Ska spread all over Europe in the early 80s, thanks largely to the success of the 2 Tone bands like Madness, The Specials, and The Selecter. But once kids in these different European countries discovered ska, they started their own bands and built unique scenes in their own country. Today we focus on Germany. We discuss its history and relationship to ska with one of the earliest to play it: Dr. Ring-Ding. 

Dr. Ring-Ding saw his first ska band as a kid. They were called El Bosso Und Die Ping Pongs. He liked them so much, he asked if he could join the band. They said yes! In the early ’90s, he started his own group, Dr Ring-Ding and the Senior Allstars. Over the years, he’s released nearly 20 albums as Dr. Ring-Ding. 

We talk about such early German ska bands as The Busters, The Butlers, Skaos, Blechreiz, No Sports, and The Bracers. We talk about Desmond Dekker playing in Germany. And we get a sense of the style of ska that has done well in Germany: Traditional and 2 Tone influenced ska, including The Busters’ cover of Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy.”

We also talk about some of Dr. Ring-Ding’s hits, like his cover of the calypso song “The Needle” (A hit in Kenya), Call Di Doctor (A minor hit in Jamaica), “Doctor’s Darling” and the alt-rock cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” with H-Blockx. We also talk about Germany’s rocky relationship with skinhead culture, and we talk about albums Ring Ding has backed for Jamaican icons like Doreen Shafer and Lord Tanamo. 

Plus, we learn about an unreleased album Dr. Ring-Ding recorded with King Django. Hopefully, we can get them to finally release it! 

Listen to Dr. Ring-Ding on the In Defense of Ska podcast. Then, follow the series wherever you get your podcast. Fans can also get early and ad-free episodes by joining the IDOS Patreon, and don't forget to check out all the Consequence Podcast Network series here.

You can also support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition will be released in Oct 2024.

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music. 

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023. 

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

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