Legendary Black Uhuru to perform

Reggae band to be showcased in Fairfield Friday

FAIRFIELD — What has already been a pretty good month for classic reggae music in Connecticut gets even better Friday with an appearance by the legendary Black Uhuru at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne.

The latest version of Black Uhuru, which has been led for more than 50 years by co-founder Derrick “Duckie” Simpson, will perform at a benefit for Spread Music Now, which funds music education, at 7:45 p.m.

Tickets are $38 and are available at fairfield theatre.com or by calling 203-259-1036.

Black Uhuru will perform in Fairfield just days after an appearance by Ziggy Marley and Steel Pulse, and just about a month after a show by Toots and the Maytals, all at College Street Music Hall in New Haven.

These days, don’t expect to see Sly & Robbie, who worked with Black Uhuru for years. But do expect to hear some classic, old school reggae.

Despite a number of personnel changes over the years — with Simpson always the constant — Black Uhuru remains one of the most successful reggae acts ever to come out of Jamaica.

The band traces its origins to Kingston’s “Waterhouse” District, where Black Uhuru was formed in the late 1960s. The original band included Simpson, Euvin “Don Carlos” Spencer and Rudolph “Garth” Dennis. Dennis later left to join Wailing Souls and Spencer struck out on a solo career.

Simpson then reconstituted the group, with Michael Rose and Errol Nelson both joining him. They recorded Black Uhuru’s debut album, “Love Crises,” in 1977. The album was later re-released as “Black Sounds of Freedom.”

Nelson then left to join The Jayes and was replaced by singer Sandra “Puma” Jones, as Black Uhuru hooked up with the famed Jamaican rhythm section of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare, who helped carve what has become the classic Black Uhuru Island Records-era sound of the 1980s.

Black Uhuru won a Grammy — the first Grammy for reggae music — in 1985 for the 1984 album “Anthem,” soon before Rose left the group to pursue a solo career. It has been nominated for seven other Grammys over the years.

The list of classic Black Uhuru albums include “Sinsemilla,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “Red” and “Chill Out.”

Contributed photo Black Uhuru and crew at the Blue Note Club in Honolulu in 2017. The reggae band, led for more than 50 years by co-founder Derrick “Duckie” Simpson, will perform at 7:45 p.m. Friday at Fairfield Theatre Company’s Stage One as a benefit for Spread Music Now, which funds music education.