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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 new wave. Within the history of ska, 2 Tone is classified as its second wave, and is the precursor of the third wave ska scene of the 1980s and 1990s.^[1]

History [edit]

The 2 Tone sound was developed by young musicians in Coventry, West Midlands, England who grew up hearing 1960s Jamaican music.^[2] They combined influences from ska, reggae and rocksteady with elements of punk rock and new wave. Bands considered part of the genre include: The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, Madness, Bad Manners and The Bodysnatchers.^[1]

The term was coined by The Specials' keyboardist Jerry Dammers, who — with the assistance of Horace Panter and graphic designer John "Teflon" Sims — created the iconic Walt Jabsco logo (a man in a black suit, white shirt, black tie, pork pie hat, white socks and black loafers) to represent the 2 Tone genre. The logo was based on an early album cover photo of Peter Tosh, and included an added black-and-white check pattern.^[3][4][5]

Most of the bands considered to be part of the 2 Tone genre were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other record labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff Records and Go Feet Records. The music was especially popular among skinheads, rudies and some mod revivalists.

Museum [edit]

On 1 October 2010, the 2-Tone Central museum, cafe and venue opened in the Coventry University Students' Union building, and by August 2011, it was moved to the 2-Tone Village in Stoke, Coventry.^[6] It includes exhibition space, the Coventry Music Wall of Fame,^{[7][8][9][10]} a cafe, a gift shop, a Caribbean restaurant and a music venue. Many of the items on display are on loan from members of The Selecter, The Beat and The Specials.

Gallery [edit]

• 

  Coventry Music Wall of Fame inductees, December 2011

Further reading [edit]

• Staple, Neville, Original Rude Boy, (Aurum Press, 2009) ISBN 978-1-84513-480-8
• Williams, Paul You're Wondering Now-The Specials From Conception to Reunion (Cherry Red Books, 2009) ISBN 978-1-901447-51-4
• Chambers, Pete, Coventry Market in a Round About Way (Tencton Planet Publications, 2009) ISBN 978-0-9544125-7-9
• Chambers, Pete, The 2-Tone Trail: The Roots of Two-tone Music (Tencton Planet Publications, 2005) ISBN 978-0-9544125-3-1
• Thompson, Dave, Wheels Out Of Gear: 2-Tone, The Specials and a World In Flame (Soundcheck Books, 2011) ISBN 978-0-9566420-2-8

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• 2 Tone info - 2 Tone history and discography
• 2 Tone Tribute - from BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
• 2 Tone Collection - 2 Tone record collection
• 2-Tone Central - Museum, cafe and music venue