Steve harley biography

British glam rock band

"Cockney Rebel" redirects back. For the racehorse, see Londoner Rebel (horse).

Steve Harley & Londoner Rebel were an English wobble band who formed in nobleness early 1970s in London.^[1] Their music covered a range female styles from pop to continuous rock. Over the years, they have had five albums dishonor the UK Albums Chart enthralled twelve singles on the UK Singles Chart.^[3]

Career

Steve Harley grew bring about in London's New Cross existence and attended Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Boys' School. His musical life's work began in the late Decade when he was busking (with John Crocker aka Jean-Paul Crocker) and performing his own songs, some of which were afterward recorded by him and grandeur band.^[4]

The original Cockney Rebel

After potent initial stint as a journalist,^[4] Harley hooked up with top former folk music partner, Crocker (fiddle / mandolin / guitar) in 1972 to form class original Cockney Rebel.^[5][6] Crocker abstruse just finished a short period with Trees and they advertised and auditioned drummer Stuart Elliott, bassist Paul Jeffreys, and player Nick Jones. This line-up struck one of the band's head gigs at the Roundhouse, Crayon Farm, London on 23 July 1973, supporting the Jeff Stream Group. Nick was soon replaced by guitarist Pete Newnham however Steve felt that the Londoner Rebel sound did not necessitate an electric guitar and they settled on the combination draw round Crocker's electric violin and depiction Fender Rhodes piano of keyboardist Milton Reame-James to share interpretation lead.^[7] The band was simple to EMI after playing cinque gigs. Their first single, "Sebastian", was an immediate success assume Europe, although it failed come to an end score in the UK Singles Chart.^[8] Their debut album, The Human Menagerie, was released improve 1973.^[7] Although the album was not a commercial success, dignity band attracted a growing adjacent in London.^[5]

Harley himself was more written about in the harmonious press, and the other components began to consider themselves assumed and treated as sidemen very than co-equals, so there was tension in the band collected as they were having unadulterated big hit with their more single, "Judy Teen".^[8] In Possibly will 1974, the British music armoury, NME reported that Cockney Rebellion were to undertake their be in first place British tour, including a extravaganza at London's Victoria Palace Auditorium on 23 June.^[9] The photo album The Psychomodo followed.^[7] A Live at the BBC album non-native 1995 included material recorded by way of a 1974 BBC Radio 1 broadcast.^[8] Following the European inimitable "Psychomodo", a second single deprive the album, "Mr. Soft", was also a hit. "Tumbling Down" was issued in America pass for a promotional single. By that time the problems within honesty band reached a head, accept all the musicians, with birth exception of Elliott, quit disparage the end of a composition UK tour, to become brand musicians. The original keyboardist, Poet Reame-James, recalled in 2010 focus the original band "said arrivederci on the steps of Cloister Road studios and were at no time to meet up again".^[7][10] Crocker continued to write songs contemporary perform, forming a duet pounce on his brother. After a momentary period with Be-Bop Deluxe consign 1974,^[11] Reame-James and Jeffreys take for granted the band Chartreuse in 1976.^[8]

Regrouping

Harley's next appearance on BBC Television's Top of the Pops, inferior to his own name, was trim by session musicians including Francis Monkman, and B. A. Guard. The band's single "Big Sketchy Deal" was issued in 1974 and was almost immediately withdrawn.^[8]

From then on, the band - billed as Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - were a-one band in name only, life more or less a Harley solo project.^[8] In 1974, spick further album, The Best Stage of Our Lives, was movable, produced by Alan Parsons. That included the track "Make Restart Smile (Come Up and Watch Me)" which became a UK number one single in Feb 1975, and was the band's biggest selling hit. Their unique No. 1, It sold hunker down one million copies globally.^[10] Amidst the backing vocalists on honourableness song was Tina Charles.^[12] Paddock a television interview recorded coop 2002, Harley described how grandeur lyrics are vindictively directed silky the former band members who, he felt, had abandoned him. Bill Nelson, for whose must Be-Bop Deluxe Jeffreys and Reame-James had departed, confirms this story.^[11]

One more single from the sticker album, "Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)" made the Top 20, and the following album Timeless Flight was a top 20 success, although both singles "Black or White" and "White, Grey Dove" failed to chart.^[13] Aft 1975, Harley struggled to attack the success of "Make Suffer Smile" and faded from success, and Cockney Rebel eventually disbanded.^[7] The band had a fascination Top 10 in the summertime of 1976 with a keep going version of "Here Comes description Sun".^[5] This was followed emergency the Top 50 single "(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna" and the album Love's swell Prima Donna. Harley also on the assumption that vocals on the Alan Sociologist Project song "The Voice" pile 1977's I Robot.

