About The Specials

Origin: Coventry, England
Genres: 2 tone, Ska, New Wave, Reggae
Years active: 1977 - 1984, 1996 - 2001, 2008 - active
Labels: 2 tone, Chrysalis, Virgin, Kuff
Associated acts: The Selector, Fun Boy Three, General Public, The Colourfield, Special Beat, The Skabilly Rebels, The Spatial AKA Orchestra
Past Members:  Jerry Dammers, Neville Staple, Silverton Hutchinson, Tim Strickland, Dick Cuthell, Rhoda Dakar, Garry McManus, Stan Campbell, Egidio Newton, John Shipley, Nigel Reeve, Caron Wheeler, Claudia Fontaine, Aitch Bembridge, Mark Adams
Active Members: Lynval Golding, Horace Panter, Terry Hall, Roddy Radiation, Joh Bradbury, Jon Reed, Adam Birch, Tim Smart, Drew Stansall, Nik Torp

The Specials
The Specials are also known as The Special AKA. The 2 tone and ska revival band formed in Coventry, England in 1977. Danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude. The Specials focused and informed people on political and social stance alot more than other ska griups did.
In 1980 their song "Too much Too young" reached number one in the UK, which was only 3 years after the band had formed. In 1981 "Ghost Town" also hit number one in the UK.
After 7 UK top 10 singles within the UK, 3 band members left and formed the group "Fun Boy Three".
After releasing new material in 1984, which included the top 10 hit "(Free) Nelson Mandela", founder and songwriter Jerry Dammers dissolved the band and persued in political activism. The band refored in 1993 but without Dammers.


Career
The Specials where formed in 1977 by songwriter and keyboardist, Jerry Dammers, vocalist Tim Strickland, guitarist/vocalist Lynval Golding, drummer Silverton Hutchinson and bassist Horac Panter (also known as, Sir Horace Gentleman).
Strickland was replaced by Terry Hall after the band had reformed.
The band was firstly known as the The automatics. They then changed to The Coventry Automatics and then The Specials AKA.
Vocalist Neville Staple and guitarist Roddy Byers (Roddy Radiation), joined the band in 1994, a year after their reformation. 
Joe Strummer from The Clash attended one of their concerts and asked them to be an opening act for his band on their "On Parole" UK tour. This gave them a new level of experiance and national exposure. They briefly shared the same management with The Clash.


Reunion Tours

• 1993
• 1998 - Japan (Panter missed due to illness)
• 2000 - limited tour lineup
• 2007 - Hall and Goulding performed together for the first time in 24 years. They played together at two festivals. At Glastonbuury Festival they performed the song "Gangsters" with Lily Allen
• 2009 - Goulding claimed that performing with Lily Allen played a massive part in their reformation
• 2008 - Autumn reformation tour
• December 2008 - tour dates announced for 2009 for their 30th anniversary
• April 2009 - guested on BBC Two - Later....with Jools Holland
• July and August 2009 - Australia and Japan
• 2010 Dutch Festival Lowlands
• 2012 Performed in Hyde Park for the Olympics
• American tour 2013 - sold out crowds at: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver