Neville Eugenton Staple (born 11 April 1955), sometimes credited as Neville Staples, is a Jamaican-born English singer, known for his work with the
2 Tone
Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to:
Audio and sound
* Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement
* Two-tone attention signal
* Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell
* Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
band
the Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English Two-tone (music genre), 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall (singer), Terr ...
, as well as with his own group, the Neville Staple Band. He also performed with
Ranking Roger
Roger Charlery (21 February 1963 – 26 March 2019), known professionally as Ranking Roger,Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography, 6th Edition'', Canongate, , p. 72Huey, Steve " Ranking Roger Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 17 Febru ...
in the
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to:
* Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields
* Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry
* Supergroup ...
Special Beat.
Early life
Staple was born in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, Jamaica. He left Jamaica to live in the English town of
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. In the 2021 census its population was 78,125, making it the second-largest town in Warwickshire. It is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby whi ...
at the age of five but later moved to
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
. Neville was a regular fixture at the Locarno Ballroom in Coventry, where he met the resident DJ there,
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterm ...
. Waterman briefly managed the Specials and would later write the foreword to Staple's 2009 biography, ''
Original Rude Boy
''Original Rude Boy'' (2009) is the autobiography of Neville Staple, vocalist in ska band The Specials. The book was launched in May, 2009 to coincide with the reunion tour of The Specials. It sets out to chart the black British influence on the ...
''.
Staple's early vocal style was mostly "
toasting"—or chanting over a rhythm—a forerunner of
rapping
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
brought to Britain in the 1960s by musicians from Jamaica. Staple honed his toasting skills in the
sound system scene in Coventry during the 1970s, first on his cousin's "Messenger Sound" and later his own system called "Jah Baddis".
Career
The Specials
Staple's first involvement with the Specials was when they were still called the Coventry Automatics. Initially employed as their roadie, Staple joined the band on stage at a gig supporting
the Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
. At that point, the line-up already included
Jerry Dammers
Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers GCOT (born 22 May 1955) is a British musician who was a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry-based ska band The Specials (also known as The Special A.K.A.) and later The Spatial AKA Orche ...
,
Horace Panter
Horace Panter (born Stephen Graham Panter, 30 August 1953) also known as Sir Horace Gentleman, is the bassist for the British 2 Tone ska band The Specials.
Early life
Panter was born in Croydon, Surrey and spent most of his formative years in ...
and Silverton Hutchinson on drums.
Terry Hall subsequently came in as vocalist, replacing Tim Strickland, and
Roddy Radiation
Roddy Radiation (born Roderick James Byers, 5 May 1955 in Keresley, Coventry, England) is an English musician who played lead guitar for The Specials, as well as many rockabilly bands such as the Bonediggers and the Tearjerkers. He wrote the S ...
joined on lead guitar.
John Bradbury would later take over on drums from Silverton.
In the Specials, Staple sang lead vocals on some tracks or additional and backing vocals alongside Terry Hall's lead. He also contributed to the writing of many of their songs, but rarely received credit.
The Specials were managed for a time by the Clash's manager,
Bernard Rhodes
Bernard Rhodes is a designer, band manager, studio owner, record producer and songwriter who was integral to the development of the punk rock scene in the United Kingdom from the middle 1970s. He is most associated with two of the UK's best kn ...
, of whom Staple toasted "Bernie Rhodes knows don't argue" at the beginning of the Specials' hit single "Gangsters". However, Staple has said that the lyric is actually "Bernie Rhodes' nose", rather than "knows", as the size of his nose was always a topic of great amusement amongst the band members.
Fun Boy Three
When the Specials initially split up, Staple departed with Terry Hall and
Lynval Golding
Lynval Golding (born 24 July 1951) is a Jamaican-born British musician. His family moved from Jamaica to Gloucester, before moving to Coventry when he was eighteen. He is currently living in Gig Harbor, Washington. He is best known as a rhythm g ...
to form
Fun Boy Three
Fun Boy Three were an English new wave pop Fun Boy Three Allmusic bio/ref> band, active from 1981 to 1983 and formed by singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding after they left the Specials. They released two albums and had seve ...
. They had a string of chart hits, some in collaboration with the all-female trio
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Thei ...
.
Third wave of ska
In 1990, Staple joined
Ranking Roger
Roger Charlery (21 February 1963 – 26 March 2019), known professionally as Ranking Roger,Strong, Martin C. (2002) ''The Great Rock Discography, 6th Edition'', Canongate, , p. 72Huey, Steve " Ranking Roger Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 17 Febru ...
from
the Beat to form Special Beat, a revival group playing
hits from both former
2 Tone
Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to:
Audio and sound
* Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement
* Two-tone attention signal
* Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell
* Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...
bands the Specials and the Beat. This was in response to the huge explosion of interest in ska in the United States—the so-called "Third Wave" of ska. Neville moved to California in the 1990s to work with many of these new American ska and punk acts, including
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, they ...
,
Rancid and
Unwritten Law
Unwritten Law is an American punk rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour. They are notable for their singles " ...
. Neville also featured on the song "Explosive" by the Canadian ska band
the Planet Smashers
The Planet Smashers are a Canadian ska punk band from Montreal. Since their formation in 1993, they have been a staple of the Montreal music scene. During the third wave of ska, they performed nationally and later internationally, with tours in t ...
