Spawned by the energy of punk, a new crowd of British bands known collectively as the ska revival, or the two-tone movement, emerged in the late 1970s around the Midlands area. Unlike the mainly white punk groups, bands such as The Specials, The Selecter and The Beat were comprised of both black and white youths, and welded punk's angst to infectious Jamaican rhythms. Although from differing backgrounds, they forged a positive identity of racial unity at a time of prevalent racism.
"A lot of the problem was down to confusion," says Ranking Roger of The Beat in a phone interview from Birmingham. "People were confused by people of different races because they thought they didn't understand them. But we soon realized we are all different, regardless of being black or white. And we could form bands, and play well together."
Complementing the vocals of singer Dave Wakeling, Ranking Roger added a bubbly, rhythmic toasting style pioneered by Jamaican DJs such as U-Roy. In 1978, reggae was in the air in Birmingham, Britain's second biggest city, which was already home to the roots band Steel Pulse. That year saw the formation of two new groups, The Beat and another mixed-race band, UB40, who kicked off with sonic dub reggae experiments that backed sharp social commentary. Punk was still active and Roger, like many a youth, was swept up in the tide.