Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955,
BromleyBromley is a large suburban town in southeast London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It is located southeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a market town in the county...
,
KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
, England), known as 'Topper' (because of his resemblance to
Mickey the MonkeyMickey the Monkey was a comic strip which featured the eponymous fictional monkey, Mickey. The character was the cover star of British comic The Topper from its launch in 1953 until the 1970s. The strip appeared throughout the comic's run, until its merger with The Beezer. The final story was in...
from the
TopperThe Topper was a UK comic published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd that ran from 7 February 1953 to 15 September 1990, when it merged with The Beezer and both comics were renamed as Beezer and Topper which ran until 1993. A strip named "Mickey the Monkey" originally graced the front cover. In the ...
comic), is a British
rock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
drummerA drummer is a person who plays drums, particularly a drum kit , marching percussion or hand drums. The term percussionist applies to a musician performing on any percussion instrument, but usually refers to one who plays classical or Latin percussion. Most bands for Rock, Pop, Jazz, R&B etc...
, best known for his membership in the
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bandIn music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band* Dansband* Fife and drum...
,
The ClashThe Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
.
Headon is commonly recognized with the best punk rock drummers of the late 1970s and early '80s; Allmusic writes, "producer
Sandy PearlmanSandy Pearlman is an American music producer, artist manager, professor, poet, songwriter, and former record company executive...
dubbed Headon 'The Human
Drum MachineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. Drum machines are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
,' due to his impeccable timing and skills."b) Headon grew up a soul and jazz fan (an early influence was ace fusion drummer Billy Cobham), and he was once a member of a local group that opened a show for the Temptations.
c) Headon's original plan was to stay with the Clash for only a year — which he figured would give enough time to get his name known so he could move on to another more "suitable" group. But Headon quickly realized that the group was not just a one-dimensional punk band, as they branched out and touched upon a wide variety of styles — all the while never losing sight of their original punk ideals.
d) a heroin addiction had drawn a wedge between Headon and the rest of his bandmates.
e) After a planned reunion with Jones (who was expelled from the Clash himself a year after Headon's dismissal) in the group Big Audio Dynamite failed to work out, Headon focused on recording a solo album.
}}
Early life
Born on 30 May 1955 in
BromleyBromley is a large suburban town in southeast London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It is located southeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a market town in the county...
, an urban centre in the
London Borough of BromleyThe London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley.The Prime Meridian passes through Bromley.-Geography:...
,
Greater LondonGreater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and thirty two London boroughs...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Topper Headon started playing drums at an early age. He was a
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
fan, citing
Billy CobhamWilliam E. Cobham , is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader.Coming to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham is, in the words of critic Steve Huey, "generally acclaimed as fusion's greatest drummer,"...
as a strong influence. In 1973, Headon joined cult 70s progressive rock outfit
Mirkwood (band)MIRKWOOD was a British progressive-rock band formed in early 1971. The band's ancestry can be traced as far back as the original Dover-based ROLLING STONES, a skiffle and blues band formed in 1956....
, playing with them for a year and a half and during that time supporting major acts such as
SupertrampSupertramp were a British progressive rock band that released a series of top-selling albums in the 1970s and early 1980s.Their early music included ambitious concept albums, from which were drawn a number of hits including "Goodbye Stranger", "Bloody Well Right", "The Logical Song", "Breakfast in...
. He later played with a group that opened for American
R&BRhythm and blues is the name given to a wide-ranging genre of popular music created by African Americans in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
legends
The TemptationsThe Temptations are an American vocal group that achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, but he admits to occasionally lying to claim he actually played with the Temptations.
The Clash
Before meeting Headon, the Clash went through several drummers, including
Terry ChimesTerry Chimes was the original drummer of punk rock group The Clash. He originally played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again from May 1982 to February 1983...
, who recorded on the UK version of the band's
self-titled debutThe Clash is the first album-length recording released by the English punk rock band The Clash. It was released in two different versions, both of which are still in print: the original version in 1977 and the revised U.S...
. Headon—something of a '
journeymanA journeyman is a male trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship.-Origin of the title:The word 'journeyman' comes from the French word journée, meaning the period of one day; this refers to their right to charge a fee for each day's work. They would normally be employed by a master...
