Terry Hall, lead singer of British ska new wave band The Specials, has died at the age of 63.
The frontman’s obituary was announced on the band’s official social media pages, noting that Hall died “after a brief illness.”
The band called him “our beautiful friend, brother and one of the greatest singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced” and praised Hall’s music and performance. . Humor, fighting for justice, but mostly love. ”
The statement ends with the words Hall uses at the end of the Specials’ live performance: “Love, love, love.”
Known for his collaborations with Dave Stewart and Damon Albarn, Hall joined The Specials in 1977 in Coventry, England.
The band’s first official line-up includes fellow singer Neville Staple, guitarists Lynval Golding and Roddy Radiation, bassist Horace Panter, keyboardist/primary songwriter Jerry Dammers, and drummer John Blood. Berry, horn players Dick Cassel and Rico Rodriguez were included.
Although the band was never a major musical force in the United States, it rose to prominence in the United Kingdom and Europe in the 1980s with like-minded bands Madness and English Beat, along with “Gangsters,” “A Message for Rudy,” and “Ghost.” It prospered with songs such as Town” and other dark and bouncy hits.
In 1984, The Specials’ “Free Nelson Mandela” reached number 34 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, giving the band, as it was known at the time, the only mainstream record in the United States. (as Special AKA, Sands Hall).
the legacy ofChristine McVie lives on in music
Following the success of “Ghost Town” in Europe, Hall left The Specials to start Fun Boy Three with bandmates Goulding and Staple.
During his Fun Boy Three days, Hall supported the Specials on their 1980 tour of England before co-writing Go Go’s 1981 debut single, ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’, with guitarist Jane Wiedlin. The Fun Boy Three originally recorded the song, but Weedren, who fell in love with Hall, told her songwriter website Songfacts.com that the Fun Boy Three song is “better than the Go Go version.” It’s very dark,” he said.
In 2007, Hall reunited with Goulding for the first time in 24 years, and in 2008, the Specials returned for a series of concerts, attended by all but founding member Jerry Dammers.
The Specials will release their ninth album, Protest Songs 1924-2012, in 2021, with Hall joining Golding and Panter.
Among those who paid tribute to Hall was Veedlin, who said he was “angry” upon hearing of his death.
“He was a lovely, sensitive, talented and unique person.” she wroteadded that their connection through “Our Lips Are Sealed” “will unite us forever in the history of music.”
Weedlin’s bandmate Belinda Carlisle Also, Gogo’s Hall and “forever bound by music history”.
British singer-songwriter activist Billy Bragg .
When Elvis Costello explains Hall’s voice as “the perfect instrument for the true and necessary songs of ‘The Specials'”. That sincerity is heard in many of his songs of joy and sorrow. ”
Rolling Stones wife Drummer Charlie Watts dies at 84
