No idea how well known he is in the US but Terry Hall has died aged 63.
He rose to fame in the post punk UK music Ska revival scene (alongside bands like Madness, Selector and The Beat) with The Specials. Their first big hit was Gangsters and Terry is the lead singer:
The Specials were very socially aware with their lyrics. Arguably their finest hour was Ghost Town:
After The Specials split Terry formed Fun Boy Three and the hits continued with The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum:
But Terry showed a lighter side with collaborations with the very successful “Girl Band” Bananarama including It Ain’t What You Do
Fun Boy Three - It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It (Official Music Video) - YouTube
Terry then pursued a solo career usually working alongside other artists before recently reforming The Specials.
He was co-writer of Our Lips Are Sealed which was recorded by The Go-Gos (because The Go-Gos Jane Wiedlin was the other writer) and The Fun Boy Three. The Go-Gos version:
And The Fun Boy Three version:
TCMF-2L