Topper Headon

Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955) is an English drummer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer of punk rock band the Clash.

In 1973, he joined the cult progressive rock outfit Mirkwood.

He appeared with them for a year and a half, and they supported major acts such as Supertramp.

He later played with a band that opened for American R&B legends the Temptations and admits to falsely claiming that he played with the Temptations.

He joined the Clash in 1977 and became famed for his drumming skills.

He received his nickname owing to his resemblance to Mickey the Monkey from the Topper comic.

Headon spent his early childhood in Crockenhill, northwest Kent, before attending Dover Grammar School for Boys.

He started playing drums at an early age and was a jazz fan, citing Billy Cobham as a strong influence.

Originally Headon joined the Clash in 1977 with the intention of establishing a reputation as a drummer before moving on to other projects, but he soon realised their full potential and remained with them for four-and-a-half years.

His first live performance was at Le Chartreux Cinema, Rouen, France on April 26, 1977.

Headon appeared on the albums Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978), The Clash (1979 US version), London Calling (1979), Sandinista! (1980) and Combat Rock (1982), as well as several landmark singles the Clash recorded during their early period.

He performed lead vocal on "Ivan Meets G.I. Joe" from Sandinista! and composed most of the music and played drums, piano and bass guitar on the hit single "Rock the Casbah" from Combat Rock.

During the 1980s Headon produced albums for New York band Bush Tetras.

During the late 1980s Headon drove mini-cabs to finance his heroin addiction, and later busked on the London Underground with bongo drums.

At some point in the 1980s, Headon contracted Hepatitis C, which, along with his alcohol intake, led to severe liver problems.

Tensions rose between Headon and his fellow band members due to his addiction, and he 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, the apparent growing use of heroin, claiming Headon's exit was due to exhaustion.

Strummer had even asked Headon once: "How can I be singing anti-drug songs with you sitting behind me?"

In a later interview for the rockumentary The Clash: Westway to the World, he apologised for his addiction and speculated that, had he not been asked to leave the Clash, the band might have lasted longer and might possibly still be together.

He also lamented that the best known 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.

After leaving the Clash, he was considered as drummer in Mick Jones's post-Clash band Big Audio Dynamite and played in a short-lived group called Samurai, with bassist Pete Farndon, guitarist Henry Padovani, organist Mick Gallagher, and vocalist Steve Allen (formerly of Deaf School).

This performance marked the first time since 1982 that Headon and Jones had performed together on stage.

Headon subsequently focused on recording a solo album, Waking Up (1986), which featured Mick Gallagher, Bobby Tench and Jimmy Helms.

He also released a cover version of the Gene Krupa instrumental "Drumming Man" as a single, which featured Headon's "DuKane Road" on the B-side.

His own composition "Hope for Donna" was included on the Mercury Records sampler Beat Runs Wild, in the same year.

In 1989 he contributed drums to the punk rock band Chelsea's Underwraps (1989).

He also appeared on Super Black Market Clash (1993), which included B-sides from the band's single releases.

Clash singer/guitarist Joe Strummer is quoted as saying Headon's drumming skills were a vital part of the band.

After a live show in 2002, he was informed of the death of Clash frontman Joe Strummer.

An emotional Headon stated: "It's taken Joe's death to make me realise just how big the Clash were. We were a political band and Joe was the one who wrote the lyrics. Joe was one of the truest guys you could ever meet. If he said 'I am behind you', then you knew he meant it 100 percent."

Known for his contributions to the drumming world, Headon was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of The Clash in 2003.

Headon was extensively interviewed for the Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten documentary film about the late Clash frontman, which was released in 2007.

Headon related his experiences during this period, how he became addicted to heroin and how there were problems before his dismissal.

Headon also stated that seeing the video of "Rock the Casbah" with "someone else (Terry Chimes) in my place playing my song" caused him to fall in even greater depression and heavier drug addiction.

On 11 January 2008, he performed with Carbon/Silicon at the Carbon Casino Club in Portobello London, being included with the line-up of Mick Jones, Tony James, Leo Williams and Dominic Greensmith.

Headon joined the band on stage during the Clash's "Train in Vain (Stand by Me)".

An encore followed with Headon playing drums on "Should I Stay or Should I Go".

In a February 2008 newspaper article Headon revealed that in 2003 he started to experience serious back pain, a frequent complaint of ageing rock drummers.

Diagnosed with hyperkyphosis, a 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.