After his brother died, singer Michael Rose teamed up with Sly and Robbie in 1977 to start making records with Black Uhuru, a group that had existed as a trio since 1972. The Red lineup was original member Duckie Simpson, American Puma Jones, and Rose. The time Rose spent in Uhuru—from 1977 to 1984—marks one of the great runs in reggae. All of the albums they recorded together with Sly and Robbie (especially Anthem and The Dub Factor) are worth having, but Red is special. Sly & Robbie more or less joined the band while they were producing them, and played several tours with them. Rose sings like no one else in reggae, putting a high growl on the edge of his midrange notes. Jones and Simpson created a kind of harmony that emphasized passing tones more common to chants, and the entire effect, with Shakespeare mixing his bass higher than seems possible, is of real propulsion and actual dread. This is sufferer’s music, committed to the struggle, with no exceptions. “Sponji Reggae” was also to be one of the most unexpected dance tunes of the Eighties, and was a legit radio hit on R&B radio in New York.