daniel chigunwe
London. — Ex-UB40 member Terence Wilson, better known as Astro, had a “very striking presence”, a music expert said.
Astro, 64, who performed in the Birmingham reggae pop band for more than 30 years, died at he weekend after a short illness.
He was “such a lovely person”, said Jez Collins, founder of the Birmingham Popular Music Archive.
He added he was not sure Astro and the band got the recognition they deserved for the work they did in Birmingham.
Collins said when he met the musician, the vocalist “was lovely”.
He stated: “Astro was a very striking presence. He was a big guy.
“He was a very sort of domineering sort of character, but such a lovely person.
“He’d always be around, always laughing, always joking, centre of attention, but he was a really nice guy.”
The Birmingham-based group – named after the then government’s unemployment benefit form – sold more than 70 million records and had three UK number one hits.
In total, UB40 have recorded 39 UK top 40 singles and 28 top 40 albums, with Astro singing lead vocals on the hit “Rat In Mi Kitchen” which reached number 12 in 1987.
The group also enjoyed success around the world, including in the US, where “Red Red Wine” went to number one, as did another cover, “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You”, which spent seven weeks at number one in 1993.
The original line-up played together for three decades before Ali Campbell left in 2008.
In an interview with the Guardian in May, Astro spoke about the band becoming the voice of working-class people’s dissatisfaction with political and global issues after they formed in 1978.
He told the paper he experienced the “same rigmarole as most black people in the late 70s”, referring to a law which allowed people to be stopped and searched by police if they were deemed to be acting suspiciously — which Astro said was a “weekly occurrence”.
“We found it harder to write love songs than militant lyrics, because it was a lot easier to write about stuff you had witnessed or read about. It seemed natural to us,” he added.
He acquired his nickname as a child because he wore a pair of Dr Martens boots with the model name “Astronaut”, the musician explained in a 2016 interview with website UK Music Reviews.
“Fortunately, no one called me astronaut because it is rather a mouthful so they shortened it to Astro and it has stuck ever since,” he added.
Asked how he felt about touring and performing live, Astro said: “There is no job on this planet that gives you the job satisfaction that I get. I live to be on stage.”
Asked to sum up UB40’s legacy, particularly for the city, Collins said: “I’m not sure many people know how much work they do in Birmingham and how much they support musicians, social causes.
“They’ve stayed true to the city. They’ve stayed in the city.
“For Birmingham and the region they’re massively important, their music, their influence.”
He added he did not think “they get the recognition that they should do for being ambassadors of the city, but also for the music… that they produced and sold”.
In August, fellow UB40 founding member and saxophonist Brian Travers died of cancer aged 62. — BBC.
Online Reporter