2 Tone - Before, During & After

In 1979, 2 Tone Records was founded by Jerry Dammers, the founder and keyboard player in The Special AKA. He had a vision and wanted to create the British version of Motown, the similarities with his hometown of Coventry were already there. He'd already put his own band of black and white musicians together and they hit the charts with the release of Gangsters in 1979. 2 Tone then went on to sign and release records by other bands, Madness, The Selecter and The Beat, all of whom fused punk, ska and reggae and dragged it into the present.

The record label had no fewer than 15 Top 40 singles and they continued the trend, signing The Swinging Cats, Rico and even released a single by Elvis Costello & The Attractions, or did they?As time moved on, the label branched out to accommodate the funk era and signed a number of non-ska bands with The Higsons, The Apollinaires, The Friday Club and JB's Allstars all releasing singles on the label in the 1980s. However, 2 Tone's light had faded and by 1986 it had been closed down permanently. The story of these particular bands has never been covered in great detail in print before, until now! 2 Tone: Before, During & After tells the story, before, during & after of each band that appeared on the label and also updates the story on each member with a full Where Are They Now? section, covering every single musician that ever appeared on the label.

FEEDBACK SO FAR...

"The story of 2 Tone Records is the stuff of legends, and in 2 Tone: Before, During & After, author Lee Morris tells the surprising stories behind every 2 Tone release. The 200-page mini-encyclopedia provides band bios, discographies and where-are-they-now profiles on every musician who ever appeared on the label. Based on primary source research (see the extensive bibliography) and personal interviews, the book is packed with things you didn't know about the label, the records and the musicians behind it all"
Charles Benoit, Reggae Steady Ska

"Lee Morris makes his mark with a fine book that documents all artists that appeared on the label, rather than just the more famous 'ska' bands. He also continues the post 2 Tone story of all bands involved and provides information on each person ever to appear on the label. 2020 has been a great year for 2 Tone with some important reissues on the label and this book compliments those releases and will no doubt become an essential purchase of fans of the label".
2-Tone.info

"A Must read for all 2 Tone fans" - Do The Dog Skazine.

"I appreciate the angle of covering beyond the well tread period of the label's run to the later acts (who deserve more love) and up to today"
Kevin Feinberg

"Excellent and very thorough" - Charlie Higson

"I HIGHLY recommend it, a brilliantly researched analysis of 2 Tone Records"
John Barrow