Roger Charlery entered the world in Birmingham, England, on February 21, 1961, and later earned widespread recognition as the singer and toaster who shared frontman duties in both the English Beat and General Public. During his teenage years he developed a strong interest in punk rock. In 1978 he became a member of the ska revival pioneers the English Beat, where his partnership with vocalist Dave Wakeling created a distinctive dual-lead dynamic at the front of the stage. Following three albums, among them the acclaimed I Just Can't Stop It, Charlery and Wakeling left the group in 1983 to launch General Public, a project that leaned more heavily into pop and soul textures and drew additional players from the Specials and Dexy's Midnight Runners. The new band issued two albums, 1984's All the Rage and 1986's Hand to Mouth, before disbanding.
Charlery promptly revisited his reggae foundations, collaborating once more with Pato Banton—who had first appeared on the English Beat's final release—and issuing his own reggae-focused debut, Radical Departure, through IRS. In the early 1990s he formed Special Beat, recruiting musicians from both the English Beat and the Specials; the ensemble achieved popularity through tours across the U.K. and Japan that featured material from the two source bands. During 1994, Charlery and Wakeling reconvened General Public and landed a hit with their reading of the Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There," featured in the film Threesome. The 1995 release Rub It Better followed, after which the group dissolved once more.
Charlery subsequently joined Big Audio Dynamite on the road and contributed to recordings by Sting, Death in Vegas, and Pato Banton. He also guested on the first solo outing by Fuzz Townshend, the drummer from Radical Departure who later aligned with Pop Will Eat Itself and Bentley Rhythm Ace. In 2001 Charlery delivered another solo effort, Inside My Head, on Paras; portions retained traditional reggae and ska elements while others reflected his engagement with electronica, particularly jungle's reggae lineage and the broader impact of dub.
