How The Specials went from Too Much Too Young to teaching art! After lead singer Terry Hall dies aged 63, Femail reveals the varied path the rest of his bandmates took
- Terry Hall, lead singer of The Specials, has died after a brief illness, the band said
- The Specials was formed in 1979 by Jerry Dammers at Coventry University
- Other bandmates include Lynval Golding, Neville Staple and Horace Panter
As Terry Hall, lead singer of The Specials, has died at the age of 63, he leaves behind a huge legacy as the vocalist within the ska/punk band.
Following the announcement of his death, his bandmates paid tribute to the ‘kindest, funniest and most genuine of souls’ who was ‘one of the most brilliant singers and songwriters Britain has ever produced’.
As part of The Specials, Terry Hall pioneered the ska scene in The UK and – through his often caustic lyrics – chronicled the social unrest and economic turmoil facing the country at the turn of the 1980s after it was formed in 1979.
The band released its most famous track, Ghost Town, in 1981 which was a comment on the backdrop of rioting and protest in Britain.
Terry Hall (pictured in 1980), lead singer of The Specials, has died at the age of 63 after a brief illness, the band has announced
Shortly after the sone was released, the band separated, with Hall going on to form another band, Fun Boy Three, with Neville Staple and Lynval Golding.
Other band members also remained within the music scene and embarked on other projects – while one even began a career in teaching.
FEMAIL takes a look at where the rest of The Specials are now…
Terry Hall (pictured performing in 2012) was the lead singer of the ska/punk band who went on to form Fun Boy Three
Jerry Dammers
Jerry Dammers, from Coventry, was the founding member of the Specials while he was studying at Coventry University
Dammers (pictured at the opening of a Nelson Mandela exhibition in 2019) claimed the band did not ask him to be part of their 30th anniversary reunion tour in 2009
Founding member of The Specials, Jerry Dammers, 67, was born in South India to a member of the clergy in 1955, before he moved to the UK and was raised in Coventry.
During his school years, Jerry went through mod, hippie and skinhead phases, before he became involved in the revival of the ska genre in the 1970s and 1980s after meeting fellow bandmate Horace Panter at university.
Throughout his music career, Jerry also became an anti-apartheid campaigner and set up the group Artists Against Apartheid in the US. In the 1980s, he wrote and released the song Free Nelson Mandela, before the freedom fighter had been freed from prison in South Africa.
When the band split up in 1981, Jerry made claims he had been ‘kicked out’ of The Specials – claims Terry Hall was later forced to deny.
In 2008, a year before the band reformed for their 30th anniversary, Jerry released a statement which read: ‘Jerry has a duty to inform anybody who may be interested of the true situation, which is that he was not invited to take part in this proposed tour, or even told about it.’
He went on to describe his part in forming the Specials in the first place, writing: ‘He recruited every member individually, and the musical and style direction was guided by him.’
Following the statement, Terry Hall told The Guardian his former bandmate had not been ‘driven out’. He said: ‘I’ve read Jerry’s statement and I just don’t get it.’
Nonetheless, Jerry Dammers did not take part in the reunion tour and continued to DJ in nightclubs.
Lynval Golding
Lynval Golding (pictured performing with Terry Hall in Lewisham, 1979) was the guitarist in The Specials
Lyncal (pictured playing at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics) appeared onstage with Lily Allen at Glastonbury Festival in 2007
Lynval Golding was born in Jamaica in 1951 and moved to The UK (first Gloucester and then Coventry) with his family when he was 18 years old.
The guitarist joined the Specials before the band broke up. Lynval, now 71, then became one of the founding members of Fun Boy Three with Terry Hall and Neville Staple.
Over the years, Lynval remained close to Terry Hall, appearing with his bandmate on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2007 where they performed with Lily Allen.
Then in 2009, Lynval rejoined The Specials where he toured with his old friends.
Now living in the US, Lynval has formed other ska bands in Seattle including Gignator, but remains a member of the Specials and often speaks on behalf of the band.
Earlier this year, he appeared in a video message on the band’s Facebook page to say he had recently been listening to Bob Marley and an old Specials record, to celebrate the iconic reggae artist and his bandmate, John Bradbury.
