Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978, The Beat were fronted by the dual vocal attack of Wakeling and Toaster Ranking Roger, who joined the group after he jumped onstage at a 1979 Beat gig opened by his punk band. Signed to 2 Tone for a one off single, their cover of Smokey Robinson's "Tears of a Clown" was a top 20 UK hit in late 1979. They were joined on that recording by then-50-year-old saxophonist Saxa, who had played with The Beatles and with such ska stars as Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker.