Jerry Dammers, the chief creative force behind The Specials and 2 Tone Records, has spoken of his shock at the death of the band’s drummer John Bradbury on December 28th.
“Hearing of Brad’s death has been a great shock to me and it is a very sad day indeed,” Dammers has said. “I was friends with Brad and the two of us shared a house some time before the Specials.
“He was highly intelligent, had a very mischievous sense of humour which could be very funny, and he played the drums with an incredible amount of energy which was a very important part of the Specials’ sound and live shows.”
“We had some really great times together and it is truly tragic that he has died so young. My thoughts are with all his family.”
It was a sad day indeed on Monday as Bradbury’s death was confirmed just a short time after the passing of Motorhead‘s frontman Lemmy had also been made public, the world of rock losing two men who had helped to pioneer two very different branches of the greatest genre.