Trojan skinhead

Trojan Skinheads (also known as Traditional Skinheads or Trads) are individuals who identify with the original skinhead subculture of the late 1960s, when ska music was at its height of popularity in the United Kingdom, and there was a heavy emphasis on clothing style. Named after the record label Trojan Records, these skinheads identify with the subculture's Jamaican rude boy and British working class mod roots. In addition to ska, they are often fans of rocksteady, early reggae and soul music.

Because of their appreciation of music played by black people, they tend to be non-racist, unlike the white power skinheads (a faction that developed in the 1970s). Trojan skinheads usually dress in a typical 1960s skinhead style, which includes items such as: button-up Ben Sherman shirts; Fred Perry polo shirts; braces, fitted suits; cardigan sweaters; sleeveless sweaters; Harrington jackets and Crombie-style overcoats. Hair is generally between a 2 and 4 grade clip-guard (short, but not bald), in contrast to the shorter-haired punk-influenced Oi! skins of the 1980s.

Spirit of '69

The phrase Spirit of '69 is used by traditional skinheads to commemorate what they identify as the skinhead subculture's heyday in 1969. The phrase was popularized by a group of Scottish skinheads called Glasgow Spy Kids. Its use in the title of a skinhead history book, Spirit Of 69: A Skinhead Bible, led skinheads to adopt it around the world. The book was published in the early 1990s by the author George Marshall, a skinhead from Glasgow. In Spirit of '69: A Skinhead Bible, Marshall documents the origins and development of the skinhead subculture, describing elements such as music, dress, and politics in an attempt to refute many popular perceptions about skinheads; the most common being that they are all racists. However, Traditional or trad skinheads is a relatively recent term given to Trojan or Original skinheads by Americans. Until Americans discovered the skinhead culture, this term did not exist. Americans mainly use the term to mean non-political skinheads. The term has no connection with the original British culture.

Related musicians

• The Ethiopians
• Judge Dread
• Laurel Aitken
• Desmond Dekker
• Symarip
• Derrick Morgan
• The Upsetters
• The Pioneers (band)
• Tommy McCook

External links

• Trojan Records
• Skinhead Moonstomp
• Skinhead Nation
• Information on Glasgow Spy Kids
• Traditional skinhead clothing styles
• Roots Of The Skinhead (video)
• Articles on skinheads and reggae