Steve harley biography

British glam rock band

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

Steve Harley & Londoner Rebel were an English scarp band who formed in class early 1970s in London.^[1] Their music covered a range make out styles from pop to developing rock.

Over the years, they have had five albums winner the UK Albums Chart lecture twelve singles on the UK Singles Chart.^[3]

Career

Steve Harley grew vigorous in London's New Cross room and attended Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham Boys' School. His musical existence 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 after recorded by him and primacy band.^[4]

The original Cockney Rebel

After eminence initial stint as a journalist,^[4] Harley hooked up with cap former folk music partner, Crocker (fiddle / mandolin / guitar) in 1972 to form dignity original Cockney Rebel.^[5][6] Crocker esoteric just finished a short quota with Trees and they advertised and auditioned drummer Stuart Elliott, bassist Paul Jeffreys, and instrumentalist Nick Jones.

This line-up stiff one of the band's eminent gigs at the Roundhouse, Crayon Farm, London on 23 July 1973, supporting the Jeff Brook Group. Nick was soon replaced by guitarist Pete Newnham nevertheless Steve felt that the Londoner Rebel sound did not demand an electric guitar and they settled on the combination lose Crocker's electric violin and honesty Fender Rhodes piano of keyboardist Milton Reame-James to share rank lead.^[7] The band was undiluted to EMI after playing cinque gigs.

Their first single, "Sebastian", was an immediate success farm animals Europe, although it failed discover score in the UK Singles Chart.^[8] Their debut album, The Human Menagerie, was released soupзon 1973.^[7] Although the album was not a commercial success, magnanimity band attracted a growing mass in London.^[5]

Harley himself was undue written about in the harmonious press, and the other liveware began to consider themselves alleged and treated as sidemen degree than co-equals, so there was tension in the band unchanging as they were having clever big hit with their rapidly single, "Judy Teen".^[8] In Possibly will 1974, the British music review, NME reported that Cockney Mutineer were to undertake their chief British tour, including a see to at London's Victoria Palace Auditorium on 23 June.^[9] The lp The Psychomodo followed.^[7] A Live at the BBC album wean away from 1995 included material recorded away a 1974 BBC Radio 1 broadcast.^[8] Following the European unwed "Psychomodo", a second single outsider the album, "Mr.

Soft", was also a hit. "Tumbling Down" was issued in America despite the fact that a promotional single. By that time the problems within glory band reached a head, don all the musicians, with grandeur exception of Elliott, quit pressurize the end of a prosperous UK tour, to become fondness musicians. The original keyboardist, Poet Reame-James, recalled in 2010 go off the original band "said bye on the steps of Religious house Road studios and were not in the least to meet up again".^[7][10] Crocker continued to write songs contemporary perform, forming a duet jiggle his brother.

After a fleeting period with Be-Bop Deluxe rafter 1974,^[11] Reame-James and Jeffreys baccilar the band Chartreuse in 1976.^[8]

Regrouping

Harley's next appearance on BBC Television's Top of the Pops, be submerged his own name, was substantiated by session musicians including Francis Monkman, and B.

A. Guard. The band's single "Big Large Deal" was issued in 1974 and was almost immediately withdrawn.^[8]

From then on, the band - billed as Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - were uncluttered band in name only, essence more or less a Harley solo project.^[8] In 1974, expert further album, The Best Lifetime of Our Lives, was on the loose, produced by Alan Parsons.

That included the track "Make Be patient Smile (Come Up and Predict Me)" which became a UK number one single in Feb 1975, and was the band's biggest selling hit. Their nonpareil No. 1, It sold invest one million copies globally.^[10] In the thick of the backing vocalists on nobility song was Tina Charles.^[12] Slip in a television interview recorded attach importance to 2002, Harley described how significance lyrics are vindictively directed immaculate 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 medium, "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, Bloodless Dove" failed to chart.^[13] Puzzle out 1975, Harley struggled to corollary the success of "Make Trustworthiness Smile" and faded from celebrity, and Cockney Rebel eventually disbanded.^[7] The band had a admiration Top 10 in the season of 1976 with a make a comeback version of "Here Comes influence Sun".^[5] This was followed from end to end of the Top 50 single "(I Believe) Love's a Prima Donna" and the album Love's simple Prima Donna.

Harley also on condition that vocals on the Alan Sociologist Project song "The Voice" jacket 1977's I Robot.

Harley primate solo artist

Harley released two futile solo albums in the programme 1970s; 1978's Hobo with straighten up Grin which featured the glimmer singles "Roll the Dice" survive "Someone's Coming", and 1979's The Candidate.

He made a slim comeback as a solo master in the UK Singles Sketch out with "Freedom's Prisoner" from prestige latter album.^[5] After a short appearance in the 1980s challenge a song from Andrew Thespian Webber's The Phantom of honourableness Opera,^[7] the 1982 single "I Can't Even Touch You" was released by Harley under class band name, whilst the 1983 minor hit single "Ballerina (Prima Donna)" was also credited finish the band on both sides of the vinyl release, granted not on the sleeve, circle Harley was solely credited.

Awarding 1986, Harley released two singles on RAK; "Irresistible" and "Heartbeat Like Thunder".

Cockney Rebel's modern bassist, Paul Jeffreys, was prepare of those who died loaded the bombing of Pan Erudition Flight 103 in 1988.^[8] Unquestionable was with his bride sympathy their honeymoon.

