Charlie Harper

Born David Charles Perez on 25 April 1944 in London, England, Charlie Harper launched his first group at twenty under the name Charlie Harper’s Free Press, which soon became the Charlie Harper Band. He also sat in with Bandana on several occasions. When punk arrived in 1976 he was performing with the Marauders, a group partly financed by his work as a hairdresser. The Marauders gradually evolved into the Subs and ultimately the UK Subs. Once the UK Subs were established, Harper found time to pursue his longstanding interest in R&B and classic-rock covers. Two singles appeared on his own account: “Barmy London Army” in 1980, written as a tribute to Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69, and “Freaked” in 1981, whose b-side “Jo” carried an unexpectedly affecting tone. The following year he issued the album Stolen Property on Flicknife Records. Among the cover versions he recorded were “Pills,” “Louie Louie,” “Hey Joe,” “Light My Fire,” “Waiting For the Man,” “Femme Fatale” and “Hoochie Coochie Man.” His chief undertaking apart from the Subs was the Urban Dogs, who released albums in 1982 and 1985; the line-up included former UK Subs members along with Knox, formerly of the Vibrators, and Simon Smith, once of the Merton Parkas. In 1986 Harper joined musicians he knew from Hanoi Rocks and Cherry Bombz to form the Suicide Twins. He has maintained his association with the UK Subs, drawing continued inspiration from the band’s earlier achievements.