The Queen of SKA 

"Hands down, Pauline Black possessed the best voice that ever graced a 2-Tone release. Blessed with a bewitching soprano and dramatic panache, Black's voice reached plateaus that made every other musical detail sound like part of a backdrop painted just to set the stage for her entrance. While the Specials were content to merely jazz up old Ska standards, and Madness pleased themselves by playing up the zany angle, the Selecter shuttled through their songs like a band of Ska revisionists, with Black rewriting songs with her voice and leaving her signature in every piercing note. Even if the Specials outsold them and Madness outlasted them, Selecter were arguably the best that 2-Tone had to offer." www.rollingstone.com

Hailing from Coventry, England, the same hometown as Ska pals the Specials, THE SELECTER shared their first release 7" vinyl release with their Coventry neighbours and label owners The Specials on the debut 2-Tone split 7" single The Specials - "Gangsters" b/w The Selecter - "Selecter" which hit the UK Top 10 singles Chart in July 1979.

Described as the bands "secret weapon" lead singer Pauline Black and "arguably the best lead singer of the Ska revival" (Launch.com) gave the band a unique edge that led them into them into the UK charts with the hit singles "On My Radio" (Number 8 in October 1979), "Three Minute Hero" (Number 16 in February 1980) , and "Missing Words" (Number 23 in March 1980 ) all from their excellent debut 2-Tone Records debut album "Too Much Pressure" which on it's release reached Number 5 in the UK album charts.

Although getting off to a roaring success, with pundits all around predicting an excellent future, The Selecter cut their ties with The Specials' 2-Tone label which they felt was stifling them and signed directly with Chrysalis Records, rumours abounded, suggesting the band thought they were playing second fiddle to The Specials. The first fruition of this new deal was the single "The Whisper" which was their least successful release to date only reaching Number 36 in August 1980.

Ironically the day the band released their next single "Celebrate The Bullet" featuring a more mature post -2-Tone, the 2-Tone label released the classic Ska live album "Dance Craze" featuring Selecter , The Specials, Madness, The Beat and Bad Manners and coinciding with the almost fatal assassination attempt on then USA President, Ronald Reagan, hence a single entitled "Celebrate The Bullet" was banned by the BBC and ened up getting no airplay at all.

In March 1981 the album "Celebrate The Bullet" was released reaching number 41 in the UK Album charts. Three months later Pauline Black had left and The Selecter's first chapter was over. Both these original albums have been reissued recently on the UK label Captain Mod.

Pauline Black spent this new found time to follow a career as an actress as well as recording as a solo artist.

Chapter Two starts with Pauline re-joining original guitarist Neol Davis and toaster Arthur "Gappa" Henderson in a Selecter reunion which now also featured Bad Manners members Nick Welsh on bass and Martin Stewart on keyboards, who had had a large part in the reunion. Thus in 1992 a live album "Out On The Streets" was released on the indie labels Receiver Records (Europe) and Triple X (USA). It was the latter label that would release the 1993 "Madness" EP featuring 3 very different mixes of that track and featuring the writer and original singer of the track the Jamaican Ska legend PRINCE BUSTER.

The band recorded a new album "The Happy Album" in 1994, viewed by many Selecter fans as their best album, none so less than Gwen Steffani of NO DOUBT who continuously cited 2-Tone, Selecter, and Pauline Black in particular as major influences. So it was no suprise to see Selecter guesting in front of thousands of people in the USA as special guest to No Doubt. Released on Triple X in America and Elvis Costello's co-owned Demon Records in Europe "The Happy Album" contained up to date seething political Ska tunes with a very modern and pioneering sound. It has recently been reissued by Moon Ska Europe.

The band also took part in the hugely successful groundbreaking Ska tour SKAVOOVEE with JA legends and founding fathers of Ska THE SKATALITES and top USA Ska act THE TOASTERS which cemented the then growing American Ska.

The Selecter then released 3 "Rare" albums on the leading alternative Dojo Record label containing rare, live and unreleased recordings including solo tracks from Pauline and guest appearances from Prince Buster to feed the appetite for Selecter recordings stirred up by the bands continual tour schedule. Unfortunately a host of other labels then copied this idea leaving a glut of similar albums in the market. Undeterred Selecter and Dojo teamed up in 1995 to release the album "Pucker", entitled "Hairspray" on it's American release on Triple X Records and now released as that in Europe on Moon Ska. Dojo also went onto release the excellent "Selecterized" 1996 album, a best of compilation featuring the best of Selecters recordings made for Indie labels.

The legendary Trojan Records then approached the band to re-record some Trojan classics tracks as part of their "Trojan Songbook" series. The label somehow managing to squeeze out three volumes, which are all worth searching out at collectors fairs for Selecter's takes on original Old School Ska and Reggae classics.

The bands next official studio release "Cruel Brittania" recorded and released in 1998 and released on Snapper Records. This album featured legendary Jamaican Reggae artist DAVE BARKER part of the historic DAVE & ANSIL COLLINS act,who had the massive Top Ten hits "Monkey Spanner" and "Double Barrell" in the early 1970's. The album has since been re-issued by Moon Ska Europe.

Due to the success of this album DAVE BARKER & THE SELECTER re-entered the studio to re-work some tracks from that album, in true old Jamaican style and record new ones for the Moon Ska label entitled "Kingston Affair" released in 2000.

2003 saw the band record a slightly more darker and rootsy album "Reel To Reel" for the Captain Mod label.

Since then vocalist Pauline Black and basist Nick Welsh have also toured as SELECTER ACOUSTIC and released two albums under this banner "Unplugged For The Rudeboy Generation" and the 2004 Charly Records "Requiem For A Black Soul".

The Selecter are still touring both as the full band and Selecter Acoustic and still are one of the best live Ska acts in the world.