Ranking Roger

Ranking Roger
Roger performing at theGodiva FestivalinCoventry,2015
Background information
Birth name	Roger Charlery
Born	(1963-02-22)22 February 1963 Birmingham,England
Died	26 March 2019(2019-03-26)(aged 56) Birmingham, England
Genres	New wave ska two-tone post-punk
Occupation	Musician
Instruments	Vocals toasting
Years active	1978–2019
Labels	IRS Paras

Roger Charlery(22 February 1963 – 26 March 2019), known professionally asRanking Roger,was a British musician. He was a vocalist in the 1980sskabandthe Beat(known in North America as the English Beat) and laternew wavebandGeneral Public.He subsequently was the frontman for a reformed Beat lineup.

The "Ranking" moniker is short for "top-ranking" or "high-ranking", and was a titular boast common amongst reggae musicMCs.

Early life

Roger Charlery was born inBirmingham, England,and grew up in theSmall Heatharea of the city.The son of Jean Baptiste Charlery and his wife Anne Marie, he was ofWest Indiandescent; his mother and father were fromSaint Lucia.He attended Archbishop Williams school, and while still at school began deejaying with reggaesound systemsbefore becoming a drummer with the Dum Dum Boys in 1978.

1970s–2001

Roger became apunk rockfan as a teenager and was the drummer in the Dum Dum Boys before joiningskarevival pioneers the Beat in the late 1970s. The Dum Dum Boys' first gig was with the Beat and his burgeoning friendship with them meant he began to gatecrash their gigs, take the mic, and starttoasting.He had appeared on stage, toasting and singing with them, many times before officially joining the band. His energetic style and Jamaican-influenced vocals, paired withDave Wakeling,were crucial in distinguishing the band from the other second-wave ska bands. The Beat released three albums: the critically acclaimed and seminalI Just Can't Stop It(1980),Wha'ppen?(1981) andSpecial Beat Service(1982).

Music journalist Richard Grabel wrote in 1985: "In the Beat, his role was mainly to 'toast' —Jamaican slangfor the rhythmic raps that Roger would interject into the middle of the Beat's songs. But those toasts often contained the songs' most important emotional messages. Beyond that, Roger was the one whose looseness and humor, great dancing and general presence made the Beat happen on stage. "

In 1981,Joe StrummerandMick Jonesofthe Clashinvited him to sing on a version of "Rock the Casbah"which was later released in 2015.

After the Beat's 1983 break-up, Roger and Wakeling formedGeneral Publicwith former members ofDexys Midnight RunnersandHorace Panterofthe Specials.Roger took more of a leading role with vocals in this group.They released the albumAll the Rage(1984), aided by the single "Tenderness".Three years later, they releasedHand to Mouth(1986), which was less successful, and the band broke up.

In 1995, Roger and Wakeling reformed General Public with a new supporting band, and released the albumRub It Better.The duo also worked on various projects and reunited for the 1994Threesomesoundtrack,recording a cover of "I'll Take You There".

Roger releasedRadical Departure,his firstsolo album,in 1988 which included band members Panter andFuzz Townshend.The single "So Excited" peaked at No. 23 on the USModern Rock Trackschart.On 2001'sInside My Head,Roger pursued a moredance/electronicsound.

Collaborations

In the early 1990s, Roger joined members ofthe Specialsto form the new band Special Beat which released two live albums.In 1996, he sang back-up and toasting on the new version ofthe Police's "The Bed's Too Big Without You"onSting's "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" CD-Maxi single. The American rock bandSmash Mouthfeatured Roger on the song "You Are My Number One" from their albumGet the Picture?(2003).

He collaborated withPato Bantonin 1995 on "Bubbling Hot", which peaked at No. 15 on the UK single charts.

Ranking Roger, performing with his daughter Saffren Murphy and son Ranking Junior (Matthew Murphy) in 2015

In 2005, the Beat re-formed, with Roger and Everett Morton of the original line-up, with Roger's son, Ranking Junior also on vocals. Performing some new material, the Beat performed atGlastonburythe same year, where Roger was joined by Ranking Junior.

Roger sang on "Roxanne"onstage withthe Policeon their2007 reunion tour.He was a guest performer onBig Audio Dynamite's seventh albumHigher Powerin 1994 when the band were known as simply 'Big Audio'. He later became a member of Big Audio Dynamite for their final studio albumEntering a New Ride(1997).

