BLACK SLATE – Backgrounder + Members

Black Slate is the roots rock Reggae band that helped put the British Reggae sound on the charts in the 70s and 80s. Formed in London in 1974 by musicians from England, Jamaica, and Anguilla, Black Slate was recognized as a band that was able to blend reggae into their own unique sound. Their first charting hit was “Sticksman,” released in 1976, followed by “Mind Your Motion” (TCD, 1979); “Amigo” (Ensign, 1980) broke into the Top Ten Singles Charts and, to this day, this song remains a rallying call for the Rastafarian way of life.

Following a tour in Europe in 1978, and backing Reggae stars Delroy Wilson and Ken Boothe, Black Slate signed with Ensign Records and released “Boom Boom,” a single, and the Sirens In The City album. More albums followed – Rasta Festival (Alligator, 1981), Ogima (Hit and Run, 1981), Six Plus One (Top Ranking, 1982), Black Slate (Sierra, 1985), and Get Up And Dance (FairWood Music, 1995).

After a sold-out tour of New Zealand, band members made the decision to stop touring in the mid 1980s and, in 2011, decided to begin the process of regrouping and planning Black Slate’s return to recording and performing again. In 2013, Black Slate released a full album, Midnight (TCD), and the single, “World Citizenship,” (Unit 8 Records).

Remaining close friends over the years, original band members Anthony Brightly (keyboards and vocals), Chris Hanson (guitar), and Desmond Mahoney (drums) agreed to reunite and revitalize Black Slate. Adding Colin McNeish on bass guitar, F Junior and Jesse Brade on vocals, and Horace Burke on keyboards, the reunited Black Slate debuted at the prestigious Miami Reggae Festival in November 2013.

Black Slate’s latest album, World Citizen (Unit 8 Records), was released on April 15, 2014. Veteran Reggae journalist Robert “Higherman” Heilman reviewed the album for Reggae-Vibes.com, and stated that, “From Roots to Lovers Rock, every track is a winner that is expertly mixed and presented.” (http://www.reggae-vibes.com/rev_sin/bls-worl.htm.) World Citizen will be supported by the band’s upcoming concerts in Europe, South America, the U.K., and the United States.

Black Slate: a well respected band of talented and creative men who are again ready to bring their special brand of Reggae music to the world.

“We play music because we love playing music. We are ready for the road again,” Anthony Brightly said recently. “A venue of 100, or a stadium of 10,000, we will be on the road to bring the message to every place people want to hear Reggae music. I see a continuation of our journey…”

www.BlackSlateOfficial.co.uk

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)
• Midnight (2013, TCD)
• World Citizen (2014, Unit 8 Records)

Singles
• “Sticksman” (1976, CNR) – NL #31
• “Mind Your Motion” (1979, TCD)
• “Amigo” (1980, Ensign) – UK #9
• “Boom Boom” (1980, Ensign) – UK #51
• “World Citizenship” (2013, Unit 8 Records)

Black Slate is…

Anthony “Pure Silk” Brightly – keyboards and vocals
Chris “Music House” Hanson – guitar
Desmond Mahoney – drums
Colin “Steam Fish” McNeish – bass guitar
FJ – vocals
Jesse Brade – vocals
Horace Burke – keyboards

