b. David Charles Perez, 25 April 1944, London, England. Forming his first band at the age of 20, Charlie Harper’s Free Press gave way to the Charlie Harper Band, although he made several appearances in another band called Bandana. By the advent of punk in 1976, Harper was playing with the Marauders, subsidized in part by his employment as a hairdresser. The Marauders would eventually transmute into the Subs, and finally the UK Subs. With the UK Subs established, Harper was able to indulge himself a little in his favourite hobby, playing R&B and classic rock cover versions. Two singles, ‘Barmy London Army’ and ‘Freaked’, emerged in 1980 and 1981. The first was a tribute to Jimmy Pursey (Sham 69), the second notable for the oddly poignant b-side, ‘Jo’. These were followed a year later by Stolen Property on Flicknife Records. Notable cover versions included ‘Pills’, ‘Louie Louie’, ‘Hey Joe’, ‘Light My Fire’, ‘Waiting For the Man’, ‘Femme Fatale’ and ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’. His other major project outside of the Subs has been the Urban Dogs, who released two albums in 1982 and 1985. They included various old members of the UK Subs, in addition to Knox (ex-Vibrators) and Simon Smith (ex-Merton Parkas). In 1986 Harper teamed up with old friends from Hanoi Rocks and Cherry Bombz in the Suicide Twins. He has also continued to perform with the UK Subs, milking former glories as sustenance.
Hometown
London, England
Genre
Pop
Charlie Harper: Member of
Charlie Harper is also a member of, or has been a member of the following groups