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Black Uhuru
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Miami Vice Performer
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"What Is Life?" ("The Big Thaw")
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Members (original)
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Garth Dennis
Don Carlos Derrick "Duckie" Simpson |
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Active
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1972-present
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Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group whose song "What Is Life?" appeared in the episode "The Big Thaw" of the series Miami Vice.
Career[]
The group was formed in Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, in 1972. The original name was just "Uhuru" (meaning "freedom" in Swahili--the name was altered to "Uhura" for the character in the original Star Trek series), later changed to Black Uhuru in the late 1970s, and began working with Sly and Robbie in the early 1980s. Their 1981 album, Red, was ranked by Rolling Stone as the 23rd best album of the 1980s, and 1984's Anthem (featuring "What Is Life?") was awarded the first Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category. Despite all the accolades, Black Uhuru never achieved commercial success, and by 1991 only "Duckie" Simpson was left of the original band. The last album under the Black Uhuru name was 2018's As The World Turns and they toured America in 2014 and 2016.