Originally formed as Uhuru and consisting of Garth Dennis, Don McCarlos, and Derrick "Duckie" Simpson, the group has undergone several lineup changes: McCarlos left, replaced by Michael Rose; then Dennis left to play with the Wailing Souls, and was replaced by Errol Nelson. In 1979 the group was joined by Sandra "Puma" Jones, a social worker from North Carolina. After winning their Grammy in 1984, Rose left, Junior Reid joined for a few records and also left; and Puma Jones left in 1987 (and died of cancer three years later, in 1990).
Duckie Simpson has continued recording with different people under the name Black Uhuru, but the group is most remembered for their work from the late 1970s and early 1980s.