Sunday Mercury:Bankrupt

[Kosmos]

Four leading members of UB40 declared bankrupt

Oct 16 2011

THEY are the most successful pop band ever to come out of Birmingham, with more than 70 million record sales.

Chart-toppers UB40 have notched up more than 50 chart hits in the UK alone, and countless others across the world.

They have a remarkable track record that eclipses Second City rivals such as Duran Duran, ELO and Black Sabbath.

But despite a glittering 33-year career, four leading members of the band have now been made BANKRUPT.

Last month a judge at Birmingham County Court declared sax player Brian Travers, drummer Jimmy Brown, trumpeter Terence Oswald – known to fans as Astro – and percussionist Norman Hassan bankrupt.

Their details are now listed on the Insolvency Service’s website. The court order lasts for a year and means that tax officers could seize property to pay off any outstanding debts. The case revolves on the failure of the band’s record firm and management company DEP International – and follows a bitter bust-up over band finances which split the group.

At a previous hearing in July, District Judge Richard Musgrave gave liquidators the green light to chase debts and royalty payments on UB40’s hits including chart-topping Red Red Wine.

He also warned the reggae outfit they would have to pay costs in the case, which already run into tens of thousands of pounds.

At the time the band vowed to fight bankruptcy, solicitor spokesman Adrian Stickland, saying: “If bankruptcy proceedings are issued following this hearing today, the band will vigorously oppose them.”

But in recent weeks it became apparent that the battle had been lost – ironically at the same time UB40 were honoured with a Performing Rights Society plaque at the Hare and Hounds pub in Kings Heath, Birmingham, where they played their first gig in 1978.

Masking their money worries, the band treated 150 fans, including actor Keith Allen and kickboxing champion Kash “The Flash” Gill, to a half-hour, semi-plugged show at the venue.

Former frontman Ali Campbell, the founding member who acrimoniously split from the group in 2008 in ongoing wrangles about the band’s finances, was absent after not being invited to the special show.

Last night his spokesman said the bankruptcy court case showed Ali was right to quit the band.

“It is ironic that the very week they celebrate their first gig they have been declared bankrupt, after administration began in 2006, vindicating both Ali and Mickey Virtue’s decision to leave UB40,” she said.

“Ali did not personally receive an invitation to the Hare & Hounds show and, as such, did not turn it down. He most definitely would have liked to have been invited as it is where the journey began and Ali is proud of the fact that UB40’s music has been honoured.”

Last night the rest of the UB40 were keeping tight-lipped about the costly legal defeat.

They were understood to be recording a new album at a studio in Redditch, Worcestershire. The Sunday Mercury made repeated attempts to contact them, including a visit to Brian Travers’ home in Redditch, but to no avail. Both the band’s PRcompany and solicitors said they had passed messages to members of the band, but no comment was forthcoming at the time of going to press.

Ali Campbell and keyboard player Mickey Virtue stormed out of the group in 2008. Speaking in July this year, Campbell – whose brother Duncan now fronts UB40 – said he tried to warn bandmates about the impending financial disaster. “This is the very reason why I left the band,” he said. “This was my biggest fear when I was with them, that bankruptcy was going to happen and no-one can say I didn’t warn them.”

He also revealed he no longer got royalties on the group’s hits and confessed that they blew much of their cash at the height of their fame. “In the 1980s we were living in five-star hotels and we got through a lot of money,” he said.

“Why weren’t the other guys listening to me when I started to flag these money problems up?

“They decided to back the management and not me, I’m still very bitter about it. I was very proud of what I achieved with UB40. It was a band I started, I was with them for 28 years and we made 24 albums. But we were divided and ruled, and this is what happened in the end.

“UB40 have been asset-stripped by the people around them.”

A fifth original member of UB40 – Robin Campbell, the brother of Ali – was also involved in the Birmingham County Court case although is not listed as bankrupt.

[DreamBig]

Lol

[raffer]

pop band? yawwwwnnnnnnnnnnn!

[Sal]

Originally Posted by Kosmos

Last night his spokesman said the bankruptcy court case showed Ali was right to quit the band.

Makes a change to see his "spokesman" admitting that the reason he left was simply to save his own arse.........




Repeating myself yet again...........UB40 and Ali Campbells personal financial situations are nobody elses business but their own. My one and only interest is that UB40 will still be continuing to play as a band........have supported them since the split and will contimue to support them. END OF !!

[raffer]

[QUOTE=Kosmos;1599979]Four leading members of UB40 declared bankrupt

Last night his spokesman said the bankruptcy court case showed Ali was right to quit the band.

bloody right he was right to leave the band,if he hadn't we may never have got Dunx.Thanx Aldi.

[JB40]

As usual, it's only partly accurate.

And the usual ambulance chasing from our ex-singer isn't helping much either.

let me tell you what REALLY happened with UB40 supporting their management.

in the year before the split our financial manager was absent from work. This had been going on for a couple of weeks, so we wanted to know why he hadn't turned up for work.

when we found out why the band were shocked and angry.

turns out that our ex-singer was going to our financial manager behind the bands back and demanding to be paid more money than the rest of the band. It had always been band policy to pay everyone exactly the same, but because of our ex-singers expensive lifestyle [he had a new girlfreind to impress] he was constantly demanding more and more of the bands income. these demands would come with various threats, usually along the lines of - if he doesn't get what he is asking for he'll leave the band.

