Drummie Zeb Tribute: Aswad Greatest Hits | RIP 1959 - 2022

Aswad were a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one “Don’t Turn Around“ (1988) and “Shine“ (1994). “Aswad“ is Arabic for “black“. They are three-time Grammy Award nominees. Among Aswad’s catalogue of hits is “Don’t Turn Around“, a UK No. 1 hit in 1988,[6] originally recorded by Tina Turner as a B-side to her “Typical Male“ single. They followed this up with UK No. 11 hit “Give a Little Love“, and a reggae-flavoured rendition of “Best of My Love“, first popularised and written by The Eagles. In 1989, they contributed the single “Set Them Free“ to the Greenpeace Rainbow Warriors album. In the same year, they performed together with Cliff Richard the song “Share a Dream“, recorded the previous year, at Wembley Stadium as part of The Event (16 and 17 June 1989). Their next single, “Shine“, was released in 1994 and was a big hit in much of Europe. Another track was the upbeat 1998 remake of The Police’s “Invisible Sun“, performed with Sting. The band also hold the distinction of having played with each one of the ex-Wailers. The band has toured extensively, playing in diverse locations from London’s Royal Albert Hall and Montego Bay’s Reggae Sunsplash, to gigs in West Africa, Israel and Japan. Aswad underwent their first line-up change in sixteen years in 1996, when Forde departed the band for spiritual reasons, leaving Gaye as the only founding member. Once again, the remaining members opted not to seek to recruit a replacement musician, and thus Aswad became a duo of Gaye and Robinson. With the exception of a brief reunion with Forde in 2009 for the Island record label’s 50th-anniversary celebrations, the band’s line-up remained the same until its’ dissolution in 2022. #DrummieZeb #Aswad