The Specials were formed in Coventry in 1977, as The Coventry Automatics and later The Special...

The Selecter began life not as a band but as an instrumental track titled ‘The Kingston Affair’,...

By October 1981, constant touring and differences over musical direction saw The Specials original...

One of the most prolific session players of Jamaica’s pre-ska era, trombonist Rico Rodriguez...

The North London Invaders, was formed by Mike Barson, Chris Foreman, and Lee Thompson in 1976. By...

Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978, The Beat were fronted by the dual vocal attack of Wakeling...

The main instigator behind The Bodysnatchers was fruit and vegetable seller Nicky Summers. Nicky...

Second only to Madness in the highest number of weeks in the charts in 1980 (45), Bad Manners...

The Swinging Cats were another Coventry outfit, formed at the end of 1979 and after they replaced...

Rhoda Dakar was born in Hampstead, London, in 1960, and grew up in “a tower block full of social...

In addition to his vast knowledge of Reggae, John Bradbury was a dedicated fan of Northern Soul,...

Founded “some time in 1980” at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, THE HIGSONS first...

The Apollinaires began life as a six piece (and progressed to a 10 piece) from Leicester...

The penultimate single release from the label was Window Shopping from The Friday Club a seven...

When Elvis Costello’s first record was released in 1977, his bristling cynicism and anger linked...