This song had a role in the downfall of Apartheid, as it raised awareness of the issue, and became an Anthem of the Anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. The Guardian referred to it as "one of the most effective protest songs in History”
Jerry Dammers (born May 1955) is a British musician who was a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the iconic Coventry-based ska band The Specials (later known as The Special A.K.A.). Through his foundation of the record label 2 Tone, his work blending political lyrics and punk with Jamaican music, and his incorporation of 60's retro clothing. Dammers is a pivotal figure of the ska revival. He has also been acknowledged in his work for racial unity. Dammers was born in Tamil Nadu, South India, the son of Horace Dammers who was later Dean of Bristol Cathedral. Jerry attended King Henry VIII School, Coventry. His initial music influences were 60's powerpop bands like The Who, The Small Faces, The Kinks, which made him want to be in a band, and he was also influenced by soul music. Dammers was a young mod in the 1960s while at school then became a hippie, before becoming a skinhead. Dammers has said that anti-racism was a key element of The Specials, and the Rock Against Racism movement was formed at the same time. He also saw the Specials as an opportunity to integrate white and black people through the same music, and he picked members to make the band multi-racial. The Specials differed from other ska bands at the time because of Dammer's political messages in the lyrics. After talking their way onto a tour with The Clash, then a better-known group, Dammers pushed The Specials to adopt the Mod/Rude boy fashion sub-culture and this look was copied by fans of the band. The Specials eventually changed its lineup and rebadged as The Special AKA, releasing another album and the single Free Nelson Mandela. He founded 2 Tone Records. This label helped kickstart the 2 tone ska/punk revival of the late 1970s/1980s, which launched Madness, The Bodysnatchers and The Beat. Dammers got graphic artists to do specific art for the label, including the iconic man in the suit graphic, which was based on a photos of reggae musician Peter Tosh. This era saw a lot of racism and 2 Tone records was a bulwark against that, celebrating racial unity and combating the rise of the National Front.
