Horace Panter

Horace Panter
Horace Panter (front, centre) appearing with The Specials at Brixton Academy, May 2009, as part of their 30th anniversary tour.
Background information
Birth name	Stephen Graham Panter
Also known as	Sir Horace Gentleman
Origin	Croydon, Surrey, England
Genres	New Wave Ska Rock
Occupation(s)	Musician Teacher
Website	http://www.horacepanter.com/

Horace Panter (born Stephen Graham Panter, 30 August 1953, Croydon, Surrey, England) also known as Sir Horace Gentleman, is the bassist for the Coventry 2 Tone, ska revival band The Specials.

After spending most of his formative years in Kettering, Northamptonshire, Panter started a one-year art course at Northampton School in 1971, where he met many influential musicians. In 1972 he started studying fine art at Coventry's Lanchester Polytechnic, now known as Coventry University. In his second year there, he met Jerry Dammers, and soon they formed The Specials. The band started playing in Coventry bars and pubs. Following the break-up of The Specials in 1981, Panter went on to play with General Public, and then with the reformed Specials in the 1990s. Since then, Panter then played with Box of Blues, Blues To Go and took part in The Specials reunion concerts in 2009. He has also played with The Tones, as well as leading the Coventry Ska-Jazz Orchestra.

He also taught art to special needs children in Corley Special School in north Warwickshire. He has written an autobiography, Ska'd for Life, in which he shared how he became introduced to the ska genre, and described his experiences since the band's creation.

External links

• The Specials
• 2 Tone website
• Horace Panter Information Site