The most successful of the second-generation reggae bands, Jamaica&#39;s Black Uhuru maintained their high quality despite numerous personnel changes throughout their many decades together. The first reggae band to win a Grammy award (for their 1983 album Anthem), Black Uhuru offered a dynamic and progressive sound during their 1970s and early-&#39;80s heyday. Led by mainstay Derrick &#34;Duckie&#34; Simpson, a reunion of the group&#39;s earliest lineup enjoyed renewed critical acclaim in the early &#39;90s before fragmenting into warring factions and a lawsuit that gave Simpson possession of the band name, which he continued to use into the new millennium on 2001&#39;s Dynasty.
The band, whose name comes from the Swahili word meaning &#34;freedom,&#34; was formed in 1972 in the Waterhouse district of Kingston by Simpson, Don Carlos, and Rudolph &#34;Garth&#34; Dennis. Initially playing under the name Black Sounds Uhuru, they eventually shortened it to its more familiar version five years later. When the group experienced difficulties securing a record contract, Spencer left to pursue a solo career and Dennis joined the Wailing Souls. Simpson, who remained the thread throughout Black Uhuru&#39;s evolution, reorganized the band with Errol &#34;Jay&#34; Wilson and quivery-voiced lead vocalist Michael Rose. Accompanied by the rhythm section of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare, who would become the pioneering production duo Sly &amp; Robbie, Black Uhuru created a sound that made them a match for any reggae ensemble.

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