Panter went on to join with members of the Beat and Dexys Midnight Runners to form General Public, and then Special Beat. He joined the 1990s Specials before training as a primary school teacher at the University of Central England in Birmingham. He continued to play with latter-day Special Neol Davies in the blues outfit Box of Blues. However, he rejoined the band for their 2009 reunion and continues as a member.

Hall was quoted as saying, "The door remains open to him". [23] However, Dammers described the new reunion as a "takeover" and claimed he had been forced out of the band. [24] Around that same time, longtime Specials fan Amy Winehouse joined Dammers onstage at Hyde Park, singing the song he wrote for the Specials, "Free Nelson Mandela", for Mandela's 90th birthday concert, dubbed 46664 after Mandela's prison number, and also the name of his AIDS charity, which received money raised by the birthday bash. [25] [26] 30th Anniversary Tour and beyond [ edit ] The Specials reunion all down to Lily Allen". Coventry Telegraph. 15 May 2009. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009 . Retrieved 29 April 2010. After their departure from the Specials, Golding, Hall and Staple founded the pop band Fun Boy Three and enjoyed commercial success from 1981 to 1983 with hits such as " Tunnel of Love", " It Ain't What You Do (It's the Way That You Do It)", " Our Lips Are Sealed" and "The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Asylum)". The group ended with Hall's sudden departure, leading to a 15-year rift with Staple. [13] The Specials completed a North American tour in 2013, performing to sold-out crowds in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Vancouver.Turner, Luke (10 December 2008). "Jerry Dammers Damns Specials Reunion". Thequietus.com . Retrieved 29 April 2010. More…Or Less. The Specials Live': Live compilation of the legendary band's 2011 tour. Release date: 6th August, 2012". Thespecials.com. 16 August 2012. Archived from the original on 23 August 2012 . Retrieved 13 August 2012.

On 1 February 2019, the band announced a spring North American tour to promote the 1 February 2019 release of Encore (out via Island Records). [44] The following week, Encore debuted at number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, giving the band their first chart-topping album since 1980. [45] During late 2019, The Specials invited 17-year-old artist and photographer Sterling Chandler to join and photograph the band on the remaining leg of the tour. [46] In August 2012, the Specials released a new live album, More... Or Less. – The Specials Live, featuring "the best of the best" performances from their 2011 European tour, selected by the band themselves on a double-disc CD and double-vinyl LP. [36] Departures of Neville Staple and Roddy Radiation [ edit ]

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On 30 March 2008, Hall stated that the Specials would be reforming for tour dates in autumn 2008, and possibly for some recording. [21] This was officially confirmed on 7 April 2008. [22] On 6 September 2008, six members of the band performed on the main stage at the Bestival, billed as the "Surprise Act". By December 2008, the band had announced 2009 tour dates to celebrate their 30th anniversary, although founder member Dammers was not joining the band on the tour. The Specials – The Best Of The Specials. Released via Chrysalis Records. Available on Double Vinyl LP, CD+Bonus DVD.

Haiti Special – The Specials Re-release 'Message To You Rudy' To Raise Money for Haitian Earthquake Relief". Marco on Bass. MarcoOnBass. 12 May 2010 . Retrieved 23 April 2018. Despite the live success, the band fizzled out after a 1998 Japan tour (which Panter missed due to illness [19]), although limited touring with a different line-up continued into 2000. The release of the earlier Trojan sessions, Skinhead Girl in 2000 and Conquering Ruler in 2001, would be the last heard from the band for some time. Williams, Paul (1995) You're Wondering Now – A History of the Specials, ST Publishing. ISBN 1-898927-25-1Chambers, Pete (2008) 2-Tone-2: Dispatches from the Two Tone City, 30 Years on, Tencton Planet Publications. ISBN 978-0-9544125-6-2 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) In 1990, Bradbury, Golding, Panter and Staple teamed up with members of the Beat to form Special Beat, [10] performing the music of the two bands and other ska and Two Tone classics. The group, undergoing many line-up changes, toured and released several live recordings through the 1990s.

The Specials confirm more 2009 UK dates". Thespecials.com. 8 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011 . Retrieved 29 April 2010. A 1994 single credited to "X Specials" featured Staple, Golding, Radiation, and Panter. A cover of the Slade song "Coz I Love You", the project was produced by Slade's Jim Lea. Moving into production and management, Staple "discovered" and produced bhangra pop fusion artist Johnny Zee. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Staple would stay active producing and guesting with a variety of artists, including International Beat, Special Beat, Unwritten Law, Desorden Publico, the Planet Smashers and others, as well as leading his own bands and starting the Rude Wear clothing line. He sang with the 1990s Specials line-up, and again from 2009 to 2012.Original Rude Boy: From Borstal to the Specials by Neville Staple with Tony McMahon; Chapter 4: The Specials – The Rude Boys Arrive The Specials Return With New Album, "Encore" and Announce North American Tour". Music News Net . Retrieved 1 February 2019. After seven consecutive UK top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981, main lead vocalists Hall and Staple, along with guitarist Golding, left to form Fun Boy Three. [3] Continuing as "The Special AKA" (a name they used frequently on earlier Specials releases), a substantially revised Specials line-up issued new material until 1984, including the top 10 UK hit single " Free Nelson Mandela". After this, founder Jerry Dammers dissolved the band and pursued political activism. [7] On 29 October 2018, the Specials announced a UK tour in 2019 to coincide with the release of a new album, Encore. [43] On 19 December 2022, the Specials announced on social media that Hall had died at age 63 after a brief illness which was later revealed to be pancreatic cancer. They had planned to record a new album in the United States before Hall's health deteriorated. [50] Members [ edit ] Current members [ edit ]