Ranking Roger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ranking Roger
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Roger performing at the Godiva Festival in Coventry, 2015
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roger Charlery |
| Born | 22 February 1963 Birmingham, England |
| Died | 26 March 2019 (aged 56) Birmingham, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
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| Years active | 1978–2019 |
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Roger Charlery (born February 22, 1963 – died March 26, 2019), known as Ranking Roger, was a British musician. He was a singer in the 1980s ska band the Beat. This band was known as the English Beat in North America. Later, he joined the new wave band General Public. He then became the lead singer for a new version of the Beat.
The name "Ranking" means "top-ranking" or "high-ranking." It was a common boast among reggae music MCs (singers or rappers).
Contents
Early life
Roger Charlery was born in Birmingham, England. He grew up in the Small Heath area of the city. His parents, Jean Baptiste Charlery and Anne Marie, were from Saint Lucia. This means he had West Indian family roots.
Roger went to Archbishop Williams school. While still in school, he started working as a DJ with reggae sound systems. In 1978, he became a drummer for a band called the Dum Dum Boys.
Music career: 1970s to 2001
As a teenager, Roger loved punk rock. He was the drummer for the Dum Dum Boys before joining the Beat. The Beat was a new band that brought back ska music in the late 1970s.
The Dum Dum Boys' first concert was with the Beat. Roger became good friends with them. He started joining their shows, grabbing the microphone, and doing "toasting." Toasting is a style of rhythmic talking or rapping over music. He performed with them many times before officially joining the band.
Roger's energetic style and Jamaican-influenced singing, along with Dave Wakeling's vocals, made the Beat special. They stood out from other ska bands of that time. The Beat released three popular albums: I Just Can't Stop It (1980), Wha'ppen? (1981), and Special Beat Service (1982).
In 1981, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones from the Clash asked Roger to sing on a version of their song "Rock the Casbah." This song was later released in 2015.
After the Beat broke up in 1983, Roger and Dave Wakeling formed a new band called General Public. They were joined by members from other bands like Dexys Midnight Runners and the Specials. In General Public, Roger took on a bigger role as a lead singer.
General Public released the album All the Rage in 1984. It included the popular song "Tenderness." Three years later, they released Hand to Mouth (1986). This album was not as successful, and the band broke up.
In 1995, Roger and Wakeling brought General Public back together with new musicians. They released the album Rub It Better. They also worked on other projects. In 1994, they reunited to record a cover of "I'll Take You There" for the Threesome soundtrack.
Roger released his first solo album, Radical Departure, in 1988. It featured other musicians like Horace Panter and Fuzz Townshend. The song "So Excited" reached No. 23 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart. In 2001, Roger released Inside My Head, which had more dance and electronic sounds.
Working with other artists
In the early 1990s, Roger joined members of the Specials to form a new band called Special Beat. They released two live albums. In 1996, he sang backup and did toasting on a new version of the Police's song "The Bed's Too Big Without You." This was for Sting's "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" CD-Maxi single.
The American rock band Smash Mouth also featured Roger on their song "You Are My Number One." This song was on their album Get the Picture? (2003).
In 1995, Roger worked with Pato Banton on the song "Bubbling Hot." This song reached No. 15 on the UK single charts.
In 2005, the Beat re-formed. Roger and Everett Morton from the original band were joined by Roger's son, Ranking Junior, who also sang. The Beat performed at Glastonbury that year, playing some new songs.
Roger sang "Roxanne" on stage with the Police during their 2007 reunion tour. He was also a guest performer on Big Audio Dynamite's album Higher Power in 1994. He later became a member of Big Audio Dynamite for their last studio album Entering a New Ride (1997).
Roger also contributed to a book called Walls Come Tumbling Down: The Music and Politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge. This book was written by Daniel Rachel and published in 2016.
Roger worked with the Welsh ragga-metal band Dub War on a cover of the Upsetters' song "War Ina Babylon." This is believed to be his last recording before he passed away. It will be on their 2022 album Westgate Under Fire.
Later work
Roger continued to lead the Beat and tour across Europe. He also worked on his own music projects. In his last years, he released several new albums.
In 2013, he released Retrospective. This album featured his solo work recorded over 25 years since General Public broke up. It included songs like "Bubbling Hot" and a cover of "The Bed's Too Big Without You."
Live in London was also released in 2013. It was a live recording of the Beat playing their greatest hits and new songs by Roger and Ranking Junior.
In 2014, Pop Off the Head Top was released. This album had all new songs, with extra singing and songwriting from Ranking Junior. They worked with different producers for this project. One song, "Sixteen Tons," featured Roger, Ranking Junior, and Roger's daughter Saffren Murphy.
Rock the Casbah was released in 2015. This was a five-song album made with the charity Strummerville. It included a version of "Rock the Casbah" that Joe Strummer and Mick Jones had asked Roger to sing on in 1981. The album also had new songs by Roger, Ranking Junior, and Hugh Harris.
In September 2016, the Beat released Bounce. This was the first new album by the Beat in 30 years. It was written by Ranking Roger, Mick Lister, and Ranking Junior. The album was recorded in Roger's special "eco-friendly hideaway," a round recording studio in his backyard called The Pod. Critics generally liked the album, praising its "passionately political edge."
The band continued to tour even after Roger's passing. As of 2020, the line-up includes Roger's son Ranking Junior (Matthew Murphy). Other members include drummers Oscar Harrison and Fuzz Townshend, saxophonist Chiko Hamilton, bass guitarist Andy Pearson, guitarist Andy Perriss, and Bobby Bird.
In 2017, the Beat toured the UK with another two-tone band, the Selecter. The tour was so popular that it was extended to other countries.
In August 2018, Ranking Roger had to go to the hospital because of a suspected mini-stroke. He recovered at home but had to cancel some shows. The band had just finished recording an album, and Roger had written his autobiography, I Just Can't Stop It, which was published in June 2019.
Personal life and death
Roger had five children. His son, Ranking Junior (Matthew Murphy), and his daughter, Saffren, both performed with him in a Beat revival band.
In January 2019, it was announced that Roger had undergone surgery for two brain tumours and was being treated for lung cancer. He passed away at his home in Birmingham on March 26, 2019, at the age of 56.
In 2021, Ranking Junior and the indie rock band the Ordinary Boys recorded a tribute song for his father called "Legacy."
One year earlier, in 2020, the band Heavensbee recorded a tribute song called Rude! Original! Suave! (Tribute to Ranking Roger) from their "We Mean Business" album.
Discography
Solo albums
- Radical Departure (1988)
- Inside My Head (2001)
The Beat Feat. Ranking Roger
- Bounce (2016)
- Public Confidential (2019)
See also
In Spanish: Ranking Roger para niños
