Horace Panter
Encyclopedia
Horace Panter also known as Sir Horace Gentleman, is the bassist
for the Coventry
2 Tone
, ska
revival band
The Specials
.
After spending most of his formative years in Kettering
, Northamptonshire
, Panter started a one-year art course at Northampton School in 1971, where he met many influential musicians. In 1972 he started studying fine art
at Coventry
's Lanchester Polytechnic, now known as Coventry University
. In his second year there, he met Jerry Dammers
, and soon they formed The Specials. The band started playing in Coventry bars
and pubs
. Following the break-up of The Specials in 1981, Panter went on to play with General Public
, and then with the reformed Specials in the 1990s. Since then, Panter then played with Box of Blues, Blues To Go and took part in The Specials reunion concerts in 2009. He has also played with The Tones, as well as leading the Coventry Ska-Jazz Orchestra.
He also taught art to special needs children in Corley
Special School in north Warwickshire. He has written an autobiography
, Ska'd for Life, in which he shared how he became introduced to the ska genre, and described his experiences since the band's creation.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
for the Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
2 Tone
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
revival band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
.
After spending most of his formative years in Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, Panter started a one-year art course at Northampton School in 1971, where he met many influential musicians. In 1972 he started studying fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
at Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
's Lanchester Polytechnic, now known as Coventry University
Coventry University
Coventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
. In his second year there, he met Jerry Dammers
Jerry Dammers
Jeremy David Hounsell "Jerry" Dammers is a British musician who is a founder and keyboard player of the Coventry, England based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A...
, and soon they formed The Specials. The band started playing in Coventry bars
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
and pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. Following the break-up of The Specials in 1981, Panter went on to play with General Public
General Public
General Public were a band formed by The Beat vocalists, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, and which included former members of Dexy's Midnight Runners, The Specials and The Clash...
, and then with the reformed Specials in the 1990s. Since then, Panter then played with Box of Blues, Blues To Go and took part in The Specials reunion concerts in 2009. He has also played with The Tones, as well as leading the Coventry Ska-Jazz Orchestra.
He also taught art to special needs children in Corley
Corley
Corley is a village and civil parish in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England. It is located about northwest of Coventry and is adjacent to the village of Fillongley. The M6 motorway runs close by, and the village is familiar to motorists as it is the site of Corley Services...
Special School in north Warwickshire. He has written an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Ska'd for Life, in which he shared how he became introduced to the ska genre, and described his experiences since the band's creation.