Terry Hall, the frontman of The Specials, has died at the age of 63.
In 2003, Terry released A Gathering Storm, which contains parts in Hebrew:
The story behind it, as well as Terry’s own Jewish background, is fascinating.
An album of Jewish songs was one of the driving forces behind Terry Hall’s decision to make a ‘world music’ album.
Hall, who shot to fame in 1979 as lead singer with The Specials, has joined with musician Mushtaq to release The Hour Of Two Lights (Honest Jon).
The album includes Jewish singer Eva Katzler performing in Hebrew; 12-year-old Lebanese singer Natasha; blind Algerian rapper Mohammed; and a group of gypsy refugees.
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‘‘I also wanted two or three songs on the album with female Hebrew vocals, but it was difficult.
‘‘Some friends said they would do it, but they were male. Then I found someone in New York but that proved too problematic.’’
Surfing the internet, Terry came across Londoner Eva Katzler. And it’s her voice that appears on stand-out track A Gathering Storm.
‘‘When you write a song in English that has to be translated into Hebrew or Arabic, you have to rely on someone to help you translate it. But it can wander off.
‘‘It’s like a language version of Chinese whispers.’’
It’s not surprising that Terry — who has also had hits with Fun Boy Three and Colourfield — is a fan of Jewish music. When he was in his early teens he discovered that his great-grandfather was a German Jew.
‘‘It’s an unknown background,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve always known that my father’s roots are Irish, but I can’t find out anything about my great-grandfather.
‘‘I’ve looked a couple of times but keep stopping because I get nowhere. My mother’s maiden name is Kay, but that’s as far as I have got.
‘‘One day I will sit down and trace it back. When I found out about my Jewish relative I was curious really. And I’ve become more curious as time has gone on.
‘‘I remarried three years ago and my wife’s father is Jewish so that point raised itself again. It comes up every few years.’’
Terry adds: ‘‘I enjoy listening to music from the Middle East and Eastern Europe and wanted to try to incorporate it in things I did.’’
He describes the reasons for the album as a ‘‘mostly music thing’’ but adds that he wants to remain positive about peace between Jews and Arabs.
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His collaboration with Mushtaq, a one-time member of Asian rap group Fun-Da-Mental, came about by chance.
‘‘My producers hooked me up with him,’’ Terry says. ‘‘I knew his work and we just played records we liked to each other.’’
One of these records was Traditional Jewish Melodies, which Terry had bought in 1980.
Terry played in Israel in 2017.
May his memory be for a blessing.