.
Staple participated in a reunion line-up of the Specials from 1993 to 2001, and again from 2009 to 2012, after which he left the band due to mostly personal reasons, as well as some health concerns.
In 2000, Staple's re-recordings of hits by the Specials and Fun Boy Three were released as ''
The Very Best of the Specials and Fun Boy Three'', without being prominently labelled as a solo work by Staple.
Solo career
Staple worked for many years in the US with various bands, including the Hitmen, the team providing the soundtrack for the 2003 movie ''Vampires Anonymous''. Since 2004, he has toured the UK, Europe, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand with his own band, as well as several successful tours and shows alongside Ranking Roger of the Beat and Pauline Black of
the Selecter
The Selecter are an English 2 tone ska revival band, formed in Coventry, England, in 1979.
The Selecter featured a diverse line-up, both in terms of race and gender, initially consisting of Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson and Pauline Black on lead ...
, as Special Beat and Legends of Ska, respectively. He also helped to launch the career of
Johnny Zee (aka Taz of Stereo Nation) of
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
music fame, after managing and producing him early on.
In 2004, Staple returned to the UK and formed the Neville Staple Band, releasing the critically acclaimed album ''The Rude Boy Returns'', with contributions from Clash guitarist
Mick Jones and
Damned drummer
Rat Scabies
Christopher John Millar (born 30 July 1955), known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock band the Damned.
Career
Millar was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He played drums with Tor ...
. The group featured former members of the British ska band
Bad Manners
Bad Manners are an English two-tone and ska band led by frontman Buster Bloodvessel. Early appearances included ''Top of the Pops'' and the live film documentary, ''Dance Craze'' (1981).
They were at their most popular during the early 1980 ...
, with Warren Middleton on trombone (later replaced by Spencer Hague), Stephen Armstrong on bass guitar, Matty Bane on drums and Andy Perriss on guitar, as well as Joe Atkinson from
Flipron
Flipron are an English psychedelic pop band from Glastonbury, England, consisting of singer and songwriter Jesse Budd, pianist/organist Joe Atkinson, drummer Mike Chitty and bassist Tom Granville. They were signed to Tiny Dog Records in 2003.T ...
on keyboards/organ and occasionally Patrick Pretorius from the Talks on drums.
Biography
In April 2009, Staple set out on a reunion tour with the Specials. The same month also saw the launch of his biography, ''
Original Rude Boy
''Original Rude Boy'' (2009) is the autobiography of Neville Staple, vocalist in ska band The Specials. The book was launched in May, 2009 to coincide with the reunion tour of The Specials. It sets out to chart the black British influence on the ...
'', published by
Aurum Press
The Quarto Group is a global illustrated book publishing group founded in 1976. It is domiciled in the United States and listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Quarto creates and sells illustrated books for adults and children, across 50 countri ...
. The book covers Staple's childhood in Jamaica and early involvement with the 1970s sound system scene, as well as his work with the Specials and Fun Boy Three. Neville collaborated with former
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
journalist Tony McMahon on the book and both are registered with the Blake Friedmann literary agency.
In December 2013, Perriss decided to leave the Neville Staple Band after more than 12 years, replaced by Billy Shinbone on guitar. However, Perriss returned to the music business in 2016 after a short break to join the Beat (featuring Ranking Roger).
In May 2014, Staple released ''Ska Crazy'' with his band, which included classic ska covers and brand new material. His wife Christine Staple and long-time friend Daddy Woody, a Jamaican DJ/artist, also provide vocals on the album.
Staple has also worked on various collaborations with the Mutants, including co-writing four tracks on the album ''Rhythm and Punk Review'' (one of them co-written with his wife Christine), as well as with the Talks Flipron,
. In 2015, Staple produced his wife Christine's EP ''Rudegirl Sounds''. Christine began performing with the Neville Staple Band that same year.
From 2016 onward, Staple has continued to collaborate with other artists, including
and Ed Rome, and has toured extensively across the UK, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and the US. ''
'' was released in February 2017 and was co-produced with Tom Lowry from Planet Studios and Staple's wife Christine, who also co-writes and performs songs with him. The lead track video was premiered by ''
'' magazine and the album received positive reviews. Staple recreated his famous Judge Roughneck character, first heard as part of the "Stupid Marriage" song on the Specials'
on 2-Tone Records. The second half of the album consists of
.
In 2018, another joint album with Christine Sugary Staple, ''Rude Rebels'', was released, including collaborations with former Specials bandmate
.
Neville is currently touring with his band celebrating '40 Years of Ghost Town'. The current Neville Staple Band line-up consists of Christine "Sugary" Staple on vocals, ex-
members Matty "Bingo" Bane on drums and Stephen "Sledge" Armstrong on bass as well as Billy Shinbone on guitar, Joe Atkinson on keyboards and Pete New on trombone.
)
* 2001 – ''Neville Staple from the Specials'' (525 Music Production)
* 2002 – ''Ska Au Go-Go''
(Cleopatra)
* 2004 – ''The Rude Boy Returns'' (Rude Boy Records)
* 2005 – ''The Rude Boy Returns: Neville Staple Live'' (DVD) (Asian Man Records)
* 2006 - ''