‘Betrayed’ UB40’s Ali Campbell says he has not spoken to his brother Duncan since his stroke

Ali Campbell stopped speaking to his brothers years ago

The 61-year-old singer who now tours with his own band with former members Mickey Virtue and Astro called ‘UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey’, answered: “Those days are well done. Astro and I, we tour around the world, we’re very successful.I think we’ve got the hottest reggae band on the road in the world at the moment so there’d be no point in going back to what we used to do years and years ago.”

The current UB40 line up consists of members including Brian Travers and Ali’s brothers Duncan and Robin Campbell.

Adil read out a statement from Brian Travers saying: “Ali was my best mate, we went to art school together, he was the best man at my wedding, I haven’t seen him in 10 years, he moved out of Birmingham. It beats me why we’re not together.”

Before the split: Robin (left) and Ali Campbell signing copies of autobiography Blood and Fire at Waterstones – in 2005 (Image: Jeremy Pardoe)
When asked if he could solve out his issues with Brian and the rest of the band, Ali replied: “I was kind of betrayed by them and I left citing problems with management. All that management has been struck off so I stand vindicated.

“I’m just happy to carry on promoting reggae and our version of UB40.”

But Ali admitted: “I have no contact with them so I only get to hear what’s happened like everyone else. I don’t know what’s going on but I know he’s recovering.”

Ali left the band in 2008 after a dispute with management. He was replaced by his brother Duncan, 62, and the pair stopped speaking.

It said: “We can confirm that our lead singer and brother Duncan Campbell was taken to hospital after suffering a stroke.

“While we can report that he is already up and about, we ask fans to respect Duncan and the family’s privacy as he works his way back to what we all hope will be a strong and speedy recovery.

“We look forward to seeing you all on the road next spring.”

Duncan sang in a harmony group with his brothers when they were children as well as performing with their father, folk singer Ian Campbell.

He was first offered the position of lead singer of the band when it first started in 1978, but turned it down.

In 2016,  eight years after Ali left the group, Robin and Duncan Campbell   spoke to BirminghamLive about the bitter family rift with their sibling and the pain it had caused their mother.

Robin said: “We don’t talk about it with mum, she refuses. We’re all her babies, she doesn’t discuss it and refuses to take sides. She’s 83, not the kind of thing she needs in her life…It’s all very sad. Ali just took on a new life, went elsewhere and has kind of cut us all off.