UB40’s single Kingston Town is now certified Platinum in the U.K. for selling more than 600,000 copies in that territory according to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on Friday March 17, 2023. UB40’s version of Kingston Town was first released in early 1990 as a single from the group’s 9th studio album Labour Of Love 2 (Virgin Records-1989).
The song which details life in Kingston Jamaica peaked at No. 4 on the U.K. Singles Chart and remained there for 3 weeks. The music video has surpassed 54 million views on YouTube.
It is a cover version of Calypso singer Lord Creator’s song of the same name. The original Kingston Town was produced in the 1970s by Jamaican producer Clancy Eccles and released on his Clandisc label.
In 2020, Paris Hilton was accused of ripping off “Kingston Town” for her 2006 song ‘Stars Are Blind’ by rights holders of the song Sparta Florida Music Group, who brought a lawsuit against Hilton and Warner Chappell Music for plagiarism, per NME. UB40‘s Ali Campbell site the song for ‘similarities’ but said it wasn’t the group who were suing Hilton. Campbell who told NME Magazine “It really was a total lift.”
He said, “When I heard it, I said what almost everybody does: ‘Wow! That’s more or less ‘Kingston Town’ all the way through’.”legal action for alleged similarities between her song ‘Stars Are Blind’ and the band’s 1989 song ‘Kingston Town’.
UB40 is one of the most successful reggae groups of all time. In 2021 a founding member Terrence Wilson aka Astro passed away suddenly.
The reggae star, who was 64, passes away on Saturday November 6 after a brief illness.
He was a founding member of the UK based reggae band and was the second member of UB40 to pass away that year, following the death of cowriter and saxophonist Brian Travers in August.
Astro had left UB40 in 2013 – along with other founding member Ali Campbell – to form new band ‘UB40 featuring Ali Campbell and Astro.’
Altogether they have sold more than 70m records and have had three UK number one hits, with 39 singles and 28 albums in the UK top 40.
The band released their latest single “Champion,” last year as the lead track from their upcoming 2023 album UB45, celebrating 45 years in music. The song features Gilly G and Dapz from Birmingham and including a new lead singer Matt Doyle. “Champion” was also the official anthem of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, in England, from July 28 – August 28.
Listen below:
