The Specials

The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Jerry Dammers on keyboards, Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation on guitars, Horace Panter on bass, John Bradbury on drums, and Dick Cuthell and Rico Rodriguez on horns. The band wore mod-style “1960s period rude boy outfits (pork pie hats, tonic and mohair suits and loafers)”. Their music combines the danceable rhythms of ska and rocksteady with the energy and attitude of punk. Lyrically, their work (often written by primary songwriter Dammers) presented overt political and social commentary.

In 1980, their The Special AKA Live! EP, featuring lead track “Too Much Too Young”, reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1981, the recession-themed single “Ghost Town” also hit No. 1 in the UK.After seven consecutive UK top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981, main lead vocalists Hall and Staple, along with guitarist Golding, left to form Fun Boy Three. Continuing as “The Special AKA” (a name they used frequently on earlier Specials releases), a substantially revised Specials line-up issued new material until 1984, including the top 10 UK hit single “Free Nelson Mandela”. After this, founder Jerry Dammers dissolved the band and pursued political activism.The group re-formed in 1993, and continued to perform and record with varying line-ups – none of them involving Dammers – until the death of Terry Hall in December 2022.

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