Trombonist for The Specials Rico Rodriguez has died at the age of 80, the band has announced.
In a Tweet posted earlier, the ska legends said "his legacy would go on for ever".
Mr Rodriguez was responsible for some of the two-tone outfit's best known riffs, including their 1979 hit A Message to You Rudy – which reached No 10 in the UK charts.
The Tweet read: "Our dear friend Rico passed away today.
"We offer our deepest condolences to his family.
"His legacy will go on forever and a day.
"RIP dear Rico."
Mr Rodriguez moved to England from Jamaica in the 1960s and was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2007, reports the Guardian .
According to the Jamaica Observer, he was born in Cuba and moved to Jamaica as a child.
He was a contemporary of the influential musician Don Drummond.
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 Tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry.
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. The band wore mod-style "1960s period rude boy outfits (pork pie hats, tonic and mohair suits, and loafers)."
In 1980, the song "Too Much Too Young", the lead track on their The Special AKA Live! EP, reached number one in the UK.
In 1981, the unemployment-themed single "Ghost Town" also hit number one in the UK Singles Chart.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Specials
This post contains more resources
You have to Login for download or view attachment(s). No Account? Register