THE widow of a Worcestershire music entrepreneur has helped to create a lasting legacy to her husband with the release of lost tapes by one of the Midlands’ most legendary bands.

Tina Virr’s husband David died on Boxing Day, 2006, after a protracted illness. During the six months before his death, he had been working on an album of UB40 tapes – live tracks recorded at a London venue in 1980.

Mr Virr signed UB40 to his Graduate record label in the early 1980s and they would go on to become the most energetic reggae-influenced band of all time.

Although he and the band would eventually part company, it was his stewardship that helped them achieve their first hits such as Food For Thought and Red, Red Wine.

Mrs Virr, of Shrawley, near Worcester, said: “David started working on the tapes six months before he died. He was concerned that they were just rotting away in the attic.

“He asked his old friend and long-time associate George Krstic if there was any way that the tapes could be protected. George took them home and the result is this album. David became very excited about the project but then he became very ill and did not live long enough to see it come to fruition.

“I’m really pleased with the result. I feel really proud – it was his last project and it is a shame that he didn’t live to see it through.”

Producer George Krstic, of BiziB Music, said: “The album has been really well-received by the fan club. I’m so happy that a piece of history has been preserved. It is a fitting epitaph for David, who was a wonderful man and a very great friend of mine.

“We first met many years ago when I was in a band called Wise Virgin. He was a disc jockey and our manager at the time and that is how we began our long association.

“The tapes presented quite a challenge. The quarter-inch master was not of useable quality but the two-inch tapes could be rescued. This was the first time they had been seen since the gig at the Venue in London in March 1980.

“The tapes had been in his attic for 26 years. But by using the digital copies of the tracks I was able to master the album. Nothing was added and there were no overdubs.

“It took a lot of man hours, but listening to the finished product, it was easy to see why David was taken by the band and obvious why they were so successful. Unfortunately, David was not able to see the album released, but did hear the finished article before he passed away on Boxing Day, 2006.”

The album, titled UB40 – The Lost Tapes, was released earlier this month on EMI Virgin and licensed under the UB40 catalogue, copyright Graduate Records. At the moment, it is only available on the internet. It will be available through major retail outlets at some stage in the future.