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2 Tone (or Two Tone) is a music genre created in England in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae and pop.
The 2 Tone sound was developed by English musicians (mostly based in the West Midlands area) who grew up hearing 1960s Jamaican music and decided to play a similar style of music.[1] They combined that style with influences from contemporary punk and pop music. The new music genre (and associated subculture) became known as 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to the record label 2 Tone Records at some point. Other record labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff Records and Go Feet Records. Bands considered part of the 2 Tone genre include The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, Madness, Bad Manners and The Bodysnatchers.
The music term 2 Tone was coined by Jerry Dammers of The Specials, who has said he came up with the idea because he liked the black-and-white check pattern on his scooter when he was a young mod.[citation needed]However, many people think the name refers to black-and-white outfits worn by rude boys and skinheads — and to unity between black people and whites. Dammers, with the assistance of Horace Panter, created the Walt Jabsco logo to represent the 2 Tone movement. It was based on an early album cover photo of Peter Tosh, and included an added black-and-white check pattern.[2]
[edit] Artists associated with the 2 Tone genre
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