COVENTRY MUSIC MUSEUM – Vincentian Ray King on stage in a black-and white image.
Tribute
July 21, 2026
TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN paid to Ray King, one of the most influential singers in the ska and 2-Tone music genres, following the announcement of his death.
Born Vibert Cornwall in St Vincent and the Grenadines, he came to the UK in 1961 and arrived in Northampton, before moving to Coventry two years later, after being told it was the place to become a singer.
Pete Chambers, the founder of the Coventry Music Museum, said King had a stage presence “like James Brown”.
“He was the kind of guy who controlled the stage with just one look, one little movement of the arm or whatever. He was a real professional and such a lovely guy and an influential guy.”
In an interview with the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in 2010, King said his musical influences as a young man and performer ranged from Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, and Elvis Presley to Pat Boone and Doris Day.
He formed the Ray King Soul Band and performed throughout Coventry, with their first gig at The Walsgrave Club in the city.
The reputation of the band’s professionalism and popularity led to a six-month residency at the Playboy Club in London, with the likes of Jimmy Hendrix and Paul McCartney joining the band on stage on an ad-hoc basis.
Ray King was born Vibert Cornwall in St Vincent and came to the UK in 1961.
Among the musicians he influenced was Lynval Golding, one of the founders of The Specials.
“Ray King is such an amazing foundation for all of us musically, he’s the roots. He’s the guy we learn from” he told BBC CWR in a 2019 documentary about 2 Tone music.
In 2012, King was honoured with a plaque dedicated to him on the Wall of Fame at 2 Tone village in Coventry, part of the Coventry Music Museum, recognising the role he played in bringing musicians together to form bands that would become household names.
They included the likes of Golding and Jerry Dammers who formed The Specials, and Charley Anderson and Neol Davies, both founder-members of The Selecter.
Chambers said King’s legacy could be found throughout the music scene in the city today.
“His legacy would be as a prime Coventry musician who did so much and cared so much about his home city.” ( BBC Coventry Music Museum)
