{"id":164032,"date":"2022-12-21T08:22:02","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T08:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/terry-hall-lead-singer-of-the-specials-dies-at-63\/"},"modified":"2022-12-21T08:22:02","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T08:22:02","slug":"terry-hall-lead-singer-of-the-specials-dies-at-63","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/terry-hall-lead-singer-of-the-specials-dies-at-63\/","title":{"rendered":"Terry Hall, lead singer of the Specials, dies at 63"},"content":{"rendered":"
Terry Hall, the lead singer of English ska band the Specials, has died at the age of 63, the band announced on social media. In the band’s statement, they indicated that Hall died following an unspecified brief illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cTerry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of souls. His music and his performances encapsulated the very essence of life\u2026 the joy, the pain, the humor, the fight for justice, but mostly the love, \u201dthe band’s statement reads.<\/p>\n
The Specials was formed in 1977 as the Automatics, and Hall joined in 1979, replacing former vocalist Tim Strickland. The 2 tone band rose to prominence after they supported the Clash live on tour, and singles such as \u201cGangsters\u201d and \u201cGhost Town\u201d pushed the band toward a peak in popularity during the early 1980s. \u201cGhost Town\u201d specifically saw commercial success during the summer of 1981, when the pop song became the backdrop to civil unrest riots between young Black individuals and the police across the United Kingdom in response to racial discrimination and criticism over stop-and-search tactics . The band was active in the Rock Against Racism movement, playing benefit concerts for anti-racist organizations. Their other notable songs included the cover \u201cA Message to You, Rudy\u201d and \u201cDoesn’t Make it Alright.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
The band split up after the success of \u201cGhost Town\u201d in 1981, with Hall previously being quoted as feeling uncomfortable with the band’s rise in commercial success. In 1983, Hall formed Fun Boy Three with Specials bandmates Lynval Golding and Neville Staple and after that, the Colourfield. Although Hall didn’t parttake in the Specials reunion that took place from 1993 to 1998, he later joined up with the band for a 30th anniversary tour in 2009. In the following years, the band faced a period of instability following the death of drummer John Bradbury and the departures of Staple and guitarist Roddy Radiation. The band’s final record with Hall, \u201cProtest Songs 1924-2012,\u201d was released in 2021.<\/p>\n
Hall was born in Coventry, England, on March 19, 1959 and was considered an academically-gifted child along with being a notable football player. Hall was treated for manic depression, and began his foray into music with a punk band called Squad, which was heavily inspired by the Clash and the Sex Pistols. David Bowie’s 1975 record \u201cYoung Americans\u201d was a crucial influence that pushed Hall toward becoming a singer.<\/p>\n
\u201cTerry often left the stage at the end of The Specials’ life-affirming shows with three words\u2026 \u201c’Love Love Love’,\u201d the band’s statement concluded.<\/p>\n
Hall is survived by his wife, Lindy Heymann, his son with Heymann, and two older sons with ex-wife Jeanette Hall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Terry Hall, the lead singer of English ska band the Specials, has died at the age of 63, the band announced on social media. In the band’s statement, they indicated that Hall died following an unspecified brief illness. \u201cTerry was a wonderful husband and father and one of the kindest, funniest, and most genuine of …<\/p>\n