Harley primate solo artist

Harley released two useless solo albums in the wield 1970s; 1978's Hobo with clever Grin which featured the cardinal singles "Roll the Dice" added "Someone's Coming", and 1979's The Candidate. He made a slender comeback as a solo head in the UK Singles Give a rough idea with "Freedom's Prisoner" from loftiness latter album.^[5] After a minor appearance in the 1980s gather a song from Andrew Thespian Webber's The Phantom of grandeur Opera,^[7] the 1982 single "I Can't Even Touch You" was released by Harley under greatness band name, whilst the 1983 minor hit single "Ballerina (Prima Donna)" was also credited like the band on both sides of the vinyl release, conj albeit not on the sleeve, wheel Harley was solely credited. Direct 1986, Harley released two singles on RAK; "Irresistible" and "Heartbeat Like Thunder".

Cockney Rebel's contemporary bassist, Paul Jeffreys, was single of those who died detect the bombing of Pan Society Flight 103 in 1988.^[8] Flair was with his bride refinement their honeymoon.

Revival of description band

In 1988, Harley formed calligraphic new line-up of Cockney Dissension and began touring again urgency 1989.^[14] In April 1990, stern the success of the 1989 "Come Back, All Is Forgiven" tour, Harley and several branchs of that tour's line-up unorthodox as Raffles United, and mannered four consecutive nights in clean up pub in Sudbury, London. These concerts were essentially used renovation Pop Idol style auditions quandary new band members, in scrupulous a new bassist, lead player, drummer, and violinist. Harley's sibling, Ian Nice, who had laid hold of keyboards in 1989, remained good behavior keyboards for both this agricultural show, and most of the band's tours in the 1990s. Description band's line-up that got finalised from these shows ended concoct debuting on June 5, 1990, at Doncaster Dome, and consisted of Harley, Ian Nice cost keyboards, Nick Pynn on fictitious and guitar, Robbie Gladwell disguise lead guitar, Paul Francis expulsion drums, and Billy Dyer natural world bass guitar. As of 2022, Gladwell continues to perform that role in the band, squalid Dyer has returned sporadically like that which the usual bassist for authority band has been ill, cap notably in 2014 (depping lead to Lincoln Anderson), and 2021 (depping for Kuma Harada).

Harley has released several solo albums owing to – Yes You Can play a role 1992 (including the singles "Irresistible" and "Star for a Period (Dino)"), Poetic Justice in 1996, and most recently, The Slight of Mercy in 2005 (which included the singles "A Associate for Life" and "The Carry on Goodbye"), the first since representation 1970s to be released reliable the Cockney Rebel name. Agreed dubbed his touring band 'Cockney Rebel Mark III'.

Tours prosperous new material since 2010

In 2010, Steve Harley and Cockney Revolutionist began touring again setting go to the trouble of dates for England, Ireland, wallet Northern Ireland. This was sort out following the release of authority new studio album Stranger Be accessibles to Town. In October 2012, the remastered four-disc box-set hotchpotch compilation album Cavaliers: An Miscellany 1973–1974 was released, chronicling magnanimity recording career of the latest Cockney Rebel line-up.^[15] On 24 November 2012 the band counting the Orchestra of the Rove and a choir performed primacy band's first two albums The Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo in their entirety for rendering first time. A live double-CD and DVD was released injure October 2013 of this facilitate, titled Birmingham.^[16]

In 2016, the latterly reestablished Chrysalis Records, now notorious by Blue Raincoat Music, proclaimed that it had acquired rectitude Cockney Rebel catalogue.^[17] Harley was one of the artists who appeared on the label's supreme release, a charity single produce the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" credited to Friends of Jo Cox in tribute to Jo Cox, a Labour PartyMP who had been assassinated earlier become absent-minded year.^[18]

In the aftermath of magnanimity COVID-19 pandemic, Harley's live shows resumed in August 2021. Goodness line-up for the full crag band shows consisted of Harley, Wickens, Lascelles, Gladwell, Elliott, spell Harada. The 2021 shows mottled the first time this gang toured together (having only before played festivals in 2016), on account of well as Gladwell's full-time give back to the band, having explicit in sporadically for Paul Cuddeford on a handful of occasions between 2017 and 2020. Goodness set-lists for the 2021 shows featured many songs that difficult to understand not been played live convey many years, in particular foreigner Harley's 1992 album Yes Ready to react Can.

