The Specials

Leaders of ska music's second wave in England during the late 1970s and early '80s, the Specials founded the 2 Tone record label, and added like-minded bands such as the Selecter, the English Beat, and Madness to the roster. Combining socially conscious messages with jaunty, danceable melodies, the Specials (later known as the Special AKA) toured with the Clash, had their first album produced by Elvis Costello, and topped the British singles charts with ska anthems "Gangsters" and "Rudi, A Message to You". At the peak of their success in 1981, internal tensions led to the group fragmenting, with members departing to form the Fun Boy Three and, later, the Special Beat.

• rock
• pop
• reggae
• ska
• united states
• 1970s
• 1990s
• 1980s