The Selecter

The Selecter is a British ska and 2 Tone group from Coventry, England, active from 1979 to the present. The band forms part of the original British ska movement and is closely associated with the 2 Tone scene alongside The Specials. Its line-up is racially mixed, and its music combines ska with elements of reggae, punk, new wave, indie rock and alternative rock.

Formation and line-up

The group forms in the late 1970s. Pauline Black is the lead singer and has been a central figure since the band’s formation in 1979. Neol Davies is the founder and writer of the band’s classic material, and the name The Selecter refers to the Jamaican term for a music selector, also used to mean a DJ. The band’s line-up has included Pauline Black, Neol Davies, Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson, Charlie ‘H’ Bembridge, Desmond Brown, Charley Anderson, Perry Melius, Nick Welsh, John Bradbury, Greg Coulson, Orlando LaRose, Winston Marche, Neil Pyzer, Martin Stewart, John Thompson and Anthony Harty.

In the original line-up, Pauline Black sings, with Compton Amanor on guitar, Charley Anderson on bass, Charley Bembridge on drums, Desmond Brown on Hammond keyboard, Neol Davies on guitar and Arthur Hendrickson on vocals. Anderson and Brown leave in 1980 and are replaced by James Mackie on Hammond organ and Adam Williams on bass guitar. A later reformed line-up in 1991 includes Pauline Black, Neol Davies, Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson, Martin Stewart, Nick Welsh and Perry Melius.

Key recordings and songs

The Selecter records its first release, Too Much Pressure, at the end of 1979 and beginning of 1980, and issues it on the 2 Tone/Chrysalis label. Its second recording, Celebrate the Bullet, follows in 1981. The band’s best-known songs include “On My Radio”, “Too Much Pressure”, “Missing Words”, “Three Minute Hero” and “Celebrate The Bullet”. Other singles listed for the group include “The Selecter” and “The Whisper”.

The first two albums are described as essential British ska recordings, and much of the band’s later available material consists of live or studio recompiled selections from these early releases.

Film and legacy

The Selecter appears in the cult film Dance Craze. The group is noted for songs dealing with violence, politics, marijuana, a fictional spy theme, James Bond and reggae classics, alongside the Jamaican-style contrast between one vocalist singing and another toasting.

Pauline Black and related work

Pauline Black also builds a career in television and theatre during the band’s split period, appearing in The Vice, The Bill, Hearts and Minds and 2000 Acres of Sky. She wins the 1991 Time Out award for Best Actress for her role as Billie Holiday in All or Nothing At All, and also appears alongside Christopher Lee in The Funny Man. The band reforms in 1991 and continues to tour and record.

Nick Welsh

Nick Welsh is best known as the bassist in The Selecter and formerly in Bad Manners. He also works with Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, Rico Rodriguez, Dave Barker and Lee “Scratch” Perry. For his work on the album Jamaican ET, he receives a Grammy Award Certificate when the record wins the Best Reggae category in 2002. He also writes music for television, used on WWE, The Osbournes and Ariel soap advertisements.