UB40 IS BACK WITH A NEW ALBUM, “UB45” AND A 21-CITY US TOUR CELEBRATING THEIR 45-YEAR LEGACY…

The last few years have been marked “the age of the comeback “, and 2024 appears to be no different. Pop band UB40 is making their welcomed comeback to the music scene with the upcoming release of UB45!

“UB45” is a 14-song celebration of the past, present, and future of the band. The collection includes new recordings alongside several classic UB40 songs reimagined to celebrate the anniversary of the formation of the group way back in 1978.

The first single from the new album, “Gimme Some Kinda Sign” breathes new life into the 60’s classic originally recorded by Brenton Woods. Combining the band’s insouciant grooves, a breezy melody and trademark effervescence, “Gimme Some Kind a Sign” is a bona fide triumph. Lead vocalist Matt Doylesuggested it to Robin Campbell, unaware that it had been sitting on his wish list since the Labour of Love (1983) album days four decades ago.

“Gimme Some Kinda Sign” is the first single from the band’s upcoming album “UB45”. The album releases globally on Friday April 19th, via the SRG-ILS label imprint. “UB45” is available for pre-orders now; https://fanlink.to/ub45.

(MUSIC VIDEO) "GIMME SOME KINDA SIGN" by UB40

UB45 ALBUM TRACKLISTING::
1. Home
2. Food for Thought
3. King
4. Champion
5. Tyler
6. Trouble
7. Red Red Wine
8. Fool Me Once
9. Cherry Oh Baby
10. Say Nothing
11. Sing Our Own Song
12. Gimme Some Kinda Sign
13. Kingston Town
14. Hope She'll Be Happier

“UB45” is also a featured release on Record Store Day (April 20) in the United States and United Kingdom. This exclusive pressing on bright yellow vinyl also includes a 12-page booklet with exclusives photos and full liner notes from the band.

UB40 is supporting the new album with a massive world-wide tour which includes 21 dates in North America. Maxi Priest, Inner Circle, Third World and Big Mountain to join on select dates. https://ub40.global/tour/

July 2 New York, NY
July 3 Boston, MA
July 5 Ledyard, CT
July 6 Charlestown, WV
July 7 Selbyville, DE
July 10 Bergen, NJ
July 11 Niagra Falls, ON
July 12 Flint, MI
July 13 Davenport, IA
July 19 Park City, UT
July 21 Tacoma, WA
July 25 Saratoga, CA
July 26 Cabazon, CA
July 27 Primm, NV
Aug 2 Santa Ynez, CA
Aug 3 Chandler, AZ
Aug 5 Santa Fe, NM
Aug 8 Clearwater, FL
Aug 9 Pompano, FL
Aug 10 St Augustine, FL
Aug 11 Melbourne, FL

CONNECT WITH UB40:
Website: www.ub40.global.com
Instagram: @UB40Official
X:@UB40Offical
Facebook: /Ub40Official

Black Owned Entertainment Channel UBCTV Joins FreeCast’s Lineup

NEW YORK CITY, NY— UBCTV, one of the top Black Owned Television Networks worldwide has inked a deal to join Freecast, one of the world’s largest Free Ad Supported Television (FAST) platforms. The UBCTV Network is an urban lifestyle content channel, featuring a wide variety of both curated and original programming, ranging from sports and music programming to entertainment and talk shows. Viewers can find us on Channel #3844 in the Channel Section under TV categories and featured in the BLK section of the Channel Guide as well as on Freecast.com mobile.

The partnership with the platform that has over 700 free streaming channels, and aggregates over half a million on-demand movies and TV episodes from ad-supported, subscription, and pay-per-view sources, will give UBCTV 24 hour programming, where they will air all of the new shows that the platform has added to the network.

UBCTV's current line up will include: UBC Fiscal Fitness, Rucker Park Basketball, UBC Independent Music Videos, Style and Beauty Cafe, Its A Ant Jones World, If These Walls Could Talk, National Sounds Of Gospel TV, City Vines, This Week Africa, Culturally Lit Africa, Grindhard TV, UBC Wellness, Triverity Talk, Body By Alexis, The Final Round, Live From The Next Sound Studio, Global Women's Basketball, and Mr. Jay V Comedy Show.

Tracy West, FreeCast’s Executive Vice President of Digital Content, discussed the channel “We’re excited to welcome UBCTV to our platform. It’s a channel that serves and speaks to urban communities across the country, and provides our users access to another high quality channel for free. Each one of our hundreds of channels helps our service stand as a no-cost alternative to those big cable bundles.”

• Peggy Dodson, UBCTV’s CEO says, “What better platform for UBCTV to roll out its 24-hour channel than Freecast? It’s one of the most innovative companies in the industry and UBCTV fits in well. I am excited about growing and expanding our audience and reach on Freecast.”

