Terry Hall, singer with ska icons The Specials, dies at 63

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Terry Hall, lead singer of ska band The Specials, has died at the age of 63. The band announced late Monday that Hall had died after a brief illness. The Specials formed in the English Midlands city of Coventry in the late 1970s. With its mix of Black and white members and Jamaica-influenced style of sharp suits and porkpie hats, the band became leaders of the anti-racist 2 Tone ska revival movement. The Specials captured the uneasy mood of the times in songs including “A Message to You, Rudy,” “Rat Race,” “Too Much Too Young” and “Ghost Town.” Hall went on to form Fun Boy Three and The Colourfield, and co-wrote the Go-Go’s hit “Our Lips Are Sealed.”