Specials, The

English pop group. Formed in Coventry in 1978 as the Special AKA, its original members were Terry Hall (b Coventry, 15 March 1959; lead vocals), Neville Staples (vocals and percussion), Lynvall Goulding (b Coventry, 24 July 1951; electric guitar and vocals), John Bradbury (drums), Jerry Dammers (Gerald Dankin; b India, 22 May 1954; keyboards), Roddy Radiation (Rodney Byers; electric guitar) and Horace Gentleman (Horace Panter; bass guitar). They became the Specials in 1979. In the late 1970s post-punk diaspora, the Specials were pivotal in developing a miscegenation of musical styles, begun...

English pop group. Formed in Coventry in 1978 as the Special AKA, its original members were Terry Hall (b Coventry, 15 March 1959; lead vocals), Neville Staples (vocals and percussion), Lynvall Goulding (b Coventry, 24 July 1951; electric guitar and vocals), John Bradbury (drums), Jerry Dammers (Gerald Dankin; b India, 22 May 1954; keyboards), Roddy Radiation (Rodney Byers; electric guitar) and Horace Gentleman (Horace Panter; bass guitar). They became the Specials in 1979. In the late 1970s post-punk diaspora, the Specials were pivotal in developing a miscegenation of musical styles, begun by such groups as the Clash and the Slits, in which punk and reggae had effected an alliance.