Most rock fans know this song because The Specials reached No. 10 in the UK with a cover in 1979. This is the original rocksteady version by Jamaican-born British singer Dandy Livingstone. He moved to England in the late ’60s and recorded more than a dozen albums between 1967, when “Rudy, a Message to You” was released, and 1980, when he moved to full-time record production.
Here’s the cover by the Specials, who turned the title around to put Rudy at the end. It features Cuban-born trombonist Rico Rodgriguez, who played on the original recording as well.
