Steel Pulse Rasthantology

In 1975, Steel Pulse, a roots reggae band, was formed in Birmingham, England, in the inner city area of Handsworth. The founder of this band was schoolmates David Hinds, the song writer, lead singer and guitarist, Basil Gabbidon on guitars, and Ronnie "Stepper" McQueen on bass. All of them came from working class West Indian immigrant families, and none had much musical experience.  They had been nominated in Grammy and won only once but they were the only band to play a Presidential inauguration (Bill Clinton's in '93).

Formed in 1975, their first album was “Kibudu, Mansetta and Abuku” under a small independent label, Dip.  It was then followed by “Nyah Love for Anchor”.  At first, Steel Pulse had difficulty finding live gigs, because most club owners were reluctant to give them a platform for their "subversive" Rastafarian politics. But the group was able to have live performances.  They wound up as an opening act for punk and new wave bands like the Clash, the Stranglers, Generation X, the Police, and XTC.  This was also their first ever music festival in the spring.  They also built a broad-based audience in the process. 

Steel Pulse developed a theatrical stage show to keep with the spirit of the times.  Members of the band dressed in costumes that imitate British archetypes.  Riley was a vicar, McQueen a bowler-wearing aristocrat, Martin a coach footman are some examples.  They left a satirical humor to its audience.

Steel Pulse's first single for Island the classic "Ku Klux Klan” was considered tilt at the evils of racism and was often accompanied by a visual parody of the sect on stage. During this time, their group expanded adding new member.  These were Selwyn 'Bumbo' Brown on keyboards, Steve 'Grizzly' Nisbett on drums, Alphonso Martin on vocals and percussion, and Mykaell Riley on vocals. Despite the bands critical and moderate commercial success with their three albums, the relationship with Island Records remained tight. With the release of Caught You (released in the US as Reggae Fever) in 1980, Steel Pulse conquered and cracked the American market and toured even with Island’s objections.  They soon parted ways with the Island Record.

In 1994, the group headed some of the world's biggest reggae festivals and some of these are Reggae Sunsplash USA, Jamaican Sunsplash, Japan Splash and Northern California annual Reggae on the River Festival. Steel Pulse is particularly proud of their album "Rastanthology," a 17-song collection of Steel Pulse classics and was released on the band's own Wise Man Doctrine label. 

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Feel the Rhythmn and Vibe. Subscribe Now and be Updated

Tags: reggae band, Steel Pulse