Glastonbury headliner declared penniless and no longer gets royalties from own music

Reggae band UB40 headlined Glastonbury back in 1983 during the peak of their career as part of a line-up which also featured Curtis Mayfield, The Beat and King Sunny Ade, among others. Despite grossing millions from their hits, including Red Red Wine, UB40 has experienced significant financial difficulties, with four members being declared bankrupt. In addition, legal battles and financial disputes also impacted the band's finances.

Drummer Jimmy Brown, saxophone player Brian Travers, trumpeter Terence Oswald, and percussionist Norman Hassan were all declared bankrupt by a judge in 2011 at Birmingham County Court. It came after the failure of UB40's now defunct record label, DEP International, and a row over finances which split the band up. Robin Campbell, a fifth original group member, was also involved in the court case, but he was not listed as bankrupt.

Jimmy opened up about his bankruptcy in recent years to thisismoney.co.uk, addressing the "acrimonious" split with lead singer Ali Campbell.

The drummer said he lost everything from his £50,000 Toyota Land Cruiser to the furniture in his home, as well as musical instruments he needed to perform.

He told the publication, "Suddenly, everything was up in the air. We had booked all these tours and we had services to pay for and advances for buses, hotels, flights and trucking.

"Touring is a really expensive business and when people have a contract, they expect to be paid. We owed all this money for tours we could not perform. As a result of that, we went bankrupt. That was quite a shocking experience and one I would not wish on anybody."

He added: "They even took our musical instruments - so our ability to earn, which seemed mercenary and pointless. We even had to sell our back catalogue. We no longer get any royalties from our own music."

Despite taking "quite a battering," the band members now make a living touring venues as a unit.

Last year, lead singer Ali even reflected on a potential return to Glastonbury after four decades. Speaking in RETROPOP's April 2024 edition, he said: "It would be lovely to do that again - when we did it in the '80s it was a much smaller event, but it was great fun. We'd love to do the Legends slot - that's the one we want to do!"