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 and had their first album, THE SPECIALS (1979) produced by Elvis Costello. The band enjoyed British singles chart success with ska anthems such as "Gangsters", "Rat Race", "Too Much Too Young" (as part of "The Special AKA Live! EP) and "Ghost Town", with the latter two hitting the top spot. 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.

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