TERRY HALL: A Soulful Rebel (Biographies of Musicians)

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She has held her phone to Terry's ear so that his sisters and Lynval can say their goodbyes. She suggests I do the same. So, I did. It was tough. Terry died around half past 5 the next evening, Sunday 18th December. The world has lost a unique voice and I have lost a good friend.' The singer-songwriter rose to fame as part of the band, who were pioneers of the ska scene in the UK. Terry 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… the joy, the pain, the humour, the fight for justice, but mostly the love.' Just reaching out, are you OK?” the song goes. It continues with what sounds like a mental health manifesto that Hall would wholeheartedly endorse. “Time is tight, life’s a fight/ Now’s the time, get it right/ People laughing, people crying/ Can’t you see we’re really trying?/ So goodbye to sorrow… Say hello to tomorrow.” That afternoon two sets of skinheads came in. They told us they were ever so pleased we’d come to Belfast. They appreciated it so much that one set would stay downstairs and the other up on the balcony, so there was no fighting

Terry: I’m actually going to see Joe in a couple of weeks, his band. I don’t know. We get asked that a lot. “What are you listening to now?” And what I’m listening to now is a Grateful Dead album, because I never heard it first time round... In September that year, Hall and five members of the band performed at Bestival music festival under the name Very "Special" Guests. Terry: When I was at my ill-est, it triggered something in my brain that wouldn’t allow me to talk or walk for three weeks. Because I couldn’t say anything, I had to write everything down. And a doctor said to me: “Paint.” And actually painting was something that was coming out of my head that I could show to people. For them, in Horace’s case, to despise. [laughter from all] Culture Club frontman Boy George called it a 'sad day', tweeting: 'Very sad to hear about Terry Hall! Absolutely loved him as an artist.' Then came the Specials. The band released their self-titled debut album in October 1979 and received mass acclaim for blending a punk sensibility – and sharp lyrics about the degradation of modern Britain – with the traditional Jamaican ska sound, even explicitly updating hits by the likes of Toots and the Maytals, Prince Buster and Dandy Livingstone.Terry: It’s simple. Avoid horizontal stripes. Didn’t work when you were 18 mate, and now you’re middle aged. Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s and Hall’s former partner wrote that she was “gutted”. “He was a lovely, sensitive, talented and unique person. Our extremely brief romance resulted in the song Our Lips Are Sealed, which will forever tie us together in music history. Terrible news to hear this,” she tweeted. But Hall, he says, helped to spearhead a change in attitudes. “People are more aware now of their own health, and people are starting to realise that their wellness is really important being on tour,” says Ficek. In recent months artists including Arlo Parks and Sam Fender have cancelled shows to focus on their mental health. It comes after tributes flooded in for the music legend, who rose to fame with mega hits like Ghost Town, Gangsters and Too Much Too Young.

Lynval: He’s a real Man U guy, he spent half his life there, it’s in his blood, and it’s got to be in your blood to be able to manage a club like that. I think they should hold on to him, and give him the job full time. It could be another Fergie in the making. Hall's 2003 album The Hour of Two Lights features collaborations with a 12-year-old Lebanese girl, a blind Algerian rapper, a Syrian flautist and Polish gypsies.

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The Specials released a new studio album entitled Encore on 1 February 2019. Upon release it went straight to the number one spot on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the highest-charting album ever released by the Specials. [26] Personal life and death If someone had told me 40 years ago that a bloke like [pro-Brexit ‘yellow vest’ protester] James Goddard and his mates would be close to the profile they have today, I would’ve found it hard to believe. You played a leadership role then. What do you think needs to happen now? How do we reverse the division that people like Goddard look to exploit? So as well as breaking down barriers with his socially-inclusive 2-Tone ska revival music, Hall also broke them down when it came to one of the biggest and least understood health issues of modern times. “Terry was incredibly brave to be so open and honest about these things. He never shied away from talking to anyone about it,” says Langan, who says she and her colleagues are “devastated” at his death. Fun Boy Three achieved four UK top ten singles. Hall left the band in 1983 to form The Colourfield with ex-Swinging Cats members Toby Lyons and Karl Shale. In my opinion you’re the best band to grace this world . W hich song do you still love banging out the most?