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The Special AKA

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Special AKA is the name under which the English group The Specials released part of its work. The band was formed in Coventry in 1977 by the songwriter and keyboard player Jerry Dammers, together with the guitarist Lynval Golding and the bassist Horace Panter, among others. Terry Hall soon joined as singer, and Roddy Radiation as guitarist in 1978. The group was first called the Automatics and then the Special A.K.A., a name that was shortened to The Specials. Joe Strummer of The Clash invited them as the opening act on the On Parole tour, and Neville Staple, at first a roadie, became a full member after that tour.

Music and breakthrough

Their music combined the danceable rhythms of ska and rocksteady with the energy of punk, and carried a social and political message. The band members wore 1960s fashion, such as pork pie hats and mohair suits. In 1979 Dammers founded the label 2 Tone, on which their debut single Gangsters appeared. In 1980 the EP The Special A.K.A. Live!, with Too Much Too Young, reached number one in the United Kingdom, and in 1981 the recession single Ghost Town did the same. Hall, Staple and Golding then left to form Fun Boy Three.

Influence

The remaining members carried on as The Special AKA. In 1984 the single Free Nelson Mandela was released, which reached the British top ten. Dammers then disbanded the group. In 1993 the band got together again without him, until Terry Hall died in December 2022. Anti-racism was a core of the group for Dammers: he wanted to bring Black and white musicians together, and the group showed that a danceable song can also carry a political protest.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Free Nelson Mandela by The Special AKA. Notice the cheerful, danceable rhythm and the way the lyrics make a clear political demand.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists