The Specials led off with Dandy Livingstone's " Rudy, A Message to You" (slightly altering the title to "A Message to You, Rudy") and also had covers of Prince Buster and Toots & the Maytals songs from the late 1960s. In 1980, the EP Too Much Too Young (predominantly credited to the Special A.K.A.) was a No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart, [3] despite controversy over the song's lyrics, which reference teen pregnancy and promote contraception. [10] In 1990, Bradbury, Golding, Panter and Staple teamed up with members of the Beat to form Special Beat, [10] performing the music of the two bands and other ska and Two Tone classics. The group, undergoing many line-up changes, toured and released several live recordings through the 1990s. The Specials join Blur for London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony". Birmingham Post. 21 February 2012 . Retrieved 23 April 2018.

Bradbury continued through the Special AKA era, then formed the band JB's Allstars, before moving into production. He joined Special Beat for several years, then a reformed Selecter, before retiring from music to work as an IT specialist. [14] He rejoined the band for their 2009 reunion, and continued to perform with them until his death in 2015. a b Paul Williams, You're Wondering Now – The Specials from Conception to Reunion; Part Two: "More Specials – Roddy Radiation".

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The group re-formed in 1993, and have continued to perform and record with varying line-ups, none of them involving Dammers.

Neville Staple with Tony McMahon, Original Rude Boy: From Borstal to the Specials, Chapter 9: "Bhangra House". After their departure from the Specials, Golding, Hall and Staple founded the pop band Fun Boy Three and enjoyed commercial success from 1981 to 1983 with hits such as " Tunnel of Love", " It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)", " Our Lips Are Sealed" and "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)". The group ended with Hall's sudden departure, leading to a 15-year rift with Staple. [13]The Specials completed a North American tour in 2013, performing to sold-out crowds in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Vancouver. Chambers, Pete (2008) 2-Tone-2: Dispatches from the Two Tone City, 30 Years on, Tencton Planet Publications. ISBN 978-0-9544125-6-2 The Specials confirm more 2009 UK dates". Thespecials.com. 8 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011 . Retrieved 29 April 2010.

On 19 December 2022, the Specials announced on social media that Hall had died at age 63 after a brief illness which was later revealed to be pancreatic cancer. They had planned to record a new album in the United States before Hall's health deteriorated. [50] Members [ edit ] Current members [ edit ] The Specials performing at Brixton Academy, London, May 2009 as part of their 30th anniversary tourIn 2007, Hall teamed up with Golding for the first time in 24 years, to play Specials songs at two music festivals. At Glastonbury Festival, they appeared on the Pyramid Stage with Lily Allen to perform "Gangsters". In May 2009, Golding claimed that Allen's reuniting him with Hall played a "massive part" in the group's later reformation. [20] Later the same day, they played on the Park Stage, with Damon Albarn of Blur on piano and beatboxer Shlomo providing rhythm, to perform "A Message to You, Rudy". At GuilFest, Golding joined the Dub Pistols to again perform "Gangsters". In 2007, Golding regularly performed concerts and recorded with Pama International, a collective of musicians who were members of Special Beat.

a b c d e f g Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19thed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p.519. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. Since the break-up of the original line-up, various members of the band performed in other bands and have reformed several times to tour and record in Specials-related projects. However, there has never been a complete reunion of the original line-up. Petridis, Alexis (8 March 2002). "The Specials and the story of the UK's most remarkable chart-topper". Theguardian.com . Retrieved 8 December 2017.Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1sted.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p.201. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.