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Jerry Dammers (born Jeremy Dammers, 22 May 1955, Ootacamund, India) was the founder and keyboard player of the Coventry based ska band, The Specials (changed from The Special A.K.A.). Before his days in The Specials, Dammers had been a mod in the 1960s, then became a hippie, before becoming a skinhead. He had been a member of The Cissy Stone Soul Band, and studied art at Lanchester Polytechnic where he met Horace Panter. He also contributed in founding the 2 Tone record label, which helped to popularize the new sound of the ska revival in the 1980s. He became a noted anti-apartheid campaigner, writing the song "Free Nelson Mandela" about the jailed South African ANC leader; plus organizing the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert, which was broadcast worldwide from London's Wembley Stadium, on June 11, 1988. That same year, he briefly played with the re-formed Madness on their single "I Pronounce You" and its attendant album. While Dammers has fallen out of the spotlight in recent years, he still regularly DJs in English clubs, as well as performing with his new band, The Spatial AKA Orchestra, playing tributes to Sun Ra and other experimental Jazz artists, including his own compositions. The orchestra features established Jazz musicians Zoe Rahman, Larry Stabbins and Denys Baptiste. The orchestra perform in elaborate and eccentric Ancient Egyptian and Space themed costumes, and share the stage with bizarre props such as model alien heads and Mummy Sarcophagi. In November 2006 he celebrated being awarded an honorary degree from Coventry University by DJing at the launch party of the Coventry branch of the "Love Music Hate Racism" organisation. In the same month he attended the private view of a Harry Pye curated art exhibition in East London that featured paintings of bands and singers that had once been championed by the DJ John Peel. Dammers read out a four page poem, in which he thanked John Peel for helping his own band, and for supporting black musicians. Carl Barât of The Libertines recently included a Dammers' composition - "Too Much Too Young" - on his own personal compilation album Under The Influence. Those who have recorded a song written by Dammers include Tricky, ("Ghost Town"), The Prodigy ("Nite Klub") and Elvis Costello ("What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend"). Dammers has produced singles for Robert Wyatt, the Untouchables, UB40 and Junior Delgado. He contributed "Riot City" to the soundtrack of the Julien Temple film, Absolute Beginners and "Brightlights" to the compilation album, Jamming: A New Optimism. When asked by a journalist from Smash Hits magazine what his motto was, Dammers quoted a Dr. John lyric: "Quitters never win and winners never quit".
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