it's all about the bass, at the Coventry Music Museum and Specials Bassist Horace Panter will be the centre of the whole thing, as we look at his work as a musician rather than as an artist.
The new temporary exhibition called "On Bass-Sir Horace Gentleman" (an ubiquitous phrase that was used by Terry Hall, just before Horace played his bass solo on Nite Klub). Is Sponsored by Andy Gailey, Simon Kelly and Stephen Pilling, the exhibition looks at Horace's career from the show band days of Breaker, right up to his Uptown Ska Collective work as well as Blues To Go and of course The Specials. Mr Panter has also written the bestselling autobiography "Ska'd for Life", and we have the biggest copy of that book on display at the museum thanks to Geoff Holden, this is the tome of tomes.
Horace Panter said of the exhibition,'There's the ephemera and detritus of 40 years of music history. Everything from battered suitcases, well-worn musical instruments and long-forgotten side projects. I never knew I was so interesting!'
Museum Curator Pete Chambers said, " This exhibition sees the museum takes its next exciting steps forward, we are glad our next temporary exhibition is about local hero Horace Panter. Horace has always been fundamental to The Specials sound, and it's great to honour him as a musician. we hope that even the most sussed Specials fans will learn something they didn't know."
There will of course be bass guitars a plenty, and a chance for visitors to actually play the bass, or at least make some noise and do your own "Panter" style artwork. While the exhibition is on, local bass legends are to take part in our special Sounding Offs, so far Horace, Style Council & Specials mark 2 bass player Anthony Harty and King Bassman Tony Wall have all agreed to take part. These will be announced in due course.''