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..I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4Myspace Contact Tables , hosting by Imgdump.netThe beginnings of what was to become The Specials as we know them, came about when Jerry Dammers(keys), Horace Panter(bass), Lynval Golding (guitar), Silverton Hutchison (drums) and Tim Strickland (vocals) formed Coventry band 'The Automatics' in 1977. The band hit the Coventry circuit, playing a unique mixture of punk and reggae to local punters, even securing a residency at Coventry's 'Mr. Georges' club.After a while, vocalist Tim was replaced by former Squad front man Terry Hall, and soon after Jerry also recruited an old acquaintance, Roddy Byers, lead guitarist from 'The Wild Boys'. In fact, Roddy's introduction was just in time to join the rest of the band in Berwick Street Studios, London, under the auspices of Coventry DJ Pete Waterman.Jerry circulated the tape to the record companies, but they showed little interest. A tape was also sent to John Peel at Radio One, and although overlooked at the time, this tape was rediscovered in 1993 and released as 'Dawning of a New Era, The Coventry Automatics AKA The Specials'.Jerry persuaded fellow Coventry kid, and more importantly, Clash roadie Steve Connolly to introduce him to their manager Bernie Rhodes. The ensuing conversations resulted in the lads being given the support slot on the Clash's 'On Parole' tour in June/July 1978. Originally booked for just the first couple of shows, they got the whole tour thanks to Joe Strummer's interest in the band, and Jerry's persistence.By this point the band had changed their name to 'The Coventry Automatics' due to the fact that another 'Automatics' were already doing the rounds, and they again changed it to 'The Special AKA The Coventry Automatics'. It was finally shortened for claritys sake to 'The Special AKA'.American support act 'Suicide' weren't that well received by the Clash's crowd, and suffered a similar fate to that of the reggae influenced brand of punk that the Special AKA played- (with some saying that Suicide faired worse) getting them spat at and pelted with cans by many of the drunken punk audiences. One positive outcome of the tour was the addition of former roadie Neville Staple to the line up. Having often heard him toasting over songs at sound check, the band invited him to join them full time on vocals and percussion.After the experience of the Clash tour, Bernie Rhodes put the band into rehearsals for six months at his dive on the Chalk Farm Road in London. That time in the rat infested warehouse was a real low point in the young bands career, seven of them sleeping in one room, but eventually lead to Mr. Rhodes deciding that they needed some more experience, and he sent them off to France.Read Lynval Goldings recollection of this eventful trip and the story behind their first single 'Gangsters' here.On their return to Coventry, the band locked down to some serious rehearsals in the back room of a pub, and started to experiment mixing some ska elements into their sound. Drummer Silverton was increasingly absent from rehearsals, both disinterested in the bands new direction and more importantly looking for a paying job to keep his family fed.Bernie Rhodes was back on the scene, this time advising the band to think about an image to go with their sound. Jerry, influenced by Paul Simenon of the Clash's off stage look, drew from the looks of the West Indian rude boys and the mods, and settled on what was to become the definitive ska look.
Jerry Dammers had long had a dream of starting his own label, similar to Motown, that they could release their own records on. He composed some artwork, with Horace's help, that was soon to become central to the 2 Tone world, and in fact feature as the label on all their releases. The logo was based on an early album cover picture of Peter Tosh, and with the signature black and white checks dropped in for good measure, Walt Jabsco was born.With a new song written, but no support from the record companies, the Special AKA set about raising some cash from family and friends to record 'Gangsters' themselves. (Read the story behind the song here).They were without a drummer however as Silverton had finally quit, so Jerry turned to his then house mate John 'Brad' Bradbury to fill in just for the recording session. It went so well that Brad was made a permanent member there and then, and the band lineup was completed.
