I was saddened to hear of the death of Terry Hall earlier today. Although not quite old enough to remember The Specials the first time round, during my years of becoming musically-aware during the late '80s/early '90s, I spent a lot of time listening to bands that fell into the ska/two-tone genre. While many pop and rock songs waxed lyrical about issues surrounding love, The Specials wrote about political and social issues, many of which can be applied to society as it is today. As a somewhat frustrated and disenchanted youth, it was refreshing to hear music that told it like it was - going to Nightclubs and getting drunk are just two of the themes.
In addition, the whole two-tone movement appeared to be the first to have multi-racial band members, and from what I have read, Terry Hall regularly addressed issues of injustice and racism.
I was fortunate enough to photograph him twice. The first occasion was at the Middlesbrough Music Live event where he sang with band Dub Pistols in 2007. Two years later, a majority of the original members of The Specials played a series of gigs which opened at Newcastle Academy allowing me to capture the iconic band including frontman Terry Hall once again. RIP Terry Hall and thank you for the memories.
Terry Hall performs with Dub Pistols at Middlesbrough Music Live, June 2007.
Terry Hall performs with Dub Pistols at Middlesbrough Music Live, June 2007.
The Specials perform at Newcastle Academy, April 2009.
The Specials (including Terry Hall) perform at Newcastle Academy, April 2009.