' drummer—originally planned to have only a brief stay with the band, to establish a reputation and then move on. After a period in the Clash, however, Headon realized the full potential of the band, and abandoned his plan to leave the group. He played on the albums
Give 'Em Enough RopeGive 'Em Enough Rope is the second album by The Clash, released in 1978. In the US it was their official debut, preceding the U.S. version of The Clash...
(1978), some tracks on
The Clash (US version) (1979),
London CallingLondon Calling is the third album by English punk rock band The Clash, released 14 December 1979, on CBS Records in the UK and in January 1980 on Epic Records in the United States. The album represented a change in The Clash's musical style, and featured elements of ska, pop, soul, rockabilly and...
(1979),
Sandinista!This article is about the punk album. For information about the political organisation see, Sandinista National Liberation Front.Sandinista! is the fourth studio album by the punk rock band The Clash. It was released in 1980 as a triple album containing 36 tracks, with 6 songs on each side...
(1980) and
Combat RockCombat Rock is the fifth studio album by The Clash, released in 1982. It was the last album to feature the classic line-up before Mick Jones was sacked and Topper Headon was kicked out for his heroin addiction....
(1982), as well as several landmark singles the Clash produced during their early period. Also of note are his lead vocal on "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" (from
Sandinista!) and his work on the hit single "
Rock the Casbah"Rock the Casbah" is a song by The Clash, released on their 1982 album Combat Rock. It was later released as a single, and is their only song to become a Top 10 hit in the United States, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Along with the track "Mustapha Dance", it would also reach...
" (from
Combat Rock), on which Headon composed most of the music and played drums,
pianoThe piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in Western music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
.
Clash singer/
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
Joe StrummerJohn Graham Mellor , better known by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash...
said that Headon's drumming skills were a vital part of the band: Headon had strength and stamina, and could play convincingly in
funkFunk is an American music genre that originated in the late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
,
reggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based...
and other styles, in addition to traditional
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
drumming.
Kicked out and years of addiction
Tensions rose between Headon and his fellow bandmembers due to his growing
heroinHeroin, or diacetylmorphine , also known as diamorphine , is a semi-synthetic opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine...
addictionThe term "addiction" is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction The term "addiction" is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction The...
. Eventually it began affecting his drumming so much that the band gave him an ultimatum: kick the habit or be kicked out. Topper was unable to give up drugs and left the band on 10 May 1982, at the beginning of the
Combat Rock tour. The band covered up the real reason for Headon's departure, claiming it was due to exhaustion.
After Headon's departure the Clash re-hired original drummer
Terry ChimesTerry Chimes was the original drummer of punk rock group The Clash. He originally played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again from May 1982 to February 1983...
for the tour.
After his work with the Clash, Topper was considered briefly for the drumming stool in Mick Jones' post-Clash band
Big Audio DynamiteBig Audio Dynamite were a British musical group formed in 1984 by the ex-guitarist and singer of The Clash, Mick Jones. The group were noted for their effective mixture of varied musical styles, incorporating elements of punk rock, dance music, hip hop, reggae, and funk...
. However, this failed to work out because of Topper's continuing addiction.
Headon subsequently focused on recording a solo album
Waking Up in 1986 released by
Mercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US, and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal Music...
, for which he enlisted guitarist
Bobby TenchRobert Tench , also known as Bob Tench, Bobby Tench and Bobby Gass, is a British vocalist and guitarist. He is best known for working with bands and artists such as Jeff Beck, Freddie King, Van Morrison, Hummingbird, Humble Pie and Streetwalkers.At the start of his career he performed and recorded...
. He also released a cover version of the
Gene KrupaGene Krupa was an influential American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.-Biography:...
classic "Drumming Man" as a single, backed by "DuKane Road". His own composition "Hope for Donna" was also included on the
Mercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US, and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal Music...
sampler
Beat Runs WildBeat Runs Wild, or as the title was put on the cover From A Lowdown Dive To Way Up There This Is A Modern Saga Of Troubadours For Whom The Beat Runs Wild, was a 1986 Mercury Records sampler released commercially on vinyl album and cassette .The album, which had the subtitle "9 Tracks, 9 Cats, 9...
of the same year . After this album Headon was sent to jail on drug supplying charges.
