if UB40 played Jazz instead of Reggae........

[Saad]

Then no journalist would ever question the authenticity of their style of playing or commitment to the music they love.

No one ever questioned Acker Bilk, Dave Brubeck or Digby Fairweather were genuine Jazz musicians or fans so why do the guys always get so much grief?

[Junkie Rock Star]

I think it's to do with popularity... if Acker Bilk, Dave Brubeck or Digby Fairweather had sold 70m records and had 40 chart hits, they'd probably have had grief from the media too....

[GefferyMorgan]

In a sense, popularity does play a big role in it. If UB40 weren't so popular, nobody would see any cause to give them grief. Only popular bands get talked about. So in that sense, it's a good thing.

Also, there are a lot of racists in the music industry. Reggae is seen as a black Jamaican music. Anyone outside of Jamaica, especially a band of mostly white guys, are always going to be cut down and cast aside by some people. My reggae band that I am in...in Alabama...is 100% white guys right now. So you can imagine the looks we get and how we get talked about.

[GefferyMorgan]

Think of it this way....you walk into a Chinese restaurant and they have Portuguese people working in there. A lot of people don't care who is working there as long as the food is good. While there will always be some who say, "oh I don't like that. It's a Chinese restaurant, but Portuguese people run it. It can't be authentic!"

There's a restaurant near me that is an Italian pizza place called Todino's Pizza. But it's ran by two Chilean brothers. I have literally heard people say, "oh I'm not eating there. It's not real Italian people running it....it can't be good pizza." When obviously, they are wrong. I've eaten there a thousand times and it's the best pizza in town and very authentically Italian, even though it's Chilean guys running the place. Same goes with music. You don't have to be from Jamaica to appreciate and perform proper reggae music.