At first our accountant gave our ex-singer what he was demanding, thinking that it would be the best way to keep things going. but the demands became so frequent and unreasonable [like keeping the extra money that he was taking a secret from the rest of the band] that our manager found himself in an impossible situation. he was being so compromised by the situation that it was making him ill.

when the band discovered our ex-singer was taking money behind their backs we were rightly angry. And we gave instructions to our management that our ex-singer should NOT be given any more than his fair share, which was the equal split that we all agreed back at the beginning.

this was when our singer decided to leave. he told us that he could 'earn 10-tines more without you lot' and left.

our ex-singer was found dipping his fingers in the till behind the bands back. the band gave our management instructions to stop that happening, so our singer left. That's how it happened.

and the financial difficulties were as a result of our singer leaving. It caused us to lose several million pounds worth of work and this had a knock on effect of creating a black hole that the band have been working to drag themselves out of.

we tried everything we could to come to a reasonable deal over the administration of DEP, but in the end we failed.

now that it has come to a conclusion it gives us an opportunity to put this all behind us and move on. We've got a new album on the way and we are already booking shows for january next year. So it's a relief to get this over with, now we can concentrate on the future.

as usual, our ex-singer is trying to stick the boot in, and did you notice there was no mention of our ex-singers own bankruptcy?, which was for his own out of control spending, nothing to do with the dep litigation. If you remember, his case didn't get any press attention, so he's careful not to mention it when he's waving his shroud in the press.

the claim that our case proves he was right all along is a classic case of putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 5 !

anyway. It's done and dusted now. Time to look forward.

[JorisJ]

Just another sad day in UB40 history And yes, I am in it here too just for the music/lyrics and friendship with fans and the band. I understand UB40 being 'celebrities' this 'news' was about to come out.... but true, this is a private matter for each band member.

So to the band, keep on dubbing, keep the creativity flowing, with many more albums to come!

JJ

[UK Warrior]

Originally Posted by Sal

Makes a change to see his "spokesman" admitting that the reason he left was simply to save his own arse.........




Repeating myself yet again...........UB40 and Ali Campbells personal financial situations are nobody elses business but their own. My one and only interest is that UB40 will still be continuing to play as a band........have supported them since the split and will contimue to support them. END OF !!

Word sista, word.

[Starshine007]

Originally Posted by Sal

Makes a change to see his "spokesman" admitting that the reason he left was simply to save his own arse.........




Repeating myself yet again...........UB40 and Ali Campbells personal financial situations are nobody elses business but their own. My one and only interest is that UB40 will still be continuing to play as a band........have supported them since the split and will contimue to support them. END OF !!

Originally Posted by UK Warrior

Word sista, word.

What they said

[bt/ub40]

Originally Posted by JB40

As usual, it's only partly accurate.

And the usual ambulance chasing from our ex-singer isn't helping much either.

let me tell you what REALLY happened with UB40 supporting their management.

in the year before the split our financial manager was absent from work. This had been going on for a couple of weeks, so we wanted to know why he hadn't turned up for work.

when we found out why the band were shocked and angry.

turns out that our ex-singer was going to our financial manager behind the bands back and demanding to be paid more money than the rest of the band. It had always been band policy to pay everyone exactly the same, but because of our ex-singers expensive lifestyle [he had a new girlfreind to impress] he was constantly demanding more and more of the bands income. these demands would come with various threats, usually along the lines of - if he doesn't get what he is asking for he'll leave the band.

At first our accountant gave our ex-singer what he was demanding, thinking that it would be the best way to keep things going. but the demands became so frequent and unreasonable [like keeping the extra money that he was taking a secret from the rest of the band] that our manager found himself in an impossible situation. he was being so compromised by the situation that it was making him ill.

when the band discovered our ex-singer was taking money behind their backs we were rightly angry. And we gave instructions to our management that our ex-singer should NOT be given any more than his fair share, which was the equal split that we all agreed back at the beginning.

this was when our singer decided to leave. he told us that he could 'earn 10-tines more without you lot' and left.

our ex-singer was found dipping his fingers in the till behind the bands back. the band gave our management instructions to stop that happening, so our singer left. That's how it happened.

and the financial difficulties were as a result of our singer leaving. It caused us to lose several million pounds worth of work and this had a knock on effect of creating a black hole that the band have been working to drag themselves out of.

we tried everything we could to come to a reasonable deal over the administration of DEP, but in the end we failed.

now that it has come to a conclusion it gives us an opportunity to put this all behind us and move on. We've got a new album on the way and we are already booking shows for january next year. So it's a relief to get this over with, now we can concentrate on the future.

as usual, our ex-singer is trying to stick the boot in, and did you notice there was no mention of our ex-singers own bankruptcy?, which was for his own out of control spending, nothing to do with the dep litigation. If you remember, his case didn't get any press attention, so he's careful not to mention it when he's waving his shroud in the press.

the claim that our case proves he was right all along is a classic case of putting 2 and 2 together and coming up with 5 !

anyway. It's done and dusted now. Time to look forward.

what he said..and on that note ...myself , loz and pikey are off to play BIG BAND SWING arrangements (michael Buble) at the Symphony hall 3 O's charity show (womens cancer charity) send us your good vibes around 7pm till 9pm...