History
Rhoda Dakar (born 1959) is a British singer and musician, most recognized for her role as the lead vocalist of The Bodysnatchers, a band signed to the influential 2 Tone record label.
Early Career with The Bodysnatchers
Born in Hampstead, London, Dakar joined The Bodysnatchers in 1979. The group quickly made an impact with their debut single, a double A-side featuring "Let's Do Rocksteady" and "Ruder Than You," which charted at #22 on the UK Singles Chart. Their success led to an appearance on the television show Top of the Pops, a tour with The Selecter, and a session for BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel. Following this period, several members of The Bodysnatchers departed to form the band The Belle Stars.
Collaborations with The Specials and The Special AKA
Dakar also lent her distinctive voice to collaborations with The Specials. Her duet with Terry Hall, "I Can't Stand It," was featured on their album More Specials. After The Specials disbanded in 1981, Jerry Dammers formed a new project, The Special AKA, recruiting Dakar and John Bradbury. Their first single, "The Boiler," achieved #35 on the UK Singles Chart in 1982.
Dakar's contributions continued on The Special AKA's album In the Studio. This album included the UK Top 10 hit single "Free Nelson Mandela" and reached #34 on the UK Albums Chart.
Solo Work and Later Projects
Her debut solo album, Cleaning In Another Woman's Kitchen, was released in November 2007 by Moon Ska World. The album presented acoustic reinterpretations of songs from her Bodysnatchers era, alongside new material co-written with Nick Welsh. Welsh, who also recorded as King Hammond, collaborated with Dakar again on the garage rock album Back To The Garage, released in April 2009 on N1 Records.
In 2009, Dakar was featured as a guest vocalist on the Madness song "On The Town," from their album The Liberty of Norton Folgate. She performed this track with the band during their Madstock performance at Victoria Park in July 2009.
