The English Beat with Dave Wakeling

Pioneering a British revival of Jamaican sounds mixed with elements of pop and punk, along with contemporaries such as The Specials, The Selector and Madness, The Beat (known as The English Beat in the U.S.) became one of the most popular and influential bands of the UK Ska movement. UK ska icon Dave Wakeling helped write the classic two-tone hits ("Mirror in the Bathroom," "Save It for Later" and "Tenderness"when he and his band entered the music scene in the 1979.

Over the course of the three albums, The English Beat achieved great success in their home country, charting several singles into the top 10 while also finding a solid base of young fans eager to dance to the their hypnotic rhythms in America. Their constant touring with iconic bands such as The Clash and The Police helped to boost their popularity in the States.

Despite his huge success, Wakeling never stopped singing about political issues. The band donated all the profits from their highly successful single version of "Stand Down Margaret" to the Committee for Nuclear Disarmament and donated their music to causes including the anti-nuclear benefit album Life in The European Theatre as well as lending their voice to The Special AKA's anthemic song of freedom "Free Nelson Mandela."

Wakeling disbanded The English Beat in 1983 after their third album, Special Beat Service, but would stay active with English Beat toaster Ranking Roger in the hit-making band General Public. Wakeling has recorded solo work in addition to periodically reuniting with both of his influential ska outfits and has remained an active performer on the touring circuit, delivering his classic songs to an audience that spans two generations.

The English Beat had much of it's classic catalog reissued by Shout Factory a couple of years ago complete with additional b-sides and live cuts as well as a CD/DVD package of the band's live performances at the US Festival in 1982 and 1983, but earlier this year announced a crowd-funding campaign to finance the group's first new album in decades. The recording, entitled Here We Go Love, is set to be released this year. Local blues guitarist Rusty Zinn opens this show at City Winery in Napa.

The English Beat
Thursday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m. $40-$50
City Winery in Napa