Terry Hall, lead singer of British group The Specials, has died at 63

Terry Hall, lead singer of the British group The Specials, a seminal band in the ska scene of the late 70s and early 80sdied at the age of 63 of unreported causes.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing, after a short illness, of Terry, our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant songwriters of this country ever produced,” his bandmates reported on the official website of the group, which had a series of concerts planned for next year.

“He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. But he leaves behind a remarkable music and his deep humanity.”, adds the text that also describes the artist as “a wonderful father” and one of the “kindest, funniest and most authentic people”.

For his part, his partner as singer in The Specials, Neville Staplehe said he was “deeply saddened” by his partner’s death and acknowledged that he knew “Terry wasn’t well” but hadn’t realized “how bad it was until recently”.

Terry Hall, along with Staple, Roddy Byers and John Bradbury, had joined the Specials in 1978, a year after its creation by Jerry Dammers, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter.

Since its inception in Coventry, the group has established itself as one of the leading popularizers of Jamaican rhythms and, from that place, spearheaded a musical movement that enlisted bands like Madness, The Selecter and The English Beat.

rude boys

From the image, The Specials epitomized the rude boysa fortune of Urban tribe rebellious among young Jamaicans.

In this sense, the band has been responsible for classics such as A message for you, Rudy, Ghost Town, Monkey Man Y Too too young.

In many of their songs, the group has given an account of the disastrous social effects of Margaret Thatcher’s neoliberal policies and the racist violence exercised by institutions.

The band also had its own record label, the famous “2 Tones”, which housed several groups subscribed to the minimalist musical style enunciated in its name and social denunciation.

After the breakup of The Specials in the mid-1980sTerry Hall fronted The Colourfield, a less successful group he still achieved great success with I can’t get enough of you, baby.

In 1993 The Specials reunited, but Hall decided against joining and released his debut solo album in 1994, followed by another album three years later.

But in 2008, inspired by the gathering of the goblinsHall announced that he would reunite the Specials to make new music and embark on a tour that would took them to perform at the closing concert of the London 2012 Olympics.

Following the deaths of drummer John Bradbury and the departures of vocalist Neville Staple and guitarist Roddy Radiation, the group released what would be their final albums, Encore (2019) e Protest songs 1924-2012 (2021).

In memory

The amount of condolence messages from fellow professionals on the networks is overwhelming. One of the most exciting is Elvis Costellowhich produced his first album.

“It’s sad to hear the news of Terry Hall’s death last night from Lynval Golding. Terry’s voice was the perfect instrument for the Specials’ true and necessary songs. That honesty runs through so many of their songs, in joy and sadness My condolences to his family and friends.”

the guitarist of The Go-Go’s and Hall’s former partner, Jane Wiedlinsays he was devastated, writing, “He was a charming, sensitive, talented and unique person. Our very short romance resulted in the song Our Lips Are Sealed, which will unite us forever in music history. Terrible news to hear “.

“We are very saddened by the departure of Terry Hall, another one is leaving too soon!” said UK reggae-pop kingpins, UB40. the songwriter Billy Bragg ensures:

“The Specials were a celebration of how British culture was being strengthened by Caribbean immigration, but their lead singer’s onstage demeanor was a reminder that they were serious about challenging our perceptions of who we were at the end of the decade. Since the 1970s.”.

For their part, the Americans Rage Against the Machine pay homage to him by quoting one of his sentences: “It’s not enough. Love music, fight against racism. You have to fight”.

As mentioned above, the group has currently reunited for occasional tours, as planned for 2023.

Source Telam