Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955, Bromley, Kent, England), known as 'Topper' (because of his resemblance to Mickey the Monkey from the Topper comic), is a British rock and roll drummer, best known for his membership in the punk rock band, The Clash.
Headon is commonly recognized with the best punk rock drummers of the late 1970s and early '80s; Allmusic writes, "producer Sandy Pearlman dubbed Headon 'The Human Drum Machine,' due t...
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Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955, Bromley, Kent, England), known as 'Topper' (because of his resemblance to Mickey the Monkey from the Topper comic), is a British rock and roll drummer, best known for his membership in the punk rock band, The Clash.
Headon is commonly recognized with the best punk rock drummers of the late 1970s and early '80s; Allmusic writes, "producer Sandy Pearlman dubbed Headon 'The Human Drum Machine,' due to his impeccable timing and skills."
Born on 30 May 1955 in Bromley, an urban centre in the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London, England, Topper Headon started playing drums at an early age. He was a jazz fan, citing Billy Cobham as a strong influence. In 1973, Headon joined cult 70s progressive rock outfit Mirkwood (band) , playing with them for a year and a half and during that time supporting major acts such as Supertramp. He later played with a group that opened for American R&B; legends The Temptations, but he admits to occasionally...
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