Biography
When the Birmingham, England-based Beat disbanded, the band’s two vocalists, Dave Wakeling (19 February 1956, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England) and Ranking Roger (b. Roger Charlery, 21 February 1961, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England), formed General Public with ex-Specials bass player Horace Panter (b. Stephen Graham Panter, 20 August 1953, Croydon, Surrey, England), Stoker (b. Andy Growcott, England; drums), Mickey Billingham (keyboards) and Kevin White (guitar). A self-titled debut single on Virgin Records combined a strong pop sound with an underlying dance feel and brushed the UK charts. ‘Tenderness’, in October, fared better in the USA (on I.R.S. Records), coinciding with a fine debut album, ... All The Rage, which featured additional guitar from Mick Jones of the Clash and saxophone from former Beat colleague Saxa. Without a UK hit, the band’s blend of musical influences, characterized by Roger’s all-round skills, was largely...
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