Based on the 1964 track 'Al Capone' by Prince Buster. The Special AKA changed the original opening in their version from 'Al Capones Guns Dont Argue' to 'Bernie Rhodes Knows Dont Argue' as a stab at their former manager, and at seedy manager types in general.Short of cash, the band couldn't afford to record a B-side for the single, so a demo recorded two years earlier by Brad, Barry Jones and Neol Davis was dug out, billed as The Selecter by The Selecter, and stuck on the flip side. They called their new label '2 Tone'.Jerry then approached Rough Trade for distribution of the new single, who agreed to press 5000 copies. He then got talking to 'The Damned' manager Rick Rogers, who on hearing the single, and then seeing the bands stunning live performance, leapt on board as manager.'Gangsters' was picking up airplay and favourable reviews rapidly, and Rick Rogers was working his contacts getting the band shows in London in venues such as the Hope & Anchor. Word of their electric live shows spread like wildfire and they started to build a solid following in the capital city and a buzz amongst the A&R departments too.All this lead to the Moonlight Club in early May 1979, where the Specials played to a packed house of fans and record company execs. Even Mick Jagger was there anxious to sign the band to his own Rolling Stone Records!They received several offers, but most weren't willing to accommodate Jerry's demands for the 2 Tone label to maintain it's own identity. One who did was Chrysalis Records, and the deal was done - 10 singles a year from 2 Tone, and the Specials were signed to a 5 album deal.Amazingly that show was recorded unbeknownst to those involved. Decca studios was next door and the entire concert was captured through an audio feed they had set up, which serves as a great reminder of the bands early form. The bootleg features plenty of Terry's dry humour on the eve of the Thatcher election, along with a killer live performance to boot. Ironically this bootleg made it onto the streets just days before their debut album was released.Chrysalis pressed more copies of 'Gangsters', and fuelled by a Radio One session on the John Peel show and an eight week tour of the UK, the single peaked at number 6 in the singles chart, earning a debut appearance on Top Of The Pops.Along the way, 2 Tone signed it's first band - The Selecter - which was a hastily put together band formed by Neol Davis on the back of the success of the Gangsters/Selecter single. The second 2 Tone signing was Madness, after they had got a tape to Jerry, and had opened for the Specials on a couple of occasions to great success.
Laying down tracks for the debut album began, with Elvis Costello wearing the producer hat - an early fan of the band, he jumped at the chance. At the same time the band made time to dash over to Europe to play a few festivals where they inevitably went down a storm, stealing the show from the likes of the Police and The Cure to name but two.'A Message To You, Rudy' was released in October 1979, backed by 'Nite Klub' as a double A side, both tracks featured two new honorary Specials - Hornsmen Rico Rodriguez and Dick Cuthell. Rico was already a legend in ska, having played trombone with many of the early ska greats such as Prince Buster, the Skatalites and Laurel Aitken. He had even played on the original version of 'A Message To You, Rudy' by Dandy Livingstone.Later that month, their debut album, entitled simply 'Specials' was released and shot straight into the UK album charts at number 7. The Specials, and 2 Tone were really on the map, and a 40 date '2 Tone Tour' of the country began in earnest featuring The Specials, Madness and The Selecter.The tour was a complete success, selling out all over the country, but was tarnished by some violent outbreaks my a minority of troublemakers in some venues, which was of course singled out by the press.It was a fact that racists from the NF and the BNP were recruiting at the shows, but the bands openly distanced themselves from these people, and made it clear to all that they weren't welcome. It goes to show how stupid these people were, canvassing music fans who were dancing to multi-racial bands and singing along with songs preaching racial unity, and yet some impressionables took the bait.Half way through the tour Madness were replaced by Kevin Roland's 'Dexy Midnight Runners', a soul band from Birmingham, who although didn&..39;t play ska and weren't signed to 2 Tone, still went down a storm. After the tour, The Specials last show of the decade was at the UNICEF Concert for Kampuchea, sharing the stage with the likes of The Who, Queen, Paul McCartney, The Clash and Elvis Costello to name a few.Jerry also found time to sign The Beat from Birmingham to 2 Tone, who he and Lynval had seen opening for the Selecter some months before. Their debut single, Smokey Robinson's 'Tears of a Clown' was another success for the label, although the beat subsequently went out on their own forming their own label 'Go Feet'.In January 1980, along with being filmed for a 2 Tone documentary by the BBC and an live appearance on the 'Rock Goes To College' show, The Specials released their third single 'Too Much Too Young'. It was a 5 track live EP, featuring 'Too Much Too Young' and 'Guns of Navarone' recorded in London, and 'Skinhead Symphony' which was a medley of 'Long Shot Kick The Bucket', 'Liquidator' and 'Skinhead Moonstomp' recorded at an electric homecoming show at Tiffany's in Coventry (which is now the public Library !).The band played a few shows in Europe, and then headed off to take British ska to the USA.
