Ranking Roger (b. 21 February 1961), born Roger Charlery in Birmingham, is an English musician. He was a vocalist in the 1980s two-tone band, The Beat (known in the U.S. as The English Beat) and one of its successor bands, General Public. ...show more

Ranking Roger (b. 21 February 1961), born Roger Charlery in Birmingham, is an English musician. He was a vocalist in the 1980s two-tone band, The Beat (known in the U.S. as The English Beat) and one of its successor bands, General Public.

He leads a re-formed Beat line-up. Roger became a punk rock fan as a teenager and joined ska revival pioneers the Beat in the late 1970s. 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 with Dave Wakeling, were crucial in distinguishing the band from the other second-wave ska bands.

The Beat released three albums: the critically-acclaimed and seminal I Just Can't Stop It (1980), Wha'ppen (1981) and Special Beat Service (1982). After The Beat's 1983 break-up, he and Wakeling formed General Public with Mickey Billingham and Stoker of Dexy's Midnight Runners and Horace Panter of The Specials. They released the album All the Rage, a British hit, aided by the single "Tenderness". In 1986 they released Hand to Mouth which was significantly less successful, and the band soon split up. ...show less