The Selecter

The Selecter
The Selecter playing the Milton Keynes International Festival, Milton Keynes 2016
Background information
Origin	Coventry, England
Genres	Ska 2 Tone
Years active	1979–1981, 1991–2006, 2010–present
Labels	2 Tone, Chrysalis
Website	Pauline Black's Selecter Neol Davies' Selecter
Members	Pauline Black's Selecter Pauline Black Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson Winston Marche Anthony Harty Luke Palmer Greg Coulson Neil Pyzer-Skeete Orlando LaRose Neol Davies' Selecter Neol Davies John Gibbons Daniel Crosby Dean Ross Andre Bayuni Tim Cansfield Victor Trivino Ellie Smith Hannah Taylor Faye Treacy
Past members	Compton Amanor Charley 'H' Bembridge Charley Anderson Desmond Brown James Mackie John Thompson Adam Williams Martin Stewart Nicky Welsh Perry Melius Emma Bassett Toby Barelli

The Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid-1979.

The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics. Reinforcing the songs of Neol Davies were the voice and rude girl style of Pauline Black and the rhythms of Desmond Brown on the Hammond organ. The band's name is based on the term "selector", which is a Jamaican word for disc jockey. The band were one of the most successful ska bands of the 2 Tone era, notching up several top forty singles in the British charts.

The Selecter reformed in 1991 and vocalist Black continued to perform and release music under The Selecter name until 2006. Some confusion emerged over two competing lineups for the Selecter in 2011, between that featuring Davies and that featuring Black and Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson, In June 2011 Black applied for, and won, The Selecter trademark and the right to use the name herself.

In 1977, Neol Davies and John Bradbury (who later became a member of The Specials), with the trombone player Barry Jones, recorded a track in a recording session in 1977–78 that resulted in "Kingston Affair". The band then became "The Selecter". Their debut single, also called "The Selecter", was the b-side of the Special AKA's hit single "Gangsters", the first 2 Tone Records single. It was released in March 1979, reaching 6 in the UK Charts. The track was written by Davies and Bradbury. Guitarist Davies added long time friends Desmond Brown, who played Hammond organ, and Charley Anderson on bass guitar. With Compton Amanor on guitar, the vocals of Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson and Charley 'H' Bembridge on drums the seven piece line-up for the original band was completed when Pauline Black was spotted by Davies. Davies offered Pauline an audition with The Selecter — she joined along with other members in July 1979.