Rhoda Dakar (born 1959) is an English singer and musician, best known as the lead singer of The Bodysnatchers, who were signed to the

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 ...

record label. She also worked with

The Specials The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...

/Special AKA, and also other 2-Tone artists.

Career

Dakar, born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

, London, joined The Bodysnatchers in 1979. Their first single was a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

" Let's Do Rock Steady" backed with "Ruder Than You". It reached # 22 in the UK Singles Chart. The band were invited to appear on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'', to tour with The Selecter and to record a session for BBC Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel. Their second single "Easy Life" coupled with their version of Bob Andy's "Too Experienced" reached number 50. Several members of the Bodysnatchers then left to form The Belle Stars. Dakar also collaborated with

. Her duet with Terry Hall, "I Can't Stand It", appeared on the album '' More Specials''. She also sang backing vocals on "Pearl's Cafe" on the album. After The Specials announced their break up in 1981, Jerry Dammers formed The Special AKA, along with Dakar and John Bradbury. Their first single release, " The Boiler", reached # 35 in the UK Singles Chart in 1982. Dakar performed on The Special AKA album '' In the Studio'', which featured the UK Top 10 single " Free Nelson Mandela". The album reached # 34 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. Her first solo album, ''Cleaning in Another Woman's Kitchen'', was released in November 2007 on Moon Ska World. It featured acoustic versions of songs from the Bodysnatchers as well as material co-written with Nick Welsh, who attended the same comprehensive school as Buster Bloodvessel, and who recorded as King Hammond in the early 1990s. Dakar and Welsh released a

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

album ''Back to the Garage'' on N1 Records in April 2009. In 2009, she was the featured guest vocalist on the song "On the Town" on the Madness album '' The Liberty of Norton Folgate''. She performed the track at their Madstock show in Victoria Park, London in July 2009. In 2014, she returned to the studio to re-record The Bodysnatchers tracks for the album ''Rhoda Dakar sings the Bodysnatchers.'' The line up for the recording included Lynval Golding and Horace Panter from

, plus members of Pama International and Intensified. The single "Stand Together" was a collaboration with the Dub Pistols, released coincidentally on Blackout Tuesday in June 2020. The video featured US activists Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks. In 2022, Rhoda had a guest appearance on the song "As We Live" on the album "In the Wild" by The Interrupters. Interrrupters "In the Wild" Album back cover In May 2023 Dakar released "Version Girl", an album of covers of some of her favourite songs, on Sunday Best records. The culmination of a project spawning five singles, the first of which, "Everyday Is Like Sunday", was released in April 2021. The project was delayed by the Covid pandemic and the subsequent 'great vinyl shortage'. Another single has been added to the set, "I Don't Mind", a Buzzcocks cover, not available on the album and released in February 2024. The project is notable for having all the artwork designed by acclaimed Sheffield artist Pete McKee.

Discography

Singles

Solo

''with The Bodysnatchers''

''with The Special AKA''

''with The Dub Pistols''

Albums

Rhoda Dakar

''with The Special AKA''

''Other appearances''

EPs

Solo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dakar, Rhoda British ska musicians English rock singers British women new wave singers English women rock singers English new wave singers Singers from the London Borough of Camden People from Hampstead 1959 births Living people 2 Tone Records artists The Specials members