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Ranking Roger from The Beat, 1963-2019
Song of the Day: A short musical tribute after the sad loss of Ranking Roger, co-lead singer and MC with the Birmingham ska band that along with Specials became a cornerstone of British and Jamaican music at its best
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Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013
Song of the Day: At a time when true statesmen are very much needed, and to mark the centenary of the great South African's birth, two great 1980s songs that helped bring his incarceration, and apartheid, to worldwide attention
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The Beat in 1980
Song of the Day: A political, but prescient number from their debut 1980 album I Just Can't Stop It, this wonderful Birmingham ska-reggae outfit, best known for their hit Mirror In The Bathroom, was among the 2 Tone label's finest
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Terry Hall and Mushtaq
Song of the Day: The Damon Albarn connection ties into superb fusion of styles by the Specials and Fun-Da-Mental frontmen and Iraqi rapper, capturing Asian, dub, ska, and gypsy and hip-hop
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