The two-tone sound originated among young musicians in
Coventry in the West Midlands of England, who grew up listening to 1960s
Jamaican music. They combined influences from
ska,
reggae and
rocksteady with elements of
punk rock and
new wave. Bands considered part of the genre include
the Specials,
the Selecter,
Madness,
the Beat,
Bad Manners,
the Bodysnatchers and
Akrylykz. The Specials' keyboard player
Jerry Dammers coined the term "two-tone". Dammers, with the assistance of
Horace Panter and graphic designer John "Teflon" Sims, developed the iconic
Walt Jabsco logo (a man in a black suit, white shirt, black tie,
pork pie hat, white socks and black
loafers) to represent the two-tone genre. The logo, based on an early album-cover photo of
Peter Tosh, included an added black-and-white
check pattern. Most of the bands considered to be part of the two-tone genre were signed to
2 Tone Records (operative 1979–1985) at some point. Other record labels associated with the two-tone sound were
Stiff Records and
Go Feet Records. The music was especially popular among
skinheads,
rudies and
mod revivalists.
Museum On 1 October 2010, the 2-Tone Central museum, cafe and venue opened in the
Coventry University Students' Union building, and by August 2011 it had moved to the 2-Tone Village in
Stoke, Coventry. It includes exhibition space and the Coventry Music Wall of Fame. ==References==