British ska band the Dualers started out as buskers. Gradually building a huge fan base, they self-released multiple albums, played to massive crowds, and scored two U.K. Top 30 hit singles, all without any label backing. Born and raised in Caterham, Surrey, brothers Tyber and Si Cranstoun, the sons of a music promoter, grew up with the sounds of reggae and ska and as children wrote and performed their own songs for their parents. After graduating from London's prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the brothers formed their own ska band, the Dualers, in 1999. Starting out as a duo before expanding to a regularly rotating nine-piece lineup, they performed on the streets for several years and toured heavily, eventually building enough of a fan base that their debut single, "Kiss on the Lips," released in 2004, went to number 21 on the U.K. chart. A second single, "Truly Madly Deeply," was released the following year and went to number 23; it was later used on the soundtrack of the romantic adventure film Fool's Gold, starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. The Dualers self-released more than 15 albums, toured the U.K. in support of the Blockheads and Madness, and played a record-breaking sold-out 11-night residency at London's IndigO2. Si Cranstoun left the band in 2010 to focus on a solo career, eventually signing a million-pound record deal with Warner Bros. while Tyber continued with the Dualers as its sole frontman. The band's 2019 album, Palm Trees and 80 Degrees, went to number 11 on the U.K. album charts. ~ John D. Buchanan