Terry Hall, lead singer of The Specials, has passed away

He was a character born of his own in the British scene, artistically birthed in the middle of the punk tsunami and a major figurehead of the ska revival: Terry Hall, who passed away on December 19, 2022, will remain above all as THE voice of The Specials, even if his career did later collect other projects such as Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield or Vegas with Dave Stewart.

In the midst of the punk explosion, England at the end of the 70s resurrected ska. The revival was led by Madness, The Selecter, The Beat and especially The Specials. Hailing from Coventry, this multi-faceted group founded by Hall and Jerry Dammers, and supported by Joe Strummer of the Clash, brings the syncopated rhythms of Jamaican rocksteady and its ancestor, ska, up to date. Pork pie hats, tailored suits, chequered patterns, the dress code is compulsory to better appreciate their masterpieces such as A Message to You Rudy, a cover of Dandy Livingstone, Too Much Too Young or Gangsters, a reworking of Prince Buster's Al Capone, which all shone on their first album of 1979 released on 2 Tone Records, the legendary label set up by Dammers.

A year later, in the autumn of 1980, the Specials released More Specials, an equally brilliant follow-up, taking their ska to other flavours, whether it be jazz, pop, lounge or other exotic places. As for the songs, the level goes up a notch with melodic wonders like Ghost Town and the B-side of its single version, Friday Night, Saturday Morning. The Specials even include members of the Go-Go's, (Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin), as well as Rhoda Dakar of the Bodysnatchers and Lee Jay Thompson of Madness. The lyrics are as engaging as ever and are among the most subtle in a field where caricature and heaviness can quickly overwhelm the message... Less frenetic than its predecessor, More Specials was ultimately a more adventurous and musically dense record. But it wasn't all entertainment... it was the militancy of Terry Hall and his band that was to remain as the real soundtrack of the disillusioned youth of Thatcherite England who felt undermined by the conservatism of the authorities, the growing unemployment, the Brixton riots of Spring 81 and the daily exactions of the National Front of the British Movement.

In 1981, incompatibility of moods and dissension led Terry Hall and two other members of the Specials, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding, to launch a new group that would last only two years: Fun Boy Three. The tone was lighter, the sound more colourful, but the prose was not carefree. On the song Well Fancy That for example, Hall reveals that he was sexually abused as a teenager during a school trip to France. A tragedy that led him to consume Valium and all kinds of drugs at a very young age. Alcohol was also a refuge that, after a long time, had negative effects on his bipolar diagnoses and caused Hall to attempt to commit suicide and leave school at only 14 years old.

Post the Fun Boy Three period came a series of diverse and varied projects: in 1984, in a pop/new wave/soul vein, the group The Colourfield with Toby Lyons and Karl Shale produced the albums Virgins and Philistines and Deception, freelance work for Ian Broudie of the Lightning Seeds, the trio Terry, Blair & Anouchka in 1989, with Anouchka Grose and the American actress Blair Booth, the group Vegas with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, not to mention numerous collaborations for artists as diverse as Tricky, Lily Allen, Shakespears Sister, Gorillaz and even the French project Nouvelle Vague. Around 2008, Terry Hall will participate in the reformation of the Specials (without Dammers). In 2019, with Lynval Golding and Horace Panter, Hall recorded a new Specials entitled Encore, on which ska crossed with soul and vintage disco. In 2021, Protest Songs 1924 - 2012 followed which was a beautiful collection of covers from blues, rock, folk, soul and reggae. Moving songs, mainly made in USA, written by Leonard Cohen, Talking Heads, the Staples Singers, Big Bill Broonzy, Bob Marley, Chip Taylor, Malvina Reynolds and even Frank Zappa. Further proof that Terry Hall will always hold his clenched fist high until the very end.