So sad that he died so young. But before he passed on, I Just Can’t Stop It: My Life in the Beat by Ranking Roger was completed.
The book, which is published by Omnibus in June, covers 288 pages and is described as the story of one of the UK’s biggest 2-Tone bands (The Beat), who at the height of their fame in the early 80s, had three top-selling UK albums and like the Specials, epitomised the 2-tone multi-racial approach to music and life in urban Britain.
The story begins in 1979, when 16 year-old Birmingham school boy Roger – a punk fan – was invited to appear on stage at a local pub with the newly-formed ska band, The Beat.
Roger’s energetic style and Jamaican-influenced vocals, paired with Dave Wakeling’s pop vocals, immediately distinguished the band from the other ska bands around at the time – The Specials, Selecter and Madness.
This is that story told for the fight time in conjunction with music writer Daniel Rachel. The sad part of it all is that the story ended so early and so abruptly, when he was back recording new music and playing live shows.
The book is available from 13th June 2019 and available to pre-order now, priced at £14.95.
Find out more at the Amazon website