Headon has spent time in the Addiction Treatment Program at the
PrioryThe Priory Group is an independent provider of mental health care facilities in the United Kingdom. They also manage schools, some for students with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism...
Psychiatric Hospital in
North LondonNorth London is the northern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes.-Boundary Commission:At its widest extent, North London is the part of Greater London that is north of the River Thames...
to deal with his addiction; the hospital is internationally renowned.
Post-addiction work
Headon was interviewed extensively for the
rockumentaryThe term rockumentary is a neologism denoting a program on television or movie documentary about Rock music or its musicians. It is a portmanteau of the words "rock" and "documentary." The term was used by Bill Drake in the 1969 History of Rock & Roll radio broadcast, and by Rob Reiner in the...
Westway to the WorldThe Clash: Westway to the World is a 2000 documentary film about the British punk rock band The Clash. Directed by Don Letts, the film combines old footage from the band's personal collection filmed in 1982 when The Clash went to New York with new interviews conducted for the film by Mal Peachey...
. During the movie, he frankly apologized about his addiction and speculated that had he not been kicked out, the band might have lasted longer and might possibly still be together. Given the chance to repeat the experience, however, he states that he has no regrets and would do it all again, "because that's the kind of person he is".
Since the Clash broke up, he has rarely been heard from, though he did produce albums for New York band
Bush TetrasThe Bush Tetras were an American post-punk band from New York City, popular in the Manhattan club scene in the early 1980s but never achieving much mainstream success. Their music combined funk rhythms and dissonant guitar riffs....
. Headon contributed drums to Chelsea's 1989 Underwraps.
Although he has mostly moved out of the public eye, Headon continues to play gigs; it was after one of his shows at a pub that he was informed of the death of Clash frontman
Joe StrummerJohn Graham Mellor , better known by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash...
. Obviously emotional, Headon said:
Headon also lamented the fact that the classic Clash line-up had been considering a reunion at the time of Strummer's death after the positive reunion during the
Westway to the World rockumentary.
Headon was extensively interviewed for the
Joe Strummer: The Future Is UnwrittenJoe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten is a 2007 documentary film directed by Julien Temple about Joe Strummer, the lead singer of the English punk rock band The Clash, that went on to win the British Independent Film Awards as Best British Documentary 2007. The film premiered January 20, 2007 at...
documentary film, about the late Clash frontman. He related his experiences during this period how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal. For example, Joe once slept with his girlfriend, which caused a lot of pain to Nick, and Mick Jones didn't want any bus-travelling without
potCannabisalso known as marijuana or marihuana, and ganja , among many other namesrefers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug...
. Topper also said that seeing the video of "
Rock the Casbah"Rock the Casbah" is a song by The Clash, released on their 1982 album Combat Rock. It was later released as a single, and is their only song to become a Top 10 hit in the United States, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Along with the track "Mustapha Dance", it would also reach...
" with "someone else (
Terry ChimesTerry Chimes was the original drummer of punk rock group The Clash. He originally played with them from July 1976 to November 1976, January 1977 to April 1977, and again from May 1982 to February 1983...
) in
my place playing
my song" caused him to fall in even greater depression and heavier drug addiction. It appears that his addiction was only part of the growing tension in the band that led to Mick Jones dismissal a year later and the eventual break-up of the band in 1986.
On 11 January 2008,
Carbon/SiliconCarbon/Silicon is a Garage Rock duo consisting of two experienced punk rock musicians: Mick Jones formerly of The Clash and former Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik member Tony James. The band formed around 2002.-Career:...
, the new band of
Mick JonesMichael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist and a vocalist for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983...
,
Tony JamesTony James is a British musician, best known as a bassist of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik.- Career :He was originally a member of the punk band London SS, along with Brian James, , and Mick Jones plus Terry Chimes .Later, James joined the early punk band Chelsea...
,
Leo WilliamsLeo Williams, also known as E-zee-kill, is an English-Jamaican bass guitarist residing in the United Kingdom.After a stint with the band Basement 5, Williams co-founded Big Audio Dynamite in 1984, a band led by Mick Jones, best known from The Clash...
and Dominic Greensmith, played a show at the Carbon Casino Club, The Inn on the Green, 3-5 Thorpe Close,
PortobelloPortobello or Porto Bello may refer to:Placenames* Portobelo, Panama * The Battle of Porto Bello, a 1739 British naval victory from which may other uses take their name.* Portobello, Dublin, Ireland...
