TOPPER HEADON

Drummer Topper Headon wasn't an original member of the Clash, but it was his arrival that helped push them to the next musical level, as he quickly became an integral part of the group. Born Nicholas Bowen Headon on May 30, 1955 in Bromely, Kent, Headon grew up a soul and jazz fan (an early influence was ace fusion drummer Billy Cobham), and he was once a member of a local group that opened a show for the Temptations. It was through an acquaintance, guitarist Mick Jones, that Headon got the heads up about a tryout with the Clash in 1977 -- after the group had gone through an e...