Goodbye to Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, singer of Selecter

Goodbye to Arthur “Gaps” Hendrickson, singer of Selecter

He died at the age of 73 Arthur “Gaps” Hendricksonsinger of the ska band dei Selector. The news of Hendrickson's death was made known by a statement published on his Facebook page, which announced his death in the early hours of Tuesday 11 June, in Coventry, England, the city of the Selecters. The British musician was diagnosed with cancer last year.

“Gaps was known worldwide for singing the title track of Selecter's debut album, “Too Much Pressure,” the statement reads.

“He brought a captivating anguish and frustration to the song as he described the trials and tribulations of the working man's daily life. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

The singer of
Selector Pauline Black
wrote: “We are devastated to confirm that Selecter frontman Arthur 'Gaps' Hendrickson has passed away after a short illness. The world has lost an original 2-Tone, a talented musician and an absolute gentleman. We have lost our beloved friend and bandmate. RIP Gaps.”

Him too
Specials
, another band from the British 2 Tone movement, wished Hendrickson a safe journey. “Sleep well dear Gappa. Our thoughts go to his family, his friends, Pauline and the band.”

Hendrickson started out on the Coventry music scene in the late 1970s and joined
Selector
in 1979. In February 1980, the band released their seminal first album,
“Too Much Pressure”
which earned its place in the annals of ska and punk history.

After the success of
“Too Much Pressure”
i
Selector
they published
“Celebrate the Bullet”
in 1981, before disbanding in 1982. Over the next few years they returned together occasionally for recordings and live performances, before reforming more seriously in 2010 to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of
“Too Much Pressure”
. From there, they recorded a handful of other albums, including
“Made in Britain”
in 2011,
“Daylight”
in 2017 and, more recently,
“Human Algebra”
in 2023.