Green, London. Headon joined the band on stage during
The ClashThe Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
's "
Train in Vain (Stand by Me)"Train In Vain" is a song from the album London Calling by the British punk rock band The Clash. The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing,c) “Train in Vain,” written in one night and recorded the next day, was initially going to be given away as a promotion with the British...
". An encore followed with Headon playing drums on "
Should I Stay or Should I Go"Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. It was written in 1981 and featured Mick Jones on lead vocals. It became the band's only number-one single, a decade after it was originally released. In November 2004, it was ranked at 228 on Rolling Stone's...
". This performance marked the first time since 1982 that Headon and Jones had performed together on stage.
In a February 2008 newspaper article Headon revealed that in 2003 he started to experience serious back pain, a frequent complaint of aging rock drummers. Diagnosed with
hyperkyphosisHyperkyphosis, colloquially called “dowager’s hump,” refers to excessive kyphotic, or anteriorly concave, curvature of the thoracic region of the spine. A kyphosis angle over 40° - the 95th percentile value for young adults - is currently used to define hyperkyphosis....
- forward curvature of the back - he underwent intense posture adjustment treatment and continues to exercise daily. He notes that, on his recent appearance with Jones, he exhibited his new upright stance.
He currently lives in the
DoverDover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; west of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
area of
KentKent , originally Cantia, is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent...
, in the southeast of England
Drumming style
As a drummer, Headon often employed a distinctive style which emphasized a simple
bassA bass drum is a relatively large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The bass drums are of variable sizes and are used in several musical genres . Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished: the large orchestral bass drum, the smaller kick' drum, and the...
-
snareThe snare drum is a drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom...
up-
down beat, accentuated with closed
hi-hatA hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.-Operation:...
flourishes. Such a method can be found in the songs "
Clampdown"Clampdown" is a single and a song by The Clash from their album London Calling. The song began as a instrumental track called "Working and Waiting". It is sometimes called "Working for the Clampdown" which is the main lyric of the song, and also the title provided on the album's lyric sheet...
", "
Train in Vain"Train In Vain" is a song from the album London Calling by the British punk rock band The Clash. The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing,c) “Train in Vain,” written in one night and recorded the next day, was initially going to be given away as a promotion with the British...
", and "
Lost in the Supermarket"Lost in the Supermarket" is a 1979 song by The Clash. Written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones and produced by Guy Stevens, it is credited to the Strummer/Jones songwriting partnership. It was released on their third studio album London Calling. It is the eighth song on the track listing...
". His drumming on "
Train in Vain"Train In Vain" is a song from the album London Calling by the British punk rock band The Clash. The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing,c) “Train in Vain,” written in one night and recorded the next day, was initially going to be given away as a promotion with the British...
" has been characterized as one of the most important and distinctive beats in rock music.b) Despite his personal failings, his contribution to the music was tremendous, and his drumming remains an undiscovered treasure for too many.
}} Writes
Scott KenemoreScott Kenemore is an American writer and drummer.He is the author of the satire The Zen of Zombie: Better Living Through the Undead. and Z.E.O. , and also writes about drums and drumming....
, "[h]s contribution to the music was tremendous, and his drumming remains an undiscovered treasure for too many."
Discography
- For recordings made with the Clash, please see The Clash discography
This article presents the discography of British punk rock band The Clash.-1977–1978:The Clash's first official recording was the single for "White Riot", released by CBS Records in March 1977...
.
Topper Headon has released one studio album, one
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
, and three singles as a solo artist and featured on several other artists albums.
Singles
Got To Get Out of This Heat (Extd Mix)(CAN)"
|align="left" valign="top" |
Waking Up
|align="center" valign="top" |
MercuryMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US, and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal Music...
|align="center" valign="top" |12"
|-
|align="left" valign="top" |1986
|align="left" valign="top" |"I'll Give You Everything (7" mix) / I'll Give You Everything (Dub Ruj)
I'll Give You Everything (Douce Ruj) / You're So Cheeky"
|align="left" valign="top" |
Waking Up
|align="center" valign="top" |
MercuryMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US, and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal Music...
|align="center" valign="top" |12"
|}