2 TONE

'2 Tone' (or 'Two Tone') is a music genre created in England in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae and pop music.
The 2 Tone sound was developed by English musicians (mostly based in the West Midlands area) who heard 1960s Jamaican ska songs and decided to play a similar style of music. They combined that style with influences from contemporary punk and pop music. These bands included The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat and Madness. The new music genre (and associated subculture) became known as 2 Tone, because most of the bands were signed to the record label 2 Tone Records. Other record labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff Records and Go Feet Records.
The music term ''2 Tone'' was coined by Jerry Dammers of the Specials, who has said he came up with the idea because he liked the black-and-white check pattern on his scooter when he was a young mod. However, many people think the name refers to the black-and-white outfits worn by rude boys and skinheads — and to unity between black people and whites. Dammers, with the assistance of Horace Panter, created the Walt Jabsco logo to represent the 2 Tone movement. It was based on an early album cover photo of Peter Tosh, and included an added black-and-white check pattern. ^[1]

Contents

Artists associated with the 2 Tone genre

Footnotes

External links

Artists associated with the 2 Tone genre

★ Bad Manners

★ The Beat

★ The Bodysnatchers

★ Madness

★ The Selecter

★ The Specials

Footnotes

1. Panter, Horace:''Ska'd For Life'' Sidgwick & Jackson, 2007

External links

★ 2 Tone Collection Impressive 2 Tone record collection

★ 2 Tone info 2 Tone history and discography

★ 2 Tone Tribute BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

★ The Specials Official band site