It’s hard to think of UK music in the 1980s without foregrounding Terry Hall and his bands, The Specials, Fun Boy Three and The Colour Field. His songs were poetry and a knife against injustice.

Terry Hall joined the first incarnation of the ska band The Specials shortly after the Coventry band formed in 1977. The pioneering 2 Tone band rose thanks to the support of Joe Strummer, who invited them to support the Clash live.

They released their debut single, Gangsters in 1979, which reached No 6 in the UK singles chart. They would dominate the Top 10 over the next two years, peaking with their second No 1 single, and calling card, Ghost Town, in 1981. The lyrics, dealt with Britain’s urban decay, unemployment and disfranchised youth.

Its popularity peaked in early summer 1981 as riots between young Black people and police were erupting across the UK in response to racist discrimination and the use of stop-and-search tactics. It remained at No 1 for three weeks, spending 10 weeks in the Top 40, and is widely considered one of the greatest pop records of all time.

Among those to pay tribute on Tuesday was musician Billy Bragg. “The Specials were a celebration of how British culture was invigorated by Caribbean immigration but the onstage demeanour of their lead singer was a reminder that they were in the serious business of challenging our perception of who we were in the late 1970s.”

Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s and Hall’s former partner wrote that she was “gutted”. “He was a lovely, sensitive, talented and unique person. Our extremely brief romance resulted in the song Our Lips Are Sealed, which will forever tie us together in music history.”