Terence Oswald Wilson (Astro)

Biography

Terence Oswald Wilson known by his stage name Astro, was a British-Jamaican musician. He was the trumpeter and vocalist for the reggae band UB40. Wilson started out as a roadie; he announced the band and occasionally joined in as a talk-singing toaster. This worked so well that he was soon given a permanent spot as second vocalist alongside Ali Campbell; songs he wrote included the second half of Madame Medusa (an indictment of Prime Minister Thatcher), the rap in Red Red Wine, and the #1 hit Rat In My Kitchen. In 2013, Wilson left UB40, which had been struggling for years due to financial mismanagement and, in his view, had become "a rudderless ship." He did contribute to Getting Over the Storm with reworked country songs; a genre he couldn't identify with, despite its enormous popularity within the Afro-Caribbean community, which prompted the recording of this album. Together with Campbell, who had previously departed, and keyboardist Michael Virtue, Wilson formed his own band UB40 in 2014; performances are advertised with their names. Since late 2018, the core group has consisted of Wilson and Campbell. Terrence Oswald Wilson (Astro) passed away after a short illness. The exact cause of Wilson's illness has not been disclosed. He was 64. His final recordings can be heard on the album Unprecedented.