CJ (musician)

Christopher Paul Persaud-Jagdhar (born 27 December 1967), known professionally as CJ Wildheart, is an English musician of Guyanese and Seychellois descent. He is a solo artist and also a founding member of the rock band the Wildhearts. He was born in Colchester, and his early childhood was spent living in various military bases in Malaysia and Europe whilst his father and mother served in the British army. The family eventually moved back to the UK during his teens.

Biography

CJ was involved with several local bands including Medusa, before achieving his first notable success in the late 1980s as the guitarist for London-based hair rockers Tattooed Love Boys. The band released their debut album ''Bleeding Hearts and Needle Marks'' in 1988 before splitting up shortly afterwards.

In 1989 CJ formed the Wildhearts with ex- the Quireboys guitarist Ginger. Despite being plagued by widely reported drug and alcohol problems, the band enjoyed considerable mainstream success during the early 1990s, including two UK top 20 hits. In 1994, at their commercial peak, CJ was unexpectedly kicked out during the recording of the '' P.H.U.Q.'' album due to personal differences between himself and Ginger.

CJ joined former Grip frontman Willie Dowling to form Honeycrack in 1995; that band signed to Epic Records. They released one album ''Prozaic'' in 1996 which charted at number 34 in the UK. Honeycrack toured with the likes of Alanis Morissette, Weezer, and Skunk Anansie throughout 1995 and 1996 and appeared at the Phoenix Festival and T in The Park. The band broke away from Epic in late 1996 and eventually disbanded. In 1998 CJ formed The Jellys with ex-Wildhearts drummer Stidi and former Wolfsbane bassist Jeff Hately. They released two studio albums and one live album between 1998 and 2001.

CJ released his first solo album ''Thirteen'' in 2007 under the moniker CJ & The Satellites. The album was supported with live dates in the UK and China but the project was put on hiatus due to the reformation of the Wildhearts in 2009. The album was reissued on CD and vinyl in 2014. Also in 2014, during a Wildhearts hiatus, CJ released the album ''Mable'', which was funded through the Pledgemusic platform. ''Mable'' reached number 23 in the UK album chart; it also reached number 2 in the Official UK Rock Chart and number 2 in the Independent Album Breakers Chart, CJ's highest chart positions as a solo artist. Reviews were positive across the board. ''Uber Rock'' commented "Not many albums will touch ''Mable'' this year". The album scored highly in end of year poll lists including number 2 the ''Pure Rawk'' album of the year list, number 6 in the ''Uber Rock'' album of the year list, and number 1 in the ''Rock 'n' Roll Geek Show'' album of the year list. On 6 March 2015 ''Mable'' received the Album of the Year award at the Pure Rawk Awards held in London.

CJ released two more albums funded by pledge campaigns: ''Robot'' in 2015 and ''Blood'' in 2017. He has also launched his own brand of hot sauce called "Devilspit". He rejoined the Wildhearts for another reformation of that band in 2018.

Solo discography

*''Thirteen'' (2007) ''–'' as CJ and the Satellites
*''Mable'' (2014)
*''Robot'' (2015)
*''Blood'' (2017)
*''Siege'' (2020) ''–'' mini album
*''Lives'' (2022) ''–'' compilation
*''Kicks'' (2023) ''–'' live album
*''Split'' (2023)
*''Slots'' (2025)

References

External links

Interview with CJ in Glasgow, Scotland, 2009Interview with CJ

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wildheart, CJ
Living people

1967 births

English rock guitarists
English male guitarists
The Wildhearts members
Musicians from Colchester