Horace Panter
Horace Panter (left, with Terry Hall, centre and Lynval Golding, right), joined The Specials when he met Jerry Dammers while studying at Coventry University
Horace (pictured performing in Oslo, Norway, this year), has written an autobiography and worked as an art teacher for 10 years
Horace Panter, originally from Croydon, moved to Northamptonshire before studying at Coventry University where he met Jerry Dammers and the pair founded The Specials.
When the band broke up shortly after the release of Ghost Town in 1981, Horace went on to play with New Wave band General Public, before joining reformed versions of The Specials.
In between his musical ventures, Horace, now 69, trained as a teacher in the 1990s and became an art teacher at Corley Special School in North Warwickshire from 1998 to 2008.
He has also written an autobigraphy, Ska’d For Life, which charts his involvement in forming The Specials as well as 2 Tone record label.
Horace’s Instagram account shows his latest forays into the worlds of music and art, having become a professional artist in 2010.
His influences appear to include Pop Art and he is often pictured working on new paintings in his studio.
He is currently in a band called The Dirt Road Band, which has toured the UK.
Following Terry Hall’s death, Horace reposted the announcement from the Specials’ Instagram page.
John Bradbury
John Bradbury (pictured in 1980) was the drummer in The Specials and joined Jerry Dammers as the pair formed Specials AKA in 1981
John (right, with Terry Hall, centre and Lynval Golding, left), passed away in 2015 at the age of 62
John Bradbury (‘Brad’), drummer in The Specials, passed away in 2015 at the age of 62.
His death was announced by the ska band’s Twitter page, in a message which read: ‘It is with deep regret that we say goodbye to our great friend, the world’s greatest drummer, our beloved Brad. RIP.’
John, who joined the Specials in 1979, also became part of a splinter band formed by Jerry Dammers after the original group broke up, Specials AKA.
However in 2009, he rejoined with his original bandmates for the 30th anniversary reunion tour. In his other musical ventures, he was part of a group called JB Allstars.
A family statement released after his death read: ‘He was an integral part of The Specials reforming in 2008 and toured with them extensively up to the present day.
‘His contribution to the world of music can not be understated and he will much missed by family, friends and fans alike.’
Following his death, music producer Pete Waterman, who had worked with John over the years, said: ‘He never left Coventry because he always wanted to be part of the scene… he was tremendous.’
Neville Staple
Neville Staple (pictured performing with Terry Hall in London in 1980) pioneered the ‘toasting’ style of vocal, which is considered a precursor to rap
Neville (pictured performing in Henley-on-Thames in 2019) went on to form the Neville Staple Band and often sings with his wife, Christine Sugary Staple
Following the announcement of Terry Hall’s death, Neville Staple tweeted his sadness.
He wrote: ‘Hit me hard and must be extremely difficult for Terry’s wife and family.’
He added: ‘In the music world, people have many ups and downs, but I will hang onto the great memories of Terry and I, making history fronting The Specials and Fun Boy three together. Rest easy Terry Hall.’
Neville, now 67, was born in Manchester, Jamaica, in 1955. When he was five years old his family moved to Rugby in Warwickshire before settling in Coventry.
He pioneered the ‘toasting’ singing style, which is a kind of chanting over other lyrics and is considered a precursor to rapping.
Neville became part of the band after touring with them as a roadie when they were supporting The Clash.
In time, he became a vocalist in the band, either taking lead vocals or backing vocals alongside Terry Hall’s lead.
When the band split up, he joined Terry Hall to form Fun Boy Three with Lynval Golding.
His later career saw him form the Neville Staple Band, in which he sometimes sings with his wife Christine Sugary Staple.
Read more:
- The Charlatans and Primal Scream star Martin Duffy dies aged 55: Singer Tim Burgess credits gifted musician’s ‘beautiful soul’ as tributes flood in
- The Specials singer Terry Hall, 59, opens up about horrific child abuse that sent him spiralling towards drugs and depression after he was abducted by paedophile ring aged 12
- Terry Hall talks about his early years and living in Coventry
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