Which British reggae band had a hit with “Red Red Wine” in 1983? The answer is UB40.
UB40 recorded “Red Red Wine” for Labour of Love, their 1983 album of reggae interpretations of songs by other writers. The group formed in Birmingham in 1978 and took its name from the British unemployment-benefit form. Their version became a UK number-one single in August 1983 and helped establish the band as one of Britain’s most successful reggae acts.
A common mix-up is assuming UB40 wrote the song. “Red Red Wine” was written and first recorded by American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond in 1967. UB40 were particularly influenced by Jamaican singer Tony Tribe’s reggae version, released in 1969, and their arrangement draws strongly on that interpretation. The UB40 recording also included a toasted vocal passage by Astro, adding a rhythmic spoken style associated with Jamaican sound-system culture.
The song later became an even bigger American hit: a 1988 reissue reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Thus, 1983 identifies the original UB40 breakthrough, while 1988 marks the song’s later US chart peak.