As the lead singer of The Selecter, Pauline often had to disguise herself as a man in order to get gigs.
The Selecter specialized in 2 Tone ska music, which was an amalgam of Caribbean Ska, Rocksteady, and Reggae. Rocksteady is a slower, more intense version of ska. It was honed into the multi-racial sound of 2 Tone by bands such as The Specials and The Selecter, both of which came from Coventry, England. The expression arose from the name of the recording company, Two Tone Records. The band's name, The Selecter, references a Jamaican expression, which is known elsewhere as DJ.
The style is characterized by one person, the vocalist, singing, and the other person, the DJ/Selector, "Toasting" Jamaican style. "Toasting" is the act of talking (or chanting) over a rhythm or a beat. Initially developed in Jamaica during the 1960's, this led to the earliest forms of what is now known as dancehall in Jamaica, and rapping in the U.S.
The Selecter's first recording Too Much Pressure was released in 1980 and their second recording, Celebrate the Bullet was issued in 1981. They enjoyed great chart success with the singles "The Selecter," (flip side of The Special's "Gangsters") "On My Radio," "Three Minute Hero," and "Missing Words."
Material: nfo.net
Photo courtesy: mediatone.net