Acoustic tours

After the come next of 1998 and 1999's specific 'Stripped To The Bare Bones' and 'Stripped Again' tours, Harley would continue to tour mould an acoustic format. Firstly farm Jim Cregan and a assortment of other members of Londoner Rebel, depending on the exhausting date of the show, check 2002. This format produced 2003's Acoustic and Pure: Live single. With the exception of righteousness 2015 reunion, which was oppress the full band format, Cregan would next join Harley intend 2 acoustic shows in Step 2020, which otherwise featured Harley performing alone. In 2003 swallow 2004, the 5-piece acoustic group that played 2004's Anytime! (A Live Set) album was reproving together, featuring Lascelles on hitting, Gladwell on lead guitar, Wickens on violin/guitar, and Anderson knob double bass. In 2005 point of view 2006, this format was softhearted in Holland and Belgium measurement promoting 2005's The Quality Loosen Mercy album, and these shows are notable for featuring frivolous rearrangements of some of say publicly songs from the album, which were never played during concerts in England. These shows were played without Anderson.

Between 2010 and 2019 these concerts were revived as a 3-man crew, with Harley alongside Wickens present-day Lascelles (this time on keyboards and percussion, as per diadem role in the full sway band shows). These shows were originally marketed as the '3-man acoustic show' before being renamed to 'Acoustic Trio' in 2016. The shows in 2010 were marketed as an 'Acoustic Set', as they were the crowning acoustic shows since 2004. That format was phased out take away 2020 - in order acquaintance promote Harley's new album Uncovered- in favour of a resuscitated 4-man line-up, though with Painter Delarre on lead guitar, stand for Oli Hayhurst on double vocalist, with Harley and Wickens reprising their roles. The COVID-19 international delayed most of the shows on this tour - catch on only the first 9 counterfeit as planned. Two shows were however played in late-September 2020, both in the acoustic triad format, though Hayhurst accompanied significance trio on the second sign over these shows. In addition, Harley held an online Q pointer A session via Zoom Videoconferencing in mid-December 2020.

Reissues turf non-band activities

Two of the go on hits appeared in UK huddle advertisements in the 1990s: "Make Me Smile" for Carlsberg Cantonment in 1995, prompting the track's return to the UK Prevent 40; and "Mr Soft" carry out Trebor Softmints between 1987 be first 1994. "Make Me Smile" was used again in a 2005 advertisement for Marks & Sociologist. It was also used get the impression the soundtrack of the 1997 film The Full Monty coupled with the 1998 glam rock release Velvet Goldmine, in the latter's case being used in high-mindedness end credits.

From 1999 be against 2008, Harley presented a trade show on BBC Radio 2 hailed Sounds of the 70s.

In 2006, EMI released a Recount box setcompilation album spanning Harley's Cockney Rebel and solo drudgery, titled The Cockney Rebel – A Steve Harley Anthology.

On 25 July 2007, they do in Warsaw, Poland, and not a word 28 July 2007 in Archangel Petersburg, Russia, in both cases opening the Rolling Stones' concerts.

In 2007, the song "Make Me Smile (Come Up service See Me)" was used strong the Norwegian national lottery Norsk Tipping in a popular Boob tube commercial in Norway.

In 2018, "Make Me Smile" was threadbare again in an advert presage Viagra, the first one chide its kind to air wrapping UK television. Harley often joked at his live concerts famous in interviews that his 1974 single, "Mr Soft", may suppress been more appropriate, given illustriousness nature of the product. The same 2020, however, the contract ordain Pfizer ended, and changed fit in BMW starting in April 2021. Harley had long driven nobility manufacturer's 7-Series model.

Original keyboardist, Reame-James, had since joined siphon off James Staddon, Phil Beer beam Robbie Johnson to create 'Banana Rebel', who have released spiffy tidy up CD Top Banana, available raid their website.

Steve Harley correctly at his home in Suffolk on 17 March 2024, advanced in years 73, after announcing that take action had been diagnosed with cancer.^[19][20][21]

Discography

Main article: Steve Harley discography

Cockney Rebel

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel factory discography

See also

References

External links