English beat founder ‘Ranking Roger’ Charlery dies at 56

[Fansome]

English beat founder ‘Ranking Roger’ Charlery dies at 56

Wednesday, March 27, 2019 | 8:40 a.m.

LONDON — Musician "Ranking Roger" Charlery, singer with ska band The English Beat, has died at the age of 56.

The band says Charlery died Tuesday "peacefully at his home surrounded by family." He suffered a stroke last year and had recently been diagnosed with two brain tumors and lung cancer.

Formed in 1978, The Beat — rebranded The English Beat in North America — was a key player in Britain's "two-tone" ska movement. The band's early 1980s hits included "Mirror in the Bathroom," ''Tears of a Clown" and "Stand Down Margaret," a political anthem directed at then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Charlery later formed the band General Public and recorded and performed with Sting.

Sting said in an Instagram post Wednesday that Charlery had been part of "one of the most influential periods in the history of British pop music," as Caribbean music and culture met "young white bands struggling to find an identity in Thatcher's disunited kingdom."

He said Charlery had been at the center of a "febrile and explosive clash of cultures, uniquely placed to document the excitement of those times."

"Thank you, Roger. You will be missed," Sting wrote.

[MDK2]

Love the Beat, but they got the detail about his membership in the band wrong. He used to gatecrash their shows and toast on stage with them but it was a while before they invited him in to be a member. So he can't be described as a "founding member." Anyway, it's sad news. This song was my first introduction to the band, because two tone ska wasn't played much on the radio but it was on MTV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84prcvTcD5g

[Josh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bM0wVjU2-k

56 is too young

[Pigmeat]

Girl's liked to dance to them and thought I was pretty cool for having their records before the video revolution. Made 'em want to whin-a-grind wit' me. I'm a cool stroka, don'cha know.

Rest in peace, Roger.

[Pigmeat]

BTW, you guy's should've heard Al belt out "Twist And Crawl" when he saw Belinda in those days. I tried to tell him it was the by the wrong band, the guy he was thinking about some suedehead from England who was trying to woo my Jane. It was about that time we got restraining orders banning us from all Go-Go's show's, a tough blow for the Big A.

Man, I cut my knuckles all to Hell on that guy's National Health teeth.

[Strange Beacons]

Sad news, indeed. I'm a huge fan of The English Beat, and all ska music, in general.

Requiescat In Pace.