Rhoda Dakar
Encyclopedia
Rhoda Dakar is a British
singer and musician, best known as the lead singer of The Bodysnatchers
, who were signed to the 2 Tone
record label.
. The band were invited to appear on Top of the Pops
, to tour with The Selecter
and to record a session for BBC Radio 1
DJ
John Peel
. Several members of the Bodysnatchers then left to form the Belle Stars.
Dakar also collaborated with The Specials
. Her duet with Terry Hall
, "I Can't Stand It", appeared on the album
, More Specials
. After The Specials announced their break up in 1981, Jerry Dammers
formed a new band called The Special AKA, along with Dakar and John Bradbury. Their first single release, "The Boiler
" reached # 35 in the UK Singles Chart in 1982.
Dakar performed on The Special AKA album, In the Studio
, which featured the UK
Top 10 hit single
, "Free Nelson Mandela
". The album reached # 34 in the UK Albums Chart
.
Her first solo album, Cleaning In Another Woman's Kitchen, was released in November 2007 on Moon Ska World. It featured new acoustic versions of songs from her Bodysnatchers days, as well as material co-written with Nick Welsh, who attended the same comprehensive school as Buster Bloodvessel
, and who recorded under the guise of King Hammond in the early 1990s. Dakar and Welsh released a garage rock
album, Back To The Garage, on N1 Records in April 2009.
In 2009 she was the featured guest vocalist on the song "On The Town" on the Madness
album The Liberty of Norton Folgate
. She performed the track with them at their Madstock show in Victoria Park
in July 2009.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer and musician, best known as the lead singer of The Bodysnatchers
The Bodysnatchers (band)
The Bodysnatchers were a seven-piece all-female band involved in the British 2 Tone ska revival of the late 1970s and early 1980s.-Career:Formed in London by Nicky Summers in 1979, in the aftermath of the punk rock scene, The Bodysnatchers released two ska/rocksteady singles on 2 Tone Records...
, who were signed to the 2 Tone
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
record label.
Career
Dakar, born in Hampstead, London, joined The Bodysnatchers in 1979. Their first single was a double A-side, "Let's Do Rocksteady" backed with "Ruder Than You". It reached # 22 in the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The band were invited to appear on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, to tour with The Selecter
The Selecter
The Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid 1979.Like many other bands in the ska revival movement, The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics and marijuana, set to strong melodies and a danceable beat...
and to record a session for BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
. Several members of the Bodysnatchers then left to form the Belle Stars.
Dakar also collaborated with The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
. Her duet with Terry Hall
Terry Hall (singer)
Terry Hall is the lead singer of The Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas. He has released two solo albums and has also collaborated with many artists including David A...
, "I Can't Stand It", appeared on the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, More Specials
More Specials
More Specials is an October 1980 album from the ska band The Specials. The album was the band's second, after their self-titled debut, and expanded the group's 2 tone sound to include lounge music and other influences. It includes collaborations with The Go-Go's, Rhoda Dakar from The...
. After The Specials announced their break up in 1981, Jerry Dammers
Jerry Dammers
Jeremy David Hounsell "Jerry" Dammers is a British musician who is a founder and keyboard player of the Coventry, England based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A...
formed a new band called The Special AKA, along with Dakar and John Bradbury. Their first single release, "The Boiler
The Boiler (song)
The Boiler is one of two transitional songs of the Specials, the other one is Jungle Music, transitional because they are both released between the split of the Specials and the start of the Special AKA, it was released on 2 Tone Records....
" reached # 35 in the UK Singles Chart in 1982.
Dakar performed on The Special AKA album, In the Studio
In the Studio
In the Studio is the third album from the ska band The Specials, released in 1984 - long after the break-up of the original Specials - and only just managed to get into the UK Top 35....
, which featured the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Top 10 hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Free Nelson Mandela
Free Nelson Mandela
"Nelson Mandela" is a song written by Jerry Dammers and performed by his Coventry-based band The Special A.K.A. - with lead vocal by Stan Campbell - released on the single Nelson Mandela / Break Down The Door in 1984 as a protest against the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela...
". The album reached # 34 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
Her first solo album, Cleaning In Another Woman's Kitchen, was released in November 2007 on Moon Ska World. It featured new acoustic versions of songs from her Bodysnatchers days, as well as material co-written with Nick Welsh, who attended the same comprehensive school as Buster Bloodvessel
Buster Bloodvessel
Douglas Trendle , better known as Buster Bloodvessel, is an English singer and the frontman of the ska revival band Bad Manners...
, and who recorded under the guise of King Hammond in the early 1990s. Dakar and Welsh released a garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
album, Back To The Garage, on N1 Records in April 2009.
In 2009 she was the featured guest vocalist on the song "On The Town" on the Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
album The Liberty of Norton Folgate
The Liberty of Norton Folgate
The Liberty of Norton Folgate is the ninth studio album by the British band Madness, released on 18 May 2009. The band worked on the album for close to three years and it is their first album of new material since 1999's Wonderful...
. She performed the track with them at their Madstock show in Victoria Park
Victoria Park
- In Australia :New South Wales* Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in New South Wales* Victoria Park, Sydney, a park in the capital city of New South Wales* Victoria Park Racecourse, Sydney, a closed racecourseSouth Australia...
in July 2009.
The Bodysnatchers
- "Let's Do Rocksteady" UK # 22 (March 1980)
- "Easy Life" UK # 50 (July 1980)
The Special AKA
- "The BoilerThe Boiler (song)The Boiler is one of two transitional songs of the Specials, the other one is Jungle Music, transitional because they are both released between the split of the Specials and the start of the Special AKA, it was released on 2 Tone Records....
" UK # 35 (January 1982) - "Racist Friend" UK # 60 (September 1983)
- "Free Nelson Mandela" UK # 9 (March 1984)
- "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend" UK # 51 (September 1984)
Albums
- Various Artists - Dance Craze # 5 (February 1981)
- Various Artists - This Are Two Tone UK # 51 (November 1983)
- Various Artists - The Two Tone Story UK # 16 (July 1989)
- The Special AKA - In The Studio # UK 34 (June 1984)
- Rhoda Dakar - Cleaning In Another Woman's Kitchen (November 2007)
- Rhoda Dakar & Nick Welsh - Back To The Garage (April 2009)