This article is about the British ska band. For the (unrelated) movie, see The Specials (film).
The Specials are a British band formed in 1977 in Coventry (see 1977 in music). They fused elements of mod and ska to create a new sound that became known as Two Tone. They were best known for singles including "A Message To You Rudy", " Ghost Town", "Too Much Too Young" and their debut, "Gangsters" . The band members were Jerry Dammers (né Gerald Danki), Terry Hall, Roddy Radiation, John Bradbury, Sir Horace Gentleman (AKA Horace Panter), Lynval Golding and Neville Staples.
Shortly after being formed in 1977 by Dammers, Golding, and Gentleman, the band performed minor gigs under the name The Coventry Automatics. Terry Hall and Roddy Radiation joined the band the following year, and the band changed its name to The Coventry Specials and then to The Special AKA. Joe Strummer of the Clash had attended one of their gigs, and invited The Special AKA to open for his band in their No Parole UK Tour. This performance gave The AKA a new level of national exposure, and they briefly shared the Clash's management. However, in 1979, Dammers decided to found his own label, and 2-Tone Records was born. On this label, the band released "Gangsters," which became a Top Ten hit in 1979 (See 1979 in music). The band had begun wearing two-toned mod-style tonic suits, along with other late 60s teen fashion. Their debut LP was Specials, produced by Elvis Costello. "Too Much Too Young" was a #1 hit in spite of some controversy due to the song's lyrics, which promoted contraception.
