Paul Edward Williams is an English author, musician and fan of

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

music and the British

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...

. He set up the Specialized Project, a charitable portal based around ska and reggae. He wrote ''You're Wondering Now - The Specials'', which was published by ST Publishing in 1995; a more concise version was released by Cherry Red Books in 2009. Williams' love of ska and

2 Tone Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to: Audio and sound * Second-order intercept point#Two-tone analysis, Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement * Two-tone attention signal * Two-tone Warning chime, chime, such as the "ding ...

started in 1980, when he saw

Black Lace Black Lace are a British pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, "Agadoo". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they f ...

perform live. Throughout the late 1980s, Williams was a regular event creator. In the 1990s, he created, wrote and distributed his own quarterly ska and 2 Tone fanzine ''Street Feeling'' (1994-1998). He has contributed to television programmes in the UK, and appeared as contributor on Sky TVs ''Trailblazers of 2Tone'' programme. Williams appeared on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's celebration of 2-Tone music, "Fashion Music", and was interviewed by BBC Radio Coventry, and contributed rare Specials tracks to the programme. He designed and maintained the Ska Splash website, which was a ska festival that took place in

Skegness Skegness ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, England. On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, the town is east of Lincoln and north-east of Boston. With a population of 21,128 as of 2021 ...

in 2008. Williams has also promoted ska events in his home town of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

at the Junction pub, under the banner of "YorkSka Promotions". In 2013 he became lead vocalist with a North East ska band called The Skapones. As of 2020, the band has released eight singles and an album, ''Cradle To Grave''. The band toured the UK, Ireland, Europe and the US in 2019, which was made into a two-hour documentary.

Bibliography

*''You're Wondering Now - A History of The Specials'', 1995, ST Publishing, *''In Defence Of Ska'', 2021, Clash Books, Contributor *'' You're Wondering Now - The Specials From conception to reunion'', 2009, Cherry Red Books *'' The Skapones - Way Out West - 2019, The Specials & Stuff...'', 2022, Cosa Nostra Books

References

External links

The Skapones website

Interview
''NE Volume'', Lee Allcock, 2019
Interview
''NE Volume'', Lee Allcock, 2023 {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Paul Living people English writers about music Writers from York English male non-fiction writers English male singers Year of birth missing (living people)