Band & Artist Dossier

Aswad

Origin: Ladbroke Grove, West London, England · Active Years: 1975-present

A detailed catalogue profile for Aswad.

In this archive

1 album / credit record(s) · Reggae/Dub

British reggae group formed in 1975 in the Ladbroke Grove area of West London by UK-born children of Caribbean immigrants. Their name means "black" in Arabic. Aswad moved from early roots reggae (dealing with the experience of black British youth) toward a more commercial reggae-soul sound once the lineup stabilised as the trio of Brinsley Forde, Angus "Drummie Zeb" Gaye and Tony "Gad" Robinson, scoring a UK No. 1 in 1988 with "Don't Turn Around". They released 21 albums across their career and earned three Grammy nominations.

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Band Lineup & Member Profiles

Guitar, Lead Vocals
1975-present
Founding member and the band's principal songwriter through their roots-reggae years; remained the constant frontman as the lineup narrowed to a trio.
Drums, Vocals
1975-present
Founding drummer and vocalist who became one-third of the classic Aswad trio alongside Forde and Robinson.
Bass, Keyboards
1976-present
Joined in 1976 replacing original keyboardist Courtney Hemmings, later also took over bass duties from George Oban and co-produced much of the band's classic-era output.
Lead Guitar, Vocals
1975-1980
Original lead guitarist who departed in 1980, after which Forde became the band's sole guitarist.
Bass
1975-1979
Original bassist who left in 1979 (later playing with Burning Spear and African Head Charge); Robinson absorbed his role.

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Photo & Visual Gallery

Complete 1980s Studio Discography

9 studio albums released from 1980–1989 by Aswad. Archived records link directly to full dossiers; remaining releases are queued for harvesting. MusicBrainz source.

♫ 1981
New Chapter
1981 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting
A New Chapter of Dub cover
A New Chapter of Dub
1982 · Island Records
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♫ 1982
Aswad
1982 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting
♫ 1982
Not Satisfied
1982 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting
♫ 1984
Jah Shaka meets Aswad in Addis Ababa Studio
1984 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting
♫ 1984
Rebel Souls
1984 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting
♫ 1986
To the Top
1986 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting
♫ 1988
Distant Thunder
1988 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting
♫ 1988
Renaissance
1988 ·
⏳ Queued for Harvesting

80s discography & production credits in the archive

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