Having found success in Britain and mainland Europe, it was time for The Specials to head stateside, and a short 3 week tour was arranged. For some of these shows the band opened for The Police, whipping the American crowds into a frenzy, often overshadowing the main act by all accounts.Some tensions were brought to a head on this tour by Jerry's insistence that they not stay in flash hotels or travel in limo's. In fact the tour manager had to travel ahead to check the accommodations were not too good. Another incident occurred in February 1980 at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles, when the band arrived to see that the venue had been completely painted outside with black and white checks. Jerry was furious, disgusted by the hype he felt that the record company was generating.Another moment of sarcasm aimed at the press by Dammers seemed to put the dampeners on the bands ascent after the record company read it in the LA Times. He was clearly not enjoying his time in the US, and when asked by a reporter about that, he sarcastically said he'd 'had more fun on a school trip to Russia'. Whilst away, 2 Tone continued to rule the waves in England, 'Too Much Too Young' had topped the UK singles chart, and the band returned home to recuperate for a short while, before heading to Europe for a few shows.In May 1980 'Rat Race' was released as The Specials' 4th single, backed by 'Rude Buoys Outa Jail' on the B-side, which again raced up the charts reaching a high point of number 5. The song, this time written by Roddy, was a straight dig at students, but they strangely had no trouble in recruiting a few to be in the classroom video for the song!In June they headed off for the 12 date 'Seaside Specials' tour, with new 2 Tone signings 'The Bodysnatchers' as support act. Tensions were mounting still, particularly between Jerry and Roddy, who were openly at each others throats on and off stage, but the band continued with their arduous schedule, finishing the tour and then heading back to the US to appear on the legendary 'Saturday Night Live'. On the show the band turned in a legendary live performance of 'Gangsters' that to this day stands out as one of the best in the shows history.July saw the band head off to Japan for the first time, but the frenzied crowd reaction in Osaka got them in trouble with the police. At that time, standing at a concert was against the law in Japan, but as was usual for a Specials show, the crowd went wild and invaded the stage. The police were called in and arrested manager Rick Rogers and the club manager, and the band were told to stay in their hotel. The second Osaka show was canceled, but they dutifully played the other couple of shows on the tour and returned home.Shortly after returning to the UK, Lynval was the victim of a brutal racist attack outside a Modettes gig in London by racist thugs, leaving him needing medical treatment (Lynval was to later describe this experience in his heartfelt song 'Why?'). Out of the public eye for the next few months, the band were holed up in Coventry's Horizon Studio's, finishing off tracks for what was to be their second album.The recording of the album had been difficult, with disagreements between Jerry and other band members about the direction he was taking the band in, but none the less it was completed and it was a physically and emotionally exhausted Specials that took to the road for the album promo tour.The single 'Stereotype' was released first in September 1980, and introduced a different sounding Specials to the public. The song took a step away from their signature punk and ska sound, drifting into lounge music and muzak territory. It was yet another sarcastic lyric, this time by Dammers, and this time aimed at the teenage lads of the day who would go out and get pissed and then wind up crashing their car on the way home. Backed by 'International Jet Set', it reached number 6 in the UK charts - suprisingly due to the fact that it was banned by many radio stations as it had the word 'pissed' in it.The album followed the next week, and was warmly received by fans and press alike, reaching number 5 in the UK Album chart.The More Specials Tour continued, but violent outbreaks among small sections of the crowds continued to plague the band, and despite their policy of stopping the show when trouble flared, things came to a head in Cambridge. Jerry and Terry ended up getting arrested, the authorities had misinterpreted their efforts to stop the trouble, and charged them with provoking the crowd.After the tour, they released Lynval's song 'Do Nothing' in December 1980 as the next single, backed by a version of Dylan's 'Maggies Farm' artfully re-worked as a song to then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. It reached number 4 in the UK single chart, and started a well earned studio break for the band.During this down time, some of the band members took the opportunity to pursue their own projects. Roddy formed the Tearjerkers, a band playing 'skabilly' - his mix of ska and rockabilly. Neville founded his own label 'Shack Records' and similarly Brad founded 'Race Records'.Also during this break, February 1981 saw the release of 'Dance Craze', a movie made up of live footage of all the 2 Tone bands, in addition to Bad Manners and The Swinging Cats. A soundtrack album was also released, reaching number 5 in the Album charts.The band regrouped back in Coventry, and in June 1981 released another EP single, fronted by the seminal track 'Ghost Town', with 'Why?' and 'Friday Night, Saturday Morning' on the B-side. 'Ghost Town' perfectly echoed the feelings in Britain at the time, and reached the number one spot in the charts to a backdrop of inner city riots in Liverpool.Lynval's song 'Why?' on the B-side was a stunningly heartfelt response to the NF thugs who had attacked and beaten him the year before.
Ghost Town EP coverDespite the success of 'Ghost Town', the band members were increasingly at each others throats, with Jerry becoming more and more demanding. Still, the band pressed on and played a few shows in England and Ireland, before heading off to the US again for a short second tour.After a successful show in August in Toronto with the Police, Iggy Pop and the Go Go's, things came to a head when Jerry unceremoniously fired manager Rick Rogers after a heated argument.The Specials returned to England, and after a lack of activity for a few months rumours started that the band were to split. After initially denying these rumours, it was confirmed that Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding had officially left The Specials. Roddy followed suit the next week, and a shocked Jerry Dammers was left to contemplate the future of the band.Terry, Neville and Lynval's new group was called 'Fun Boy Three', and a mere 2 weeks after announcing the split, they had released their debut single 'The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum', having been quietly working on their breakaway project for several months... width="425" height="350" .... </a
