How did you land that far-off TV gig? AC: It was completely bonkers. The thing is, I love New Zealand, and we’ d been going to New Zealand since 1981. But we never had a chance to chill out there – we were always just going there and playing shows. So when I was offered a couple of months’ work, filming one day a week on Thursdays, I took my wife and kids there and we went all over the place and did lots of train rides. I couldn’ t really pass it up. But as it happens, it really opened my eyes to what the program’ s all about, and it’ s not about finding talent. It’ s about the

UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey

hour-long program, and I think they’ re more interested in the back story of the artists than in what the artists are doing. I was a bit naïve there.

IE: How does it feel, being back together with your old bandmates again? AC: When Astro came back to the fold, it was kind of like it had always been. And the biggest thing, of course, was the fans – that was the real reunion, if you like. People would always ask me, after I went solo,“ Are you ever going to get back together again?” And I was always saying,“ Absolutely not!” But Astro and Mickey and me? I think we constitute something special. And there are enough original members in the band to call ourselves UB40. Uhh, Featuring Ali, Astro and

Mickey.

IE: It’ s difficult to imagine hearing“ Red Red Wine” without Astro’ s vocal parts. AC: Yeah – Astro doing his chant at the end! We were on the Jimmy Fallon show a couple of months ago, and that was the first thing that Jimmy Fallon did – he went,“ Red red wine you make me feel so fine” and started doing Astro’ s bit. And of course, if fans go to see UB40, they really want to hear the original people singing the hits, you know? And that’ s exactly what they get with us.

Appearing 9 / 2 at Ravinia, Highland Park

Tom Lanham

12 illinoisentertainer. com july 2017