Why are the specials called The Specials?
The Specials were founded in England’s industrial Coventry and originally called themselves the Automatics. After a dispute with another band of the same name, they changed to The Special AKA the Automatics, which was shortened to The Special AKA—or simply The Specials, as the band was known from 1978 on.
Where did the specials come from?
Coventry, United Kingdom
The Specials/Origin
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 Tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry.
Why is Jerry Dammers not in the specials?
Jerry Dammers has hit out at the Specials reunion, claiming he’s been driven out of the band. The founding member of the 1970s ska group, who will not be part of their 30th anniversary shows, released a statement claiming the band are trying to “rewrite history”.
How did the specials meet?
The Specials formed as the Coventry Automatics in 1977 when Jerry Dammers, the keyboard-playing son of a clergyman, asked a fellow student at Lanchester Polytechnic, bassist Horace Panter, to help him record a set of self-penned reggae songs. Dammers’ flatmate John Bradbury was drafted in on drums.
What genre of music were The Specials?
Reggae
Pop
The Specials/Genres
Why was Ghost Town by The Specials written?
“Why?” is a plea for racial tolerance and was written by guitarist Lynval Golding in response to a violent racist attack he had suffered in July 1980 outside the Moonlight Club in West Hampstead in London, which had left him hospitalised with broken ribs.
Are The Specials still together?
The legendary 2 Tone and ska revival band, famous for hits such as Too Much Too Young and Ghost Town, still going strong with a career spanning over 40 years.
Who are the original members of the special?
The band was originally formed in Coventry, in 1977, as the Coventry Automatics and later the Special A.K.A. by songwriter/keyboardist Jerry Dammers, with Terry Hall (vocals), Lynval Golding (guitar, vocals), Neville Staples (vocals, percussion), Roddy Radiation (guitar), Sir Horace Gentleman (bass), and John Bradbury (drums).
What was the first song The Specials released?
Ascendancy of the Specials (1979–81) In 1979, shortly after drummer Hutchinson left the band to be replaced by John Bradbury, Dammers formed the 2 Tone Records label and released the band’s debut single “Gangsters”, a reworking of Prince Buster’s “Al Capone”.
How did the specials start out?
The Specials formed as the Coventry Automatics in 1977 when Jerry Dammers, the keyboard-playing son of a clergyman, asked a fellow student at Lanchester Polytechnic, bassist Horace Panter, to help him record a set of self-penned reggae songs.
How many songs are on the specials new album?
The Specials are back with ten songs on a brand new album. Influential, important and exhilarating live, they are a band embedded in this country’s DNA. It is impossible to envisage the musical landscape without them, from the startling, angular Gangsters in 1979 to their swan song, the epoch-making Ghost Town in 1981.