About Steel Pulse
Founding members David “Dread” Hinds (lead vocals, guitar) and Selwyn Brown (keyboards, vocals, melodica) formed Steel Pulse in 1975 in Birmingham, England. They were descended from the Windrush generation - working class families who came to the UK from Jamaica after the Second World War with high hopes of finding jobs.
The journey began when Steel Pulse won the best reggae band competition in their home town of Handsworth. This win gave them access to their first punk rock gig at the Vortex in London. But that was just the beginning. In 1978, they were discovered as the support band for Burning Spear and signed to Island Records. This led to the release of their debut album “Handsworth Revolution” and two further albums on the label.
In the 70s, during the punk rock era and the “Rock Against Racism” movement in the 80s, Steel Pulse toured with bands like The Stranglers, The Adverts and Ian Dury and the Blockheads.
“That was a time when two different races and cultures coexisted under one roof,” says Hinds. “It was a pivotal moment in our career because reggae was starting to lose popularity in the British Isles. So towards the end of the 70s we made the conscious decision to set up camp in the USA. We landed in New York in October 1980.”
