Steel Pulse
Can you believe that the Pulse has been with us for 50 years?
The year 2025 marks Grammy-winning reggae band Steel Pulse’s 50th anniversary—five decades of producing socially conscious, uplifting music. Steel Pulse stands as one of reggae’s most prolific, respected, and in-demand touring and recording acts.
To music lovers of all cultures and creeds, Steel Pulse represents militancy, collective empowerment, lyrical and instrumental excellence. “Rally Round the Flag,” “Roller Skates,” “Stepping Out,” and “Bodyguard”—these popular songs pulsate and remain on the playlists of many generations.
Original members David “Dread” Hinds (lead vocals, guitar) and Selwyn Brown (keyboards, vocals, melodica), formed Steel Pulse in Birmingham, England, in 1975. They are descendants of the Windrush Generation—working-class families who migrated to Britain from Jamaica with high expectations of post-World War II job opportunities.
The journey began when Steel Pulse won the Best Reggae Band competition in their hometown, Handsworth. This victory gave them the right of passage to perform at their first punk rock venue, the Vortex in London. But it didn’t stop there. In 1978, the group was signed to Island Records after being discovered as an opening act for the legendary Burning Spear. This union resulted in the release of their debut album, Handsworth Revolution, followed by two more albums with the label.
During the punk rock era of the 1970s, and segueing into the Rock Against Racism movement in the 1980s, Steel Pulse went on tour with bands like The Stranglers, The Adverts, and Ian Dury and the Blockheads.
“This was a time that marked the coexistence of two different races and cultures, all being under one roof,” said Hinds. “However, this was a pivotal period in the band’s career, as reggae was beginning to decline in popularity on the British Isles. So, by the end of the 1970s, we made a calculated decision to set up shop in the USA; landing in New York in October of 1980.”
As Brown puts it: “We’ve made plenty of mistakes in our time, but pressing that reset button and relaunching our career in uncharted territory is still the best move we’ve ever made.” Within a 15 month presence in the United States the band was able to deliver for their new label, Elektra, theTrue Democracyalbum; a record that stands today as one of reggae’s best sellers.
Steel Pulse’s influence extends beyond reggae, shaping the global music scene and inspiring countless artists across genres. Their unique blend of roots reggae with punk, R&B, and rock elements created a sound that resonated with diverse audiences, breaking down cultural and musical barriers. They were instrumental in introducing reggae to mainstream audiences in the U.S. and Europe and embedding powerful messages of social justice and resistance into their music. This fusion of infectious rhythms and conscious lyrics has influenced generations of musicians, from contemporary reggae artists to hip-hop, rock, and beyond.
Steel Pulse was dubbed “the young Wailers,” by Bob Marley, one of their biggest inspirations, after touring with Marley and the Wailers in 1978. In the 1980s, following their breakthrough and crossover success in the U.S., the band toured with music icons such as Bob Dylan, Herbie Hancock, Robert Palmer, and one of their heroes, Carlos Santana.
Steel Pulse earned their first Grammy Award for their sixth album, Babylon the Bandit, in 1986. They’ve also received several Grammy nominations, including their most recent; Mass Manipulation, in 2019.
In 1988, a chance meeting with Oscar-winning filmmaker, Spike Lee at a benefit for the Jamaican victims of Hurricane Gilbert, led Steel Pulse to record the track “Can’t Stand the Heat” for one of Lee’s most notable movies, “Do the Right Thing.”
Their charitable contributions didn’t stop there. Two years after the 2010, earthquake in Haiti, the band performed there to assist Partners in Health (P.I.H.)and Solar Electric Light Fund (S.E.L.F.), in raising funds to install solar panels in medical centers and schools. They released a song called, “Hold On 4 Haiti.” The proceeds were donated to the country’s earthquake victims.
“Being in Haiti reminded me so much of our very first time in Africa,” Hinds reflected.
But the moral fiber of stamping out racism has never left the band. In 1992, they actually filed a lawsuit against the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission for racial profiling their passengers. A year later, Steel Pulse reached another milestone by performing at President Bill Clinton’s inaugural celebration in Washington, D.C. This milestone extended itself when the band did their very first tour of Australia that year (1993).
After emerging from the pandemic lockdown, Steel Pulse’s energy became stronger than ever, joining Rebelution on the U.S. Good Vibes Summer Tour.
In October, 2024, the band made history once again by performing all the songs from their 1984 album, Earth Crisislive, in celebration of the album’s 40th anniversary, for the first time at the International Arts Festival, held at Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans, LA. This same year, the band released a cover of Lucky Dube’s, “Respect,” to commemorate the slain South African musician’s 60th birthday.
Led by Hinds and Brown, Steel Pulse’s touring ensemble includes: Amlak Tafari (bass), David Elecciri, Jr. (lead guitar), Wayne “C-Sharp” Clarke (drums), Kimberly Dawson (backing vocals), John Avery (sax), Wess Perry (sax), and Baruch Hinds (rapper).
