Trojan skinhead

Trojan skinheads (also known as traditional skinheads or trads) are individuals who identify with the original British skinhead subculture of the late 1960s, when ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul music were popular, and there was a heavy emphasis on mod-influenced clothing styles. Named after the record label Trojan Records, these skinheads identify with the subculture's Jamaican rude boy and British working class mod roots.^[1][2]

Because of their appreciation of music played by black people, they tend to be non-racist, unlike the white power skinheads.^[3][4] Trojan skinheads usually dress in a typical 1960s skinhead style, which includes items such as: button-down Ben Sherman shirts, Fred Perry polo shirts, braces, fitted suits, cardigan sweaters, sleeveless sweaters, Harrington jackets and Crombie-style overcoats.^[5] 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.^[3] 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.^[6] 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.

Related musicians

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

Footnotes

1. ^ Special Articles
2. ^ Old Skool Jim. Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set liner notes. London: Trojan Records. TJETD169
3. ^ ^{a b} UK skinheads - the Glasgow skinhead crew, the Spy Kids
4. ^ Marshall, George (1991). Spirit of '69 - A Skinhead Bible. Dunoon, Scotland: S.T. Publishing. ISBN 1-898927-10-3).
5. ^ RudeBoy/Skinhead Style - Ruder Than the Web!
6. ^ Marshall, George (1991). Spirit of '69 - A Skinhead Bible. Dunoon, Scotland: S.T. Publishing. ISBN 1-898927-10-3).

External links

• World of Skinhead
• Trojan Records
• Roots Of The Skinhead (video)
• Articles on skinheads and reggae
• Ska Party - article about traditional skinheads
• Spy Kids