Artist:The Specials
Song:Ghost Town
Album:The Singles Collection
The Specials were at the forefront of the British ska revival of the late 70s. Their music holds up very well today. The leader of the group was keyboardist songwriter Jerry Dammers (born May 22, 1955 in Ootacumund, India). Dammers formed the group in Coventry, England with guitarist Lynval Golding & bassist Steve Panter AKA Sir Horace Gentleman as The Automatics. Singer Terry Hall & guitarist Roddy Radiation joined the group and they started calling themselves The Special AKA Coventry Automatics. Vocalist Neville Staple also joined the group. After Joe Strummer of The Clash spotted them and took them on tour, they settled on The Specials. Dammers started Two Tone Records in 1979 and also created the group's unique look. Their debut album was produced by Elvis Costello and their cover of the classic A Message To You Rudy was a huge hit. Ghost Town is an excellent 1981 single that was The Specials final number one hit in England. Golding, Hall and Staple left the group and formed Fun Boy Three. Dammers attempted to keep The Specials together but wasn't successful and Fun Boy Three didn't last long either. The Singles Collection is an excellent intro to their music. Dammers became a major anti apartheid crusader in England and organized the 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert in Wembley Stadium. In the early 90s, some members of The Specials formed a group with members of The English Beat called Special Beat. Other attempts to revive The Specials have been unsuccessful probably because Dammers has never been involved. Jerry Dammers currently has a jazz group called The Spatial AKA Orchestra and DJs in London clubs. But for a few years The Specials were one of the best groups in pop music. Here's the video for Ghost Town by The Specials.
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