Neville Eugenton Staple is a Jamaican-born English singer best known for performing with the two-tone ska band, The Specials. He also sang in the supergroup Special Beat, Fun Boy Three, and as a solo artist. After leaving The Specials, Neville formed Fun Boy Three with bandmates Terry Hall and Lynval Golding. They achieved a string of chart hits and collaborated with the all-female trio Bananarama. He also has his own band, The Neville Staple Band, and is a published author.

Neville Staple — Early Life

Neville Staple was born in Manchester, Jamaica, in 195, but moved to England at five years old. His family originally settled in Rugby, Warwickshire, before they relocated to Coventry. This would become a special place in Staple’s life, and become the setting for his ascent to musical stardom.

Staple became active in the sound system scene (an important aspect of Jamaican culture) in Coventry, and developed his “toasting” performance style (artfully chanting to music) during the ‘70s. He formed his own crew, “Jah Baddis”, and was soon a regular performer at Coventry’s Locarno Ballroom.

That’s where Staple met Pete Waterman, the Ballroom’s DJ and future powerhouse producer. The two became friends, and Waterman later managed The Specials (amongst other high-profile acts).

Neville Staple’s Career with The Specials

Staple joined The Specials (then performing as the Coventry Automatics, before becoming Special AKA) as a roadie in 1978. But Staple gradually became an active member of the band’s line-up as he sang backing vocals, danced on stage, and put his well-honed toasting skills to good use.

The Clash singer Joe Strummer invited Special AKA to open for his group after seeing them play at a gig, and helped bring them to the attention of a wider audience. Special AKA became The Specials soon after, and had a top-10 hit with their debut track, “Gangsters”. Next, they released their self-titled debut album in 1979, on founder Jerry Dammers’ 2 Tone label. The album included the iconic track “A Message to You, Rudy”, and several covers of previously released Jamaican songs (such as “Too Hot” and “Monkey Man”).

The Specials released a follow-up album, More Specials, a year later. It included collaborations with varied performers, including Madness’ Lee Thompson and the Go-Go’s Belinda Carlisle.

The Specials scored a number-one hit in 1981 with “Ghost Town”, one of their most well-known songs. But soon, Staple announced that he and two other bandmates (Terry Hall and Lynval Golding) were quitting The Specials. Together, they formed Fun Boy Three — and further success beckoned for Staple.

Neville Staple and Fun Boy Three

Fun Boy Three achieved six top-20 hits in the UK during their brief time in the industry. While The Specials were known for their distinctive ska style, Fun Boy Three took a different approach: their sound was somewhat more laidback and minimal, which helped Staple and his bandmates establish their own distinctive style.

Fun Boy Three’s top-performing tracks include “The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)”, “Our Lips Are Sealed”, and “It Ain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do it”) with Bananarama.

They also performed on Bananarama’s “Really Saying Something”, which reached number five in the UK. Fun Boy Three have been credited with helping Bananarama find fame.

Fun Boy Three split in 1983, and Neville Staple began to explore his musical talent in new, exciting ways.

Neville Staple, Special Beat, and The Specials Reunion

After Fun Boy Three went their separate ways, Staple joined forces with Ranking Roger of the Beat to create Special Beat. Their inspiration was the growing fascination with ska throughout the U.S., which became known as the genre’s “Third Wave”.

Special Beat developed a large fan base in both the UK and U.S., and Staple eventually re-joined The Specials for a hit tour. The band released new albums, such as King of Kings in 1995 and Today’s Specials the following year. The band enjoyed success with their reunion, but separated again in 2001.

Staple also pursued new creative ventures outside of The Specials in the ‘90s. He relocated to California to work with a variety of then-new ska and punk acts. He spent time producing music with beloved bands like No Doubt (which introduced Gwen Stefani to the world) and Rancid.

Staple joined The Specials again for another reunion tour in 2009. This was hugely successful, and took the band to Japan, the U.S., and around Europe. But Staple left The Specials again in 2012 due to personal problems, including health issues and difficulties within the band.

The Neville Staple Band and The Rude Boy Returns

After leaving The Specials, Staple formed his own group: the aptly named the Neville Staple Band. The group featured members of Bad Manners, another ska band from the UK, while Mick Jones of the Clash and Rat Scabies of the Damned also contributed to their acclaimed album, The Rude Boy Returns.

Staple released a new album in 2014, Ska Crazy. It included covers of popular ska tracks alongside original songs. But Staple has also worked with a plethora of artists in recent years, including the Mutants, Duplex, and Save Ferris.

He performed vocals on The Talks’ “Can Stand the Rain”, Flipiron’s “The Comet Returns”, and The Red Stripes’ “Hong Kong Special”. Tours have taken him to Australia, Hong Kong, and beyond.

Neville Staple — Return of Judge Roughneck & Dub Specials and The Original Rude Boy

Neville Staple released his follow-up to Ska Crazy, titled Return of Judge Roughneck & Dub Specials, in 2017.

Staple’s wife, Christine “Sugary” Staple, co-produced the album (with Planet Studios' Tom Lowry), and both co-writes and performs alongside her husband. Christine and Neville released Rude Rebels in 2018, a joint album featuring Roddy Byers (Staple’s former bandmate in The Specials).

Staple has also achieved success as an author: his autobiography, 2009’s The Original Rude Boy (published by Aurum Press) became a bestseller. The book recounted Staple’s challenging upbringing, his time with The Specials, and more. Pete Waterman, Staple’s friend and music legend in his own right, wrote the foreword.

Today, Neville Staple leads From The Specials (AKA the Neville Staple Band) — a collective of performers from such bands as The Specials, Madness, and The Beat. The line-up currently includes Neville and Christine Staple (vocals), Matty Bane of Bad Manners (drums), and Peter Johnson (trombone and backing vocals) to name just a few. The band is regularly on tour.… show more