In 1979, the British music scene took a liking to a Jamaican music called ska. Many new bands formed to play this music in its revival. Bands and crowds alike often dressed up in black and white clothing as a 'rudeboy'. Rudeboys were gangsters that existed from the middle of 1966 to early in 1967 in Jamaica. During this time period, almost every artist in the West Indies wrote at least one song that referred to these gangsters' exploits. These gangsters were nothing more than victims of the poor social conditions in which they had lived, and often had no choice but to resort to crime. The rudeboy fashion in Britain at the time was more of a 'happy dancing guy in a stylish two-tone suit & pork pie hat.' However, the British rudeboy was dressed more like the mods of the sixties than the original Jamaican rudeboys.

According to Pauline Black from The Selecter, who was quoted in an article written by Scott Isler in September of 1993, "2 Tone was basically about black and white people playing together." The 2 Tone movement was symbolic of the struggle against racial tensions between blacks and whites in British society. The two colors, black and white, were used together on all of the artwork and checkered patterns that decorated the second wave to symbolize black and white unity. Ska bands formed all over the UK, often of mixed ethnic backgrounds, to play a danceable beat and to try to stop the racial discrimination that had been going on for
quite some time.

The British record label 2 Tone was started in 1979 by Jerry Dammers, an Indian immigrant who played organ, percussion, and sang for a band named The Special A.K.A. They consisted of Dammers, Lynval Golding, guitar, and Horace Panter, bass. The band had been known as The Automatics, and started out playing punk rock mixed with heavy reggae. This sound had also been pulled off by the Clash on occasion, so it wasn't an entirley new creation.

After finding that the two types of music did not quite blend in the way that they had intended, the band decided to try a ska beat instead. A year after forming as The Automatics, they added on guitarist Roddy Radiation, and singers Terry Hall and Neville Staples. At this point, they changed their name to The Special A.K.A. This was done to avoid confusion and legal conflicts with another band also called The Automatics who had recently made a record deal.

Their big break came when The Clash offered them the chance to play as the opening act on their British tour. The Clash manager, Bernard Rhodes, took a liking to them and offered the band his services. Unfortunately, Dammers and Rhodes did not work well together.

Dammers decided to start a new record label for the band's recordings. They borrowed just enough money to record one song, "Gangsters." The song was about the music industry and borrowed a sound effect from Prince Buster's "Al Capone ."

When the time came for the flipside of the record to be made, there was no money left. Lynval Golding, a backup singer for the band, knew of guitarist Neol Davies, who had taped an instrumental at home a year earlier. Dammers got a hold of the track and overdubbed a ska rhythm guitar and they called it "The Selecter."

Having a strong background in art, Dammers designed a logo for their new label. Five thousand copies were pressed and the records were then distributed independently. As a result, 2 Tone records took off, along with The Special A.K.A.

The single became an underground hit and their stage presence attracted record company executives from all over, including Mick Jagger. Although Dammers did not intend on selling out, the band finally agreed to be signed on Chrysalis on the condition that 2 Tone would still exist as a subsidiary of Chrysalis and still be managed by The Special A.K.A and The Selecter, which was now an existing band formed by Davies when the single became a smashing success. This would make it possible for all of the ska bands sprouting up all over England to have their own ska music record label.

Once Chrysalis took over, "Gangsters" hit the British Top Ten. 2 Tone released another single, this time from a new band called Madness. "The Prince" went to the Top 20 in Britain, and Madness was then signed to Stiff Records. The third release "On My Radio" by The Selecter, discussed their contempt for radio. The irony is that the song was destined for the Top 10 and would be played on just about every radio in England.

The Special A.K.A. came out with a second single, "A Message To You Rudy," a cover of the Dandy Livingstone classic. This record added on Rico Rodriquez on trombone, and the band changed their name to The Specials. About a month later, the record label produced another single, this time from The Beat (known in America as The English Beat). They released a ska rendition of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' "Tears Of A Clown," shortly after the band set up their own label. After three albums, The Beat stopped, and later resurfaced as General Public and Fine Young Cannibals.

Seven 2 Tone singles were released by 1980, each selling at least a quarter-million copies. The Specials had actually made it to number one on the British charts with their song "Too Much Too Young." American filmmaker Joe Massot filmed a concert documentary "Dance Craze" of six of England's top ska bands playing various shows throughout the country. The British ska scene had really taken off, and many of the bands became overwhelmed by the popularity.

Dammers and Davies decided that 2 Tone was becoming way too popular for them to handle. The Selecter left the label. Dammers and The Specials stayed on, believing that their popularity would soon fade.

The band continued to produce hits. "Rat Race" hit the Top 5, and "Stereotype" did just as well. But the big hit for the band was the release of "Ghost Town" which sold over one million copies. A few months later, Hall, Staples, and Golding left the band to start The Fun Boy Three.

Soon after, guitarist Roddy Radiation left the band to play for the rock 'n' roll band The Tearjerkers. At this point, The Specials were forced to revert back to The Special A.K.A., since they were basically no longer the same band. The Bodysnatchers, an all-female band headed by Rhoda Dakar, had recently disbanded, and Rhoda joined The Special A.K.A. on a single called "The Boiler." Other ex-Bodysnatchers formed a new wave pop band called The Belle Stars.

After a disappearance for two years, The Special A.K.A. released the album "In The Studio," which missed the charts completely and forced the band into debt. The rest of the releases from 2 Tone at this point were watered down, and the label began to suffocate. The last release to come out of the label came from J.B's Allstars, a group led by ex-Special A.K.A. drummer John Bradbury.

With the subtle disappearance of 2 Tone, the 'second wave' of ska slowly drifted into nothingness. It didn't last very long, but people were listening all over the world. Just across the Atlantic in America, the downbeat didn't stop.

On to the Third Wave