The English Beat

In the beginning (i.e., 1978), the music gods created The Beat. And verily, the firmament known as Birmingham, England, brought forth a mighty 2-tone ska revivalist group, infused with sped-up reggae beats and poppy dancehall sounds and fronted by co-vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger. And it was good. Their...

By Benjamin Leatherman

March 13, 2008

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In the beginning (i.e., 1978), the music gods created The Beat. And verily, the firmament known as Birmingham, England, brought forth a mighty 2-tone ska revivalist group, infused with sped-up reggae beats and poppy dancehall sounds and fronted by co-vocalists Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger. And it was good. Their music spread forth a host of chart-topping singles unto the Earth, such as "Mirror in the Bathroom" and "Hands Off . . . She's Mine," spreading joy throughout the British Isles and all of creation (including the U.S., where they were known as "The English Beat"). After the band's breakup in 1983 wiped their music from the land, a one-night reunion at Royal Albert Hall 20 years later eventually led its members to become fruitful and multiply into two separate ska bands, each unleashing the same ska-heavy hits: The Beat (led by Roger and located in the U.K.), and The English Beat, featuring Wakeling and touring the States. And it is still good.

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Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music, and nightlife. He began writing for New Times in 2003 and joined the staff full-time in 2005. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Contact: Benjamin Leatherman

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