Black Slate

Black Slate are a reggae band based in the United Kingdom, and formed in 1974. They toured heavily around London and backed Jamaican musicians such as Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson, and Ken Boothe when they played in the UK. They toured the UK in their own right for the first time in 1978, and released four albums between 1979 and 1985.[1]

This article is for the band. For the stone carving material, see Argillite.
Black Slate
OriginLondon, England
GenresReggae
Years active1974—present
LabelsKing George, Sir George,TCD, Ensign, Top Ranking, Sierra, CNR
Websitewww.blackslatereggae.com
MembersDesmond Mahoney
Chris Hanson
Anthony Brightly
Colin McNeish
Jesse Brade
FJ
Ghetto Priest
Past membersKeith Drummond
Byron Otis
Cledwyn Rogers
Ras Elroy Bailey
Jackie Davies
Chris Charles
Harry T
Sarah Tobias
Patrick Matix
Horace Burke

History

Black Slate was formed in 1974, including musicians from England, Jamaica, and Anguilla.[2] They backed several Jamaican singers, including Delroy Wilson and Ken Boothe on their UK appearances, and had their first reggae-chart hit themselves in 1976, with the anti-mugging song "Sticks Man",[1][2] also lined up with Disco Reggae Band under Disco Reggae Band & Black Slate. The record hit the Dutch[3] and Flemish charts as well, after being an underground hit in Antwerp discothèques. They toured the UK for the first time in 1978, and formed their own TCD label, having a minor hit with "Mind Your Motion".[1] They also backed Dennis Brown when he played live in the UK, and in 1980 their Rastafarian rallying call, "Amigo", was picked up by Ensign Records, and broke into the UK Singles Chart, reaching no. 9. A Dub Album "Ogima" (Amigo spelled backwards), was released in 1981. The follow-up, "Boom Boom" was also a hit, though less successful. An album, Sirens In The City, followed on Ensign the following year. The band released two further albums in 1982 and 1985.

After a ten-year hiatus they released a new EP, World Citizen, on 15 June 2013, with a UK and European Tour to follow. In November 2014, the band embarked on their first USA tour, with dates across California and Texas. The lineup featured original founding members Anthony Brightly, Chris Hanson, Desmond Mahoney and vocalist Jesse Brade. Their 2014 album Now and Then was released on TCD Records and in 2016 they followed up with Peaceful Demonstration, also on TCD.

Discography

Albums
  • Black Slate (1979, TCD)
  • Amigo (1980, Ensign, Wise Owl)
  • Sirens In The City (1981, Virgin, Ensign)
  • Rasta Festival (1981, Alligator)
  • Ogima (1981, Hit and Run) (CD)
  • Six Plus One (1982, Top Ranking)
  • Black Slate (1985, Sierra)
  • Get Up and Dance (1995, FairWood Music)[4]
  • Now and Then (2014, TCD)
  • Peaceful Demonstration (2016, TCD)

Singles
Year Single Chart Positions
BE (FLA)[5] BE (WA)[6] IRE[7] NL 100[8] NZ[9] UK[10]
1975 "Dread Man Music" (with Honey Boy and Sir Collins) - - - - - -
"Darlin Come Home" (with Honey Boy and Sir Collins) - - - - - -
1976 "Mixed Up Man" - - - - - -
"Piano Twist" - - - - - -
"Sticks Man" 14 17 - -[upper-alpha 1] - -
1978 "Live Up to Love" - - - - - -
1979 "Mind Your Motion" - - - - - -
1980 "Amigo" 21 - 12 20 9 9
"Boom Boom" - - - - 11 51
"Reggae Music" (US-only release) - - - - - -
1981 "Live a Life" - - - - 29 -
1982 "Rasta Reggae" - - - - - -
"Sticks Man" (re-release) - - - - - -
"Look What Love Has Done" - - - - - -
1983 "Tears on My Pillow" (with the Chosen Few) - - - - - -
1984 "Wiser Than Before" - - - - - -
"Seven Hundred Pound Weight"/"Justice and Honour" (featuring Ras Elroy) - - - - - -
1985 "No Justice for the Poor (Tougher Than Tough)" - - - - - -
1993 "Sticksman" (as K.E. Black Slate) - - - - - -
2013 "Romans" - - - - - -

Notes

  1. "Sticks Man" did not chart on the Single Top 100, but did reach #13 on the Single Tip chart[11]
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See also

References
  1. Larkin, Colin:"The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", 1998, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9
  2. Barrow, Steve, and Dalton, Peter:"Reggae: The Rough Guide", 1997, Rough Guides, ISBN 1-85828-247-0
  3. "Sticks Man" peaking at no. 31 in the Dutch Top 40 at 12 November 1977. Archived 18 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine This internet copy of the charts wrongly states the artist is "Black Slate"; the original printed charts stated the artist as "Disco Reggae Band Black Slate".
  4. "Black Slate Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  5. "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  6. "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  7. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  8. "Black Slate - Amigo". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  9. "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  10. "BLACK SLATE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  11. "Disco Reggae Band & Black Slate - Sticks Man". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
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