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April 8, 2026
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The 70s 80s 90s Blog

Three Decades of History with TV historian Tony McMahon

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1970s died
  • Culture

The day the 1970s died

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago4 years ago29 mins

The 1970s were a stormy decade in politics and music and Tony McMahon sets out to find how the 1970s died

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  • Music

Missing Words – The Selecter and Pauline Black

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago8 years ago01 mins

Missing Words – The Selecter and Pauline Black

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  • 1981 riots

Ska and 2Tone – the sound of Coventry

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago4 years ago15 mins

Walk down Oxford Street today and it’s impossible to avoid glimpsing the ever present influence of 2Tone whether it’s the black and white check patterns, porkpie hats, tonic suits, etc, etc. The style pioneered by The Specials, The Selecter and The Beat has proved to be timeless. Don’t believe me – look at these images…

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  • Culture
  • Music

Backstage passes for gigs by The Specials

The 70s 80s 90s Blog13 years ago6 years ago01 mins

Backstage passes for gigs by The Specials from 1979 to 1981

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Coventry riot 1981
  • Music
  • Politics

2Tone bands and the 1981 Coventry riot

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago4 years ago14 mins

1981 saw a riot in Coventry after the murder of Asian teenager Satnam Singh Gill that led to The Specials putting on a unity gig in the city

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  • Music

Pauline Black and The Selecter

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago6 years ago01 mins

Pauline Black and The Selecter

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four Coventry heroes
  • 1981 riots
  • Politics

Four Coventry heroes in the Ghost Town

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago4 years ago05 mins

Four Coventry black British heroes of the late 1970s and early 1980s should be immortalised argues author Tony McMahon

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  • Culture

Best five movies of 1981

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago4 years ago114 mins

1981 was a great year for movies and TV historian Tony McMahon picks out the best five and why he thinks you should view them

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four Coventry heroes
  • Music

1981 riot in Coventry

The 70s 80s 90s Blog14 years ago4 years ago09 mins

1981 saw a riot in Coventry over racism attended by boxer Errol Christie while The Specials played a gig of unity at The Butts stadium

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four Coventry heroes
  • 1981 riots
  • Culture
  • Music

Young, black and British in 1970s Coventry

The 70s 80s 90s Blog15 years ago4 years ago315 mins

Being young, black and British in 1970s Coventry was tough but Neville Staple and Errol Christie escaped from the Ghost Town

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Buy Original Rude Boy – biography of Neville Staple, The Specials

Boxing and racism in the 80s

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Tony McMahon – your blogger – circa 1982

TV historian Tony McMahon journeys through the politics, culture, and history of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s

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