Additionally, UBCTV, has unveiled their new Urban Shopping Experience. The Shoppers Showcase program, modeled on the long-running QVC home-shopping show allows, interested brands to self-promote their goods and services to audiences that can make live purchases in real time. It’s a great way for designers, brands, and purveyors of high-quality wares to reach new customers from all over the world!

Cross-promotion will be a prominent feature of the Urban Shopping Experience and Shoppers Showcase. Look for Fashion Week-style shows, virtual and live pop-ups, special events, and other exclusive, original urban content. Peggy Dodson, founder and CEO of UBCTV, says of the new venture, “I am so excited about this! Wow, it has taken a few years to get this in place. With the rollout of UBCTV, it will put Urban Shopping in a great position for immediate growth and that is exciting.” To further support the new platform, UBCTV is partnering with Smart Card Marketing Systems, (OTCQB: SMKG) a Canada-based industry leader in specialized industry e-Commerce, Cloud and Mobility Marketplaces and Applications delivering White-Label and Private-Label solutions to the global PayTech, FinTech and Blockchain markets. Max Barone, Smart Card CEO, enthusiastically welcomed the partnership, saying, “It is exciting to work and collaborate with Peggy and UBCTV Network. She is doing great things and we are happy to be part of her initiatives as she shakes up the scene. It's been quite the transformation for UBCTV and we are happy to be part of the puzzle."

UBCTV continues to march forward as the premier urban entertainment network in today’s marketplace, making major strides that mark the platform as an industry leader. UBCTV reaches over 10 million viewers via Glewed TV, expanding its scope across multiple streaming platforms such as Apple TV, Roku, and Fire TV and now available on the 24 hour platform Freecast. Soon, people around the globe will have access to a wide-ranging experience second to none in the online entertainment world. UBCTV has also rolled out UB Social, a network-related social media platform that brings viewers, content creators, network stars and sponsors. You can also follow all the newest content and happenings at UBCTV here. Check out the Urban Home Shopping Network at their new site here.

THE QUEEN! THE ICON! THE LEGEND, CHAKA KHAN SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DEAL WITH Srg/ils, prepS new music for summer…..

Cleveland, OH - May 19, 2022 … OK, faithful readers, y’all know I’m falling out of my seat with excitement on this story!! The Queen, The Legend, Chaka Khan has joined in collaboration with SRG/ILS to release new music this summer!

The SRG/ILS group is honored to announce a new collaboration with one of the most iconic and recognizable voices in American music, Chaka Khan! A singer, songwriter, actor, and activist, Chaka Khan is one of the world’s most gifted and celebrated musicians the world has ever known. Impacting almost every popular musical genre and having sold an estimated 70 million records, Chaka Khan has influenced generations of recording artists.

“Chaka Khan is a beacon of light in our industry. Her spirit and her vocals soar. It is a pleasure working with her on this next chapter and we got a hot record here.” – Claude Villani, Founder and CEO of The SRG/ILS Group.

“I am very proud to be with The SRG/ILS Group, a company that is run by a real musician who understands the needs of artists that have been overlooked for years.” Chaka Khan

Her legendary career jump started when Stevie Wonder penned the now classic “Tell Me Something Good” for Chaka when she was lead singer of the R&B, Funk band Rufus in 1974. Both the song and the album, Rags To Rufus, topped the charts, were certified Gold and won the Grammy that year for Best R&B Vocal Performance.

After six albums with Rufus nearly all of which went Gold or Platinum, in 1978 Chaka Khan started her solo career releasing the all-time classic “I’m Every Woman” (Ashford and Simpson). Produced by iconic songwriter, arranger, producer, and executive Arif Mardin, the single and the album, Chaka, cemented Chaka Kahn as a force that was about to take over popular music.

After incredible success both solo and collaborative, in 1984 Chaka released the iconic album I Feel For You. The title track, a cover of a Prince song, was a gigantic pop hit on the radio and MTV and earned Chaka her second Grammy Award as a solo artist for Best R&B Vocal Performance. Alongside being a top selling chart topper, the song made history by being the first R&B song to feature a rap which was performed by Grand Master Melle Mel. That kind of forward thinking always kept Chaka Khan one step ahead of and praised by her peers. The late, great Miles Davis often said, “She [Chaka] sings like my horn.” And the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin said, “[Chaka] is a one- of- a -kind, premier vocalist.”

Alongside the hit albums and singles, Chaka Khan has appeared on stage and screen in such standout productions as The Blue Brothers movie, The Color Purple on Broadway, and Signed, Sealed, and Delivered a musical based on the music of her friend Stevie Wonder.

In 2022 the 10-time Grammy Award winner is about to chart a new path on all fronts of her record-breaking career. Chaka is continuing her hit making and chart-topping ways as she wraps up production of new music that is both contemporary and every bit classic Chaka Khan.