Biographic - Sunday September 2, 2007 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

Released in the U.S. in 1980 "London Calling" the third album from punk pioneers The Clash- was later declared the best album of the 1980s by Rolling Stone Magazine over 20 years since the group split up, bands from Green Day to Sum41 are testaments to the lasting impact of The Clash. Formed in London in 1976, The Clash were at the forefront of the punk rock wave that swept Britain that year the band's U.S. label initially declined to release their debut album, deeming it unsuitable for radio play. North American fans were forced to buy imported copies, and it quickly became the biggest-selling import album in U.S. history. By the early 1980s, The Clash had conquered America! But the constant touring and recording took a toll. Drummer Topper Headon was jettisoned in 1982. The following year, Guitarist Mick Jones was sacked. (He would re-emerge in 1985 at the helm of Dance-rock outfit Big Audio Dynamite) Joe Strummer and bassist Paul Simonon recruited new band members, but the writings was on the wall, and in late 1995, The Clash disbanded. Simonon has recently resurfaced collaborating with Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz fame) in the band The Good, The Bad and The Queen. Mick Jones now fronts Carbon/Silicon, and has produced the likes of The Libertines. Following the split, Strummer dabbled in acting and briefly replaced Shane McGowan as lead singer with The Pogues, before forming Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros. He died in 2002, an undetected heart defect ending his life at the age of 50. One of the most influential bands in rock history, The Clash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

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