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.

Career

Founding and early years (1977–1978)

The group was formed in 1977 by songwriter and keyboardist Dammers, vocalist Tim Strickland, guitarist/vocalist Lynval Golding, drummer Silverton Hutchinson and bassist Horace Panter (Sir Horace Gentleman). Strickland was replaced by Terry Hall shortly after the band's formation. The band was first called the Automatics, then the Coventry Automatics. Guitarist Roddy Byers (usually known as Roddy Radiation) agreed to join the band in March 1978 ahead of a recording session of demos.

The new line-up changed their name to the Special A.K.A. The Automatics after another band called the Automatics signed a record deal with Island Records. The new name was a bit of a mouthful and was shortened to the Special A.K.A. The name Special A.K.A. soon evolved into the Specials – the moniker that would be used for most of the band's career.

Joe Strummer of the Clash had attended one of their concerts, and invited the Special A.K.A. to open for his band in their "On Parole" UK tour. This performance gave the Special A.K.A. a new level of national exposure, and they briefly shared the Clash's management. During the tour Neville Staple, who was initially one of the roadies, became a full member of the Specials when his version of "Monkey Man" was incorporated into the group's set.

The Specials began at the same time as Rock Against Racism, which was first organised in 1978. According to Dammers, anti-racism was intrinsic to the formation of the Specials, in that the band was formed with the goal of integrating black and white people. Many years later Dammers stated that "Music gets political when there are new ideas in music... punk was innovative, so was ska, and that was why bands such as the Specials and the Clash could be political".