Anthony “Pure Silk” Brightly (co-founder) was born in London in 1960, and he did not wait long to become involved in music. Picking up the recorder at the age of six, Brightly began piano lessons the next year. Brightly was encouraged by his musical family; his parents and their friends enjoyed music, and often had their children play music at their various gatherings. His first band, “Mystron 5,” was formed when Brightly was eight; the band broke up in 1971 when he started secondary school. “In 1972,” Brightly recalls, “a friend run up to me, saying a club just up the road, Phoebe’s, was having a band competition and they were missing a keyboard player. That’s all the encouragement I needed! Remember, I was just 12 years old!” The band, Young Ones From Zion, meshed – with Chris Hanson, Desmond, Patrick King, Brightly, and Sandra Reed (vocals) – and later changed the group’s name to Black Slate. They started backing major Jamaican singers, Owen Gray, Errol Dunkley, Dennis Brown, and others, as well as Jamaican singers living in the U.K. The band returned to Phoebe’s to compete – and win. “We were like a mini-juke box: we were able to play every Reggae song we heard.” Black Slate worked – and rehearsed – hard, and soon became the Number 1 backing band, now on stage with Reggae greats Delroy Wilson, Prince Jazzbo, and others. Brightly was also involved in his father’s sound system; Sir George Sound was and continues to be a premier sound system in the U.K. Brightly made dubplates, learned to play all instruments (including horns) and, in 1975, he began recording, including the single, “Mix Up Man,” for Keith Drummond at his father’s recording studio. Remembering that Bob Marley’s Catch A Fire brought the first injection of roots rock Reggae music to the U.K., Brightly said that, “Black Slate decided to step out, to played wherever we could, whenever we could. We played for money and we played for nothing. We played our hearts out. We worked hard to get people’s attention. And we learned the art of being performers. We recorded ‘Sticksman,’ ‘Amigo,’ and ‘Freedom Time.’ It took us three years… After ‘Amigo’ was released, people would come to us and say, ‘Give us something like ‘Amigo’ and we’d tell them that was three years ago, we’ve moved on.” Brightly notes that the reunited Black Slate is unique in that they have kept their hands in the music industry, they still love playing music, and they can afford to return to the stage and to the recording studio. Looking forward, Brightly nods that it is “a pleasure to perform again; we enjoy playing for live audiences – and it’s great to see that the audiences remember the words to our songs! Yes, Black Slate members are older and more mature, but we still have the vitality and energy to give a dynamic performance. Plus, with our maturity, we realize the importance of delivering the message, of the importance of sharing, remind people to share – it’s okay to share your joy, your art, your time, your knowledge. We are fortunate that music allows us to travel and to talk with people around the world about helping others who are less fortunate. We need to help each other, to feed ourselves, to survive. I am personally invested in establishing a foundation, PROMPT, to these ends: Purpose, Respect, Obedience, Manners, Punctuality, Training. Be prompt; that says it all.”

Chris “Music House” Hanson (co-founder) is one of the original members of Black Slate. Hanson was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1956, and immigrated to the U.K. at the age of 14. He began playing the guitar his mother bought him when he was 16, and says his musical influences were Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, and soul singers Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. Remembering back to Black Slate’s beginnings, Hanson recalls “hearing some teenagers making a lot of noise,” and then being asked to join them – with his guitar. After Black Slate disbanded in 1984, Hanson starting making dubplates for sound systems. This venture evolved into vinyl disc mastering in 1987, and Hanson founded Music House Studios which is now one of the largest distributors of vinyl in Europe. Stating that, “Black Slate is a group of strong individually-minded people,” the band has added their own touch which has resulted in their sound, their special combination of Jamaican and British Reggae sounds. Hanson, who will continue manufacturing and distributing vinyl recordings at Music House Studios, looks forward to releasing new music with Black Slate as well as re-releasing previous albums. “I am back with Black Slate… I am doing this for love.”

Desmond Mahoney (co-founder) was born in Jamaica; he moved to the U.K. in 1967, and started his career in music in 1971 as the drummer for Young Ones From Zion. Mahoney’s musical influences were early ska, rock steady, and reggae, naming Dennis Al Capone, The Skatalites, Delroy Wilson, Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals), and Bob Marley as the veteran singers and groups he frequently listened to. Adding that, “although Jamaican music – Dennis Brown, Owen Gray, Jackie Mittoo, and others – was what I knew first in my life, it all meshed with British lovers rock when I moved to England.” Mahoney joined Black Slate when the band formed in 1974. Stating that band members have parents from the West Indies, they have been influenced not just by Reggae but also by R&B, blues, pop music – which adds to their unique version of British Reggae. When the band stopped touring, Mahoney became involved in a sound system in North London, as well as managing several singers. Working with children in the community, Mahoney taught the youngsters how to understand music and the African and West Indian culture within the music. Saying that he wanted to, “close the gap, backwards,” Mahoney established educational projects for young people, showcasing different styles of music and teaching them about the evolution of music styles. Looking forward to touring the world with Black Slate, Mahoney studies history, Egyptian and African culture, and plays soccer.