Ska Boom-Episode 001: 1985: The Year American Ska Broke

Despite 2 Tone’s chart-topping success in the UK from 1979 through 1981, it was largely a commercial flop in the United States, as 2 Tone’s parent label Chrysalis had no idea how to market these bands and their music within a racially segregated American rock music industry. Yet, The Specials, The Selecter, The Beat, and Madness all managed to reach and convert enough fans on the underground, new wave scene that a slew of first generation American ska bands cropped up in their wake. In this episode of Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Podcast, I'm joined by Stephen Shafer (The Duff Guide To Ska blog and author of the recently published The Duff Guide To 2 Tone) to discuss how the release of three milestone American ska records in 1985 —Fishbone and The Toasters’ self-titled debut EPs, and The Untouchables’ Wild Child — became the catalyst for everything that led to the US ska scene bursting from the underground into the mainstream during the American ska boom of the 90s.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices