Lynval Golding

Lynval Golding
Golding in 2019
Background information
Born (1951-07-24) 24 July 1951
OriginCoventry, England
GenresNew wave, ska, rock
OccupationMusician
LabelIsland Records

Lynval Golding (born 24 July 1951) is a Jamaican-born British musician. His family moved from Jamaica to Gloucester, before moving to Coventry when he was eighteen.[1] He is currently living in Gig Harbor, Washington. He is best known as a rhythm guitarist and vocalist with the British 2-tone band, the Specials.[2]

He went on to co-found Fun Boy Three with Terry Hall and Neville Staple.[3], and then joined the Coventry group After Tonite. He was also in the short-lived group Pauline Black With Sunday Best, which also included Neville Staple and members of After Tonite.[4]

In 1990, Golding joined former members of The Specials and The Beat to form Special Beat. He joined a reconstituted Specials lineup from 1993 to 1998.

In 2006, he toured the U.S. with The Beat, a reunion version of another second wave ska band.[5] He started a band in Seattle, Stiff Upper Lips, and also started playing with UK group Pama International.

In 2007, he appeared live at the Glastonbury Festival on the Pyramid Stage with Lily Allen and fellow Specials / Fun Boy Three band member Terry Hall. He also played on the Park Stage, once again with Terry Hall and also Blur frontman Damon Albarn and beatboxer Shlomo, playing a version of The Specials hit "A Message To You, Rudy". These appearances led to a full-fledged Specials reunion, and Lynval remained with them until their dissolution in 2022.

Stiff Upper Lip broke up along the way, but was re-formed as Gigantor in 2013.[6][7] He continues to tour with both Gigantor and Pama International.

Personal life

In 1982, Golding was stabbed in the neck in a nightclub in Coventry, leaving him in intensive care.[8][9]

Discography

See also The Specials Discography, Fun Boy Three, Pama International

Artist Title Release
date
Label Details
The Special AKA In the Studio 1984 2 Tone Records Lynval Appears on "Free Nelson Mandela"
Pauline Black With Sunday Best Pirates On The Airwaves (Single) 1984 Chrysalis Band member, producer
Robert Wyatt with The SWAPO Singers The Wind of Change / Namibia (single) 1984 Rough Trade Lynval plays guitar – also features Jerry Dammers and Dick Cuthell
After Tonight Time For A Change (12" Single) 1986 IDK Records Band member, producer
After Tonight The Polish Man Who Sits In The Corner (album) 1988 BGP (Beat Goes Public) Band member, producer
The Pogues Live At The Town And Country 1988 Warner Brothers Lynval sings and plays guitar on "Rudi: A Message to You"
Various Artists The Shack 1993 BiB Records "Why?" and "Wear You to the Ball" credited to Neville Staple and Lynval Golding (both tracks actually Specials/Fun Boy Three demos[10])
The Soup Dragons Hydrophonic 1994 Polygram Lynval plays guitar on "Rest in Peace", with Neville Staple toasting
Various Artists Spare Shells: A Tribute to the Specials 2001 Pork Pie Appears with Skanic on "Do Nothing"
Militant Rhythm Section Mexican Weed Dub 2005 Utmost Guest
Lynval Golding and Contra Coup Know Your Rights (12" Vinyl) 2016 Mossburg Know Your Rights! / Know Your Rights – MA Mix / The Same / The Same – MA Mix
The Notables Featuring Lynval Golding Children Children / Good King (7" Vinyl) Mossburg
Various Artists Gifted: Ska Tribute To The Jam 2018 Jump Up! Records Lynval Golding and Contra Coup perform "Tales of the Riverbank"

References

  1. ^ Wright, George (22 October 2011). "Do You Remember The Good Old Days?". This is Gloucestershire. Retrieved 21 March 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  2. ^ Woodstra, Chris. "Biography: The Specials". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Biography: Fun Boy Three". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  4. ^ https://marcoonthebass.blogspot.com/2013/01/rare-2-tone-spin-off-pauline-black-with.html
  5. ^ Punknews.org (21 June 2006). "Tours: Lynval Golding of the Specials touring with the English Beat". www.punknews.org. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ https://www.liveone.com/artist/lynval-golding/67105?
  7. ^ "Gigantor". Retrieved 9 May 2018 – via Facebook.
  8. ^ Peplow, Gemma (8 April 2019). "The Specials: 'Before, we were shouting - now we're saying it nicely'". Sky News. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  9. ^ Arnot, Chris (4 July 2001). "Ghosts story". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  10. ^ Paul Williams; You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception To Reunion – Part Two "Neville Staple" and "Lynval Golding" chapters