Ari Up - Career

Career

Ariane Daniele Forster was born in Munich, Germany, the granddaughter of a wealthy German newspaper proprietor. Her mother, Nora, was known in the music industry, as she was a friend of Jimi Hendrix and dated Chris Spedding for three years. Ari noted that Jon Anderson, the singer of the group Yes, was her godfather.

Nora would later date and marry the Sex Pistols' lead singer, John Lydon. Their home was known to be something of a punk domain, where Nora would take in poor musicians. The constant presence of punk music led to Ari Up experimenting in it herself, learning guitar skills from The Clash's Joe Strummer.

Ari Up was fourteen years old when she formed The Slits with drummer Palmolive in 1976. Within a short time, guitarist Viv Albertine joined the group and found herself deeply impressed by the young singer. "English was her second language," Albertine noted in an interview. "It was not easy for her and she had to fight to be taken seriously." She succeeded: "Ari was the most dynamic woman I have ever known," said Albertine. "The way she carried herself was a revolution."

By the late 1970s, the Slits were touring as the opening act for the Clash. Ari Up's love of reggae led the Slits into a "jungly", dub style. She was the most flamboyant member of the group. Her wild hair and crazy stage outfits became her trademarks. She can be seen briefly in the Clash movie, Rude Boy, with the band backstage. Her 1977 performances with the Slits are featured in The Punk Rock Movie, a 1992 release of various punk group club performances, principally at The Roxy.

After the Slits split in 1981, she moved with her husband and twin children to jungle regions of Indonesia and Belize, living among indigenous people in those areas. Later, they moved to Jamaica, eventually settling in Kingston.

She continued to make music, first with the New Age Steppers, then solo as Baby Ari, Madussa, and Ari Up. Despite growing up in England, Ari Up possessed an unusual accent, a cross between German, English and Jamaican. Her first full-length solo album, Dread More Dan Dead, was released in 2005.