The Specials

The Specials, also known as the Special A.K.A., were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. 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. Their music combined the danceable rhythms of ska and rocksteady with the energy of punk. The lyrics of their songs included political and social commentary. The band wore mod-style "1960s period rude boy outfits (pork pie hats, tonic and mohair suits and loafers)". In 1980, their The Special A.K.A. Live! EP, of which the lead track was "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, the main lead vocalists Hall and Staple, along with the guitarist Golding, left to form Fun Boy Three. A revised Specials band continued as "the Special A.K.A." (a name that they had used on earlier Specials releases) which released new material until 1984, including the top 10 UK hit single "Free Nelson Mandela", after which their founder Jerry Dammers dissolved the band. The group reformed in 1993, and performed with varying line-ups, none of which included Dammers, until the death of Terry Hall in December 2022.