Roger contributed toWalls Come Tumbling Down: The Music and Politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge,written by Daniel Rachel and published in 2016.

Roger collaborated with Welsh ragga-metal bandDub Waron a cover ofthe Upsetters' "War Ina Babylon"in what is claimed to be his last recording before his death, which will be included on their 2022 albumWestgate Under Fire.

Later work

Roger continued to lead the Beat and tours throughout Europe as well as works on solo projects. In his last years he released a series of new albums. 2013 saw the release ofRetrospective,an album of solo work recorded over the 25 years since the break-up ofGeneral Public,featuring various artists and producers includingSly and Robbie,and songs such as "Bubbling Hot" (the 1994 hit collaboration withPato Banton) and a cover of "The Bed's Too Big Without You"(first recorded with Sting for the 1996 filmThe Truth About Cats & Dogs).

Live in Londonwas released in 2013 – a live recording of the Beat playing at 229 The Venue, featuring some of their greatest hits as well as new tracks by Roger and Ranking Junior.

2014'sPop Off the Head Topconsisted of entirely new compositions, including additional vocals and song writing from Ranking Junior. They recorded tracks for this project withHugh Harrisfrom London, Dopegrinders fromBrightonand Mr. Anonymous fromColorado.Other key tracks involved the Italian producer AleXannA whose version of "Sixteen Tons"features vocals by Roger, Ranking Junior, and Roger's daughter Saffren Murphy.

Rock the Casbah,released in 2015 in collaboration with the charity Strummerville (founded by the friends and family of Joe Strummer to support aspiring musicians and projects that create social mobility through music) is a five-track EP which features a previously unheard version of "Rock the Casbah",whichJoe StrummerandMick Jonesofthe Clashhad asked Roger to sing on back in 1981, re-recorded by the Brighton producers Dopegrinders, and using the original stems donated by Mick Jones. The EP features new tracks by Roger, Ranking Junior and Hugh Harris as well as a re-working of "Muscle Ska", co-written by Roger andNeville Staplefrom the Specials.

In September 2016, DMF releasedBounce;the first new album by the Beat in 30 years. Written by Ranking Roger, Mick Lister and Ranking Junior, it was produced by Mick Lister and mixed by Tim Hamill and Mick Lister, with the exception of "Side to Side" and "My Dream", which were mixed byDennis Bovell.The album was recorded in Roger's 'eco-friendly hideaway' – a round recording studio in his back garden, which he called The Pod.The album received generally positive reviewswith reviewers typically praising the band's 'passionately political edge'and pointing to how the album 'encompasses every aspect of one of the most musically diverse bands to come out of the multi-racial, multi-cultural explosion that made British pop music what it was in the 80's'.

The band continues to tour, as of 2020, and currently features Roger's son Ranking Junior (real name Matthew Murphy), with drummersOscar HarrisonofOcean Colour SceneandFuzz TownshendofPop Will Eat Itself.The line-up is completed by Chiko Hamilton on sax, bass guitarist Andy Pearson, formerBad Mannersand Specialbeat guitarist Andy Perriss and Bobby Bird ofHigher Intelligence Agency.

In 2017, the Beat joined fellowtwo-tonebandthe Selecterfor a co-headline UK tour,Owing to demand, the tour was extended to cover other countries.

In early August 2018, Ranking Roger was hospitalised with a suspected mini-stroke. He recuperated at home, but cancelled planned live shows in the United Kingdom and United States. The band had just finished recording an album and Roger had written his autobiography,I Just Can't Stop It,published June 2019.

Personal life and death

Roger had five children, including son Ranking Junior (Matthew Murphy) and daughter Saffren who both featured with their father in a Beat revival band.

In January 2019, it was announced that Roger had undergone surgery for twobrain tumours,and was undergoing treatment forlung cancer.He died at his home in Birmingham on 26 March 2019 at the age of 56.

In 2021, Ranking Junior andindie rockbandthe Ordinary Boysrecorded a tribute single to his father called "Legacy".

One year earlier, in 2020, the band Heavensbee recorded a tribute single called "Rude! Original! Suave! (Tribute to Ranking Roger)" off theirWe Mean Businessalbum.

Discography

Solo albums

• Radical Departure(1988)
• Inside My Head(2001)

The Beat Feat. Ranking Roger

• Bounce(2016)
• Public Confidential(2019)

External links

• The Beat Official Website
• Ranking RogeratAllMusic
• Ranking Rogerdiscography atDiscogs
• Ranking RogeratIMDb