The Selecter’s Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson Dead at 73

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The Selecter’s Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson Dead at 73

Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, vocalist of celebrated 2-tone ska band The Selecter, has died. He was 73 years old.

News of Hendrickson’s passing came on Tuesday via a statement posted on his Facebook page, which confirmed that he passed in the early hours of Tuesday, June 11th, in Coventry, England, the same city The Selecter hail from. He was diagnosed with cancer last year.

“Gaps was known the world over for singing the title track on The Selecter’s debut album Too Much Pressure,” the statement read. “He brought a captivating angst and frustration to the track as he described the trials and tribulations of daily life for the working man… He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him.”

The Selecter’ Pauline Black also released a statement, writing “We are devastated to confirm that Selecter frontman Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson has died after a short illness. The world has lost a 2-Tone original, a talented musician and an absolute gentleman. We have lost our beloved friend and bandmate. RIP Gaps.”

Fellow 2-tone band, The Specials, shared a statement as well, acknowledging the “sad sad news” of Hendrickson’s passing. “Sleep well dear Gappa,” it read. “Thoughts are with his family, friends, Pauline and the band.”

Hendrickson got his start in the Coventry music scene in the late ‘70s, and joined The Selecter in 1979. In February 1980, the band put out their seminal debut album, Too Much Pressure, which earned a place in the annals of ska and punk history thanks to Hendrickson’s energetic, impassioned contributions.

After the success of Too Much Pressure, The Selecter followed-up with 1981’s Celebrate the Bullet, before disbanding in 1982. In the years following, they came back together from time to time for recordings and live performances, eventually reforming in a more serious way in 2010 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Too Much Pressure. From there, they recorded a handful of more albums, including 2011’s Made in Britain, 2017’s Daylight, and, most recently, 2023’s Human Algebra.

Outside of The Selecter, Hendrickson had connections to acts like Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, with whom he toured during 2023 as a guest artist. In the statement released by his family on Facebook, it was explained that even with his cancer diagnosis, Hendrickson “fought his way back from ill-health” to hit the road with Holland.

For more, revisit author Daniel Rachel discussing the history of 2-Tone Records on the In Defense of Ska podcast.

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