The Specials singer Terry Hall dies aged 63
The singer from Coventry passed away following a short illness
Last updated 20th Dec 2022
Tributes are being paid to Coventry singer Terry Hall, who died aged 63 following a short illness.
He was the frontman of The Specials, arguably the biggest band to come from the city, and who were pioneers of the ska scene in the UK
His death was confirmed by the group in a statement on twitter.
They said he was 'one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced'.
Bandmate Neville Staple tweeted he was "deeply saddened" to hear about Hall's death, saying: "We knew Terry had been unwell but didn't realise how serious until recently. We had only just confirmed some 2023 joint music agreements together. This has hit me hard."
He added:
"In the music World, people have many ups and downs, but I will hang onto the great memories of Terry and I, making history fronting The Specials and Fun Boy three together. Rest easy Terry Hall"
The Specials were formed in Hall's home city of Coventry in 1977, by Jerry Dammers, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter - with Hall, Staple, Roddy Byers and John Bradbury joining a year later.
The band were originally called The Automatics, before changing their name to The Coventry Automatics, The Specials AKA The Automatics and finally, in 1978, settling on The Specials.
The band made a name with their ska and rocksteady style.
During their time together, The Specials produced a string of hit records including A Message To You, Rudy, Rat Race and Ghost Town, which reached number one.
The band split in 1981, after which Hall, Golding and Staple went on to form Fun Boy Three, which achieved four UK top 10 singles during their time together, until Hall left the band in 1983 to form The Colourfield with ex-Swinging Cats members Toby Lyons and Karl Shale.
The Specials reformed in 2009 and embarked on a tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary and in 2018 supported The Rolling Stones during a concert at what was then called the Ricoh Arena in Coventry (now the Coventry Building Society Arena).
In February 2019, The Specials released Encore, their first album of new material in 37 years, which went straight to number one on the Official UK Album Chart, marking their first number one album.
More recently Hall had been involved with Coventry's year as the UK City of Culture - presenting 'Home Sessions' in July 2021 - a four day festival of live music and performance across the city.
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