Ska legend & Specials co-founder Neville Staple presents new music

The Neville Staple Band has released their new single ‘Working Hard Everyday’, an infectious composition witha catchy rhythm, relatable lyrics and party vibes.

Known as The Original Rude Boy, Neville Staple is a legendary frontman and co-founder of The Specials, Fun Boy Three, 2-Tone and the Special Beat with Ranking Roger. 2019 marks the 40th anniversary of Neville’s successful music career, and also for The Specials and 2Tone Records. Over the past four decades, Staple has picked up multiple awards, including from MOJO and NME, as well as Gold, Silver and Platinum discs. Today he co-fronts The Neville Staple Band together with award-winning wife Sugary Staple.

The Staples are a permanent fixture of the widely regarded and enormously active UK ska scene, performing regularly at clubs and massive festivals. They are also well known for their charitable work and social activism. In her own right, Sugary Staple is known for spearheading the Skamouth series and also as an actress, vocalist end event promoter for over 30 years,

“We have had a lot of heartache over recent months and so, in contrast to our recent ‘Put Away Your Knives’ single, which was aimed at a very serious subject affecting us on a very personal level, this track is fun and lively and relates to all hardworking people, who just keep going regardless of what is happening around them – and especially those who tend to work hard to please or help others. We’ve also ensured this is a stomp-along, upbeat, 2Tone ska song, hailed as a summer hit by many ‘sneak-peak’ media reviewers,” says Neville Staple.

Neville and Sugary Staple co-wrote this song with Charlie Organaire (a.k.a. Charles Cameron), best friend and colleague to ska pioneer Prince Buster. He was involved in many of the legend’s hit songs, as well as writing his own music and working with Prince Buster’s son Sultan.

“We met Charlie when he accompanied Sultan on a visit to my own Skamouth Festival and we’ve all been great friends ever since. He calls me a “one women army” (his words) because he said I worked so hard. This is how this lovely song melody started out, with Charlie playing his harmonica and his observant description of me running ragged, while managing to keep things running smoothly, even when chaos and problems were erupting behind the scenes,” explains Sugary Staple.

“Neville and I got to work on this song soon after and wrote the rest of the music and lyrics. This song really is about all those who put lots of effort in, work their socks off and juggle jobs, life and sometimes performances and public engagements, even with personal troubles going on. They often get very little reward too, other than making others happy. That’s me,” she laughs, noting, “In fact, that is a lot of people in this mega busy modern world of fast tracking! But we sing about it with a fun dancing tune to let your hair down to”

The Neville Staple Band recently released the single ‘Put Away Your Knives’, a 2-Tone influenced punky ska and reggae mix. This is a cry to young people involved in knife crime, motivated by a tragic event that struck their family in September 2018 – the fatal stabbing of Neville’s 21-year-old grandson Fidel Glasgow. Here Neville and Sugary Staple are joined by British-Jamaican reggae pioneer Dandy Livingstone, who penned ‘Rudy, A Message to You’, a big hit for The Specials (as ‘A Message to You, Rudy’).

These singles arrive hot on the trail of their new ‘Rude Rebels’ album, released via Cleopatra Records in autumn of 2018 with contributions by The Specials’ original guitarist Roddy Radiation (a.k.a. Roddy Byers).

Both ‘Working Hard Everyday’ and ‘Put Away Your Knives’ can be downloaded from iTunes and Amazon. It can also be streamed on Spotify.

Catch The Neville Staple Band on tour with The Undertonesthroughout May and onwards on their own awesome steam at venues and festivals throughout the summer. June also brings several celebrations for the 40th Anniversary of 2-Tone, together with The Specials’ Jerry Dammers as DJ and Beat Goes Bang(comprised of members of The Beat, General Public and Dexys Midnight Runners). Tickets can be obtained at http://www.originalrudeboy.co.uk/live-dates

CREDITS 
Written by Neville Staple, Sugary Staple and Charlie Organaire
Performed by The Neville Staple Band
Sugary & Neville Staple – Vocals
Spencer Hague – Trombone, Backing vocals
Billy Shinbone – Guitar, Harmonica, Backing vocals
Joe Atkinson – Piano, Organ
Sledge (Steve) Armstrong – Bass
Matty Bane – Drums, Percussion Mix
Produced by Sugary & Neville Staple
Mixed & Engineered by Tom Lowry at Planet Studios

TOUR DATES
May 2  LONDON – Electric Ballroom (with The Undertones)
May 3 COVENTRY – Empire (with The Undertones)
May 4  BRISTOL – SWX (with The Undertones)
May 9  NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE – Boiler Shop (with The Undertones)
May 10  LEEDS – O2 Academy (with The Undertones)
May 11  MANCHESTER – O2 Ritz (with The Undertones)
May 16  NORWICH – Open (with The Undertones)
May 17  BEXHILL ON SEA – De La Warr Pavilion (with The Undertones)
May 18  COOKHAM – Lets Rock The Moor (2:00)
May 18  SOUTHAMPTON – Engine Rooms (with The Undertones)
May 25 HERTFORDSHIRE – Stone Valley South Festival
May 26 MERTHYR TYDFIL – Merthyr Rising
June 1  CHIPPING SODBURY – SodFest
June 8  SHEFFIELD – Music For The Homeless
June 15 KETTERING – 40th Anniversary of 2-Tone (with Jerry Dammers DJ, Beat Goes Bang)
June 22 WESTON-SUPER-MARE – 40th Anniversary of 2-Tone (with Jerry Dammers DJ, Beat Goes Bang)
June 29  STANHOPE – Stone Valley North Festival
July 5 BLYTH – North East Chilli Fest
July 6   SOUTHAMPTON – Let’s Rock Southampton
July 13 THAME – Thame Music Festival
July 14  EXETER – Wonder Fields Festival
July 19  MELKSHAM – Melksham Music Festival
July 20  HOLMFIRTH – Holmfirth Ska Splash
July 21  TAMWORTH – Warton Music Festival
July 27  CHIDDINGLY – Chiddfest
Aug. 3  SUDDINGTON / MACCLESFIELD – Rewind Festival North
Aug. 9 WINCHESTER – Boomtown Fair
Aug 10 RATLINGHOPE – Farmer Phil’s Festival
Aug 17 STRETFORD – Great Northern Ska Festival
Aug 18 HENLEY-ON-THAMES – Rewind Festival South
Aug 31 CASTLE DONINGTON – Off the Tracks Festival

Everyday https://open.spotify.com/album/2zNkDoU8y1vdhSK1JLkMKv
All-in-one Link https://orcd.co/workinghardeveryday
Put Away Your Knives https://youtu.be/pjAH1sCnf_g
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/3cpVKY88BdRzsgWf5mHaUo
iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-neville-staple-band/1456682725

NEVILLE & SUGARY STAPLE ‘RUDE REBELS’ LP
‘Rude Rebels’ LP https://nevillestaple.bandcamp.com/album/rude-rebels
Vinyl order https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/neville-sugary-staple-rude-rebels-lp
CD order https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/neville-sugary-staple-rude-rebels-cd
UK orders https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rude-Rebels-Neville-Sugary-Staple/dp/B07FT6DV35

Article Photo credit: John Coles

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