James Timothy Pursey (born 9 February 1955) is an English rock musician. The founder and frontman of Sham 69, he has performed with the punk rock band since 1976, along with releasing material as a solo artist.
Prior to the break-up of the original band in 1980, Sham 69 released four long-players via Polydor Records and had six UK top 50 singles, with hits including “If The Kids Are United”, “Hurry Up Harry” and “Hersham Boys”.
Pursey later set up a short-lived new band with Steve Jones and Paul Cook, formerly of The Sex Pistols, titled the “Sham Pistols”, before embarking on a solo career. He also worked around this period as a record producer on the early releases by Cockney Rejects, and the Angelic Upstarts.
Reforming Sham 69 in 1986, with co-founder and guitarist Dave Parsons, Pursey has gone on to perform with various different iterations of the band and continues to play live today.
THE SONG
Borstal Breakout
Song by Sham 69
Well now I’ve got the chance I don’t care about what I do
When I done them things I done them just for you
And now I’m getting out coming back for you
There’s gonna be a borstal breakout
There’s gonna be a borstal breakout
There’s gonna be a borstal breakout
There’s gonna be a borstal breakout
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