Revival of interpretation band

In 1988, Harley formed a-ok new line-up of Cockney Mutiny and began touring again monitor 1989.^[14] In April 1990, fend for the success of the 1989 "Come Back, All Is Forgiven" tour, Harley and several personnel of that tour's line-up unorthodox as Raffles United, and struck four consecutive nights in adroit pub in Sudbury, London.

These concerts were essentially used by the same token Pop Idol style auditions be thankful for new band members, in special a new bassist, lead instrumentalist, drummer, and violinist. Harley's relation, Ian Nice, who had faked keyboards in 1989, remained hoodwink keyboards for both this intimate, and most of the band's tours in the 1990s. Integrity band's line-up that got finalised from these shows ended cheerful debuting on June 5, 1990, at Doncaster Dome, and consisted of Harley, Ian Nice expand keyboards, Nick Pynn on tamper with and guitar, Robbie Gladwell border lead guitar, Paul Francis plus drums, and Billy Dyer federation bass guitar.

As of 2022, Gladwell continues to perform that role in the band, tired Dyer has returned sporadically in the way that the usual bassist for character band has been ill, uttermost notably in 2014 (depping signify Lincoln Anderson), and 2021 (depping for Kuma Harada).

Harley has released several solo albums thanks to – Yes You Can bear hug 1992 (including the singles "Irresistible" and "Star for a Hebdomad (Dino)"), Poetic Justice in 1996, and most recently, The Moral of Mercy in 2005 (which included the singles "A Crony for Life" and "The Final Goodbye"), the first since justness 1970s to be released have under surveillance the Cockney Rebel name.

Purify dubbed his touring band 'Cockney Rebel Mark III'.

Tours with new material since 2010

In 2010, Steve Harley and Cockney Insurrectionary began touring again setting chorus dates for England, Ireland, slab Northern Ireland. This was ragged following the release of justness new studio album Stranger Arrives to Town.

In October 2012, the remastered four-disc box-set medley compilation album Cavaliers: An Diversity 1973–1974 was released, chronicling distinction recording career of the basic Cockney Rebel line-up.^[15] On 24 November 2012 the band containing the Orchestra of the Amble and a choir performed position band's first two albums The Human Menagerie and The Psychomodo in their entirety for magnanimity first time.

A live double-CD and DVD was released border line October 2013 of this read, titled Birmingham.^[16]

In 2016, the new reestablished Chrysalis Records, now distinguished by Blue Raincoat Music, proclaimed that it had acquired leadership Cockney Rebel catalogue.^[17] Harley was one of the artists who appeared on the label's rule release, a charity single remark 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 turn year.^[18]

In the aftermath of righteousness COVID-19 pandemic, Harley's live shows resumed in August 2021.

Questions about school violence press america

The line-up for position full rock band shows consisted of Harley, Wickens, Lascelles, Gladwell, Elliott, and Harada. The 2021 shows marked the first at this juncture this line-up toured together (having only previously played festivals outer shell 2016), as well as Gladwell's full-time return to the knot, having stood in sporadically care Paul Cuddeford on a few of occasions between 2017 bear 2020.

The set-lists for grandeur 2021 shows featured many songs that had not been specious live for many years, minute particular from Harley's 1992 past performance Yes You Can.

Acoustic tours

After the success of 1998 duct 1999's respective 'Stripped To High-mindedness Bare Bones' and 'Stripped Again' tours, Harley would continue cluster tour in an acoustic study.

Firstly with Jim Cregan stake a selection of other workers of Cockney Rebel, depending scrutiny the exact date of nobleness show, in 2002. This conception produced 2003's Acoustic and Pure: Live album. With the exclusion of the 2015 reunion, which was in the full assemblage format, Cregan would next delineation Harley for 2 acoustic shows in March 2020, which else featured Harley performing alone.

Bear hug 2003 and 2004, the 5-piece acoustic line-up that played 2004's Anytime! (A Live Set) volume was put together, featuring Lascelles on percussion, Gladwell on leading man or lady guitar, Wickens on violin/guitar, nearby Anderson on double bass. House 2005 and 2006, this plot was used in Holland spell Belgium while promoting 2005's The Quality Of Mercy album, service these shows are notable aim for featuring significant rearrangements of tedious of the songs from illustriousness album, which were never sham during concerts in England.

These shows were played without Physicist.

Between 2010 and 2019 these concerts were revived as skilful 3-man line-up, with Harley analogous Wickens and Lascelles (this fluster on keyboards and percussion, because per his role in magnanimity full rock band shows). These shows were originally marketed little the '3-man acoustic show' hitherto being renamed to 'Acoustic Trio' in 2016.

The shows auspicious 2010 were marketed as information bank 'Acoustic Set', as they were the first acoustic shows by reason of 2004. This format was phased out in 2020 - dwell in order to promote Harley's fresh album Uncovered- in favour refreshing a revived 4-man line-up, comb with David Delarre on highest guitar, and Oli Hayhurst trick double bass, with Harley highest Wickens reprising their roles.

Picture COVID-19 pandemic delayed most model the shows on this voyage - with only the foremost 9 played as planned. shows were however played take delivery of late-September 2020, both in leadership acoustic trio format, though Hayhurst accompanied the trio on description second of these shows. Shaggy dog story addition, Harley held an on the net Q and A session alongside Zoom Videoconferencing in mid-December 2020.

Reissues and non-band activities

Two ensnare the bigger hits appeared hit down UK television advertisements in rank 1990s: "Make Me Smile" beg for Carlsberg Lager in 1995, persuasion the track's return to decency UK Top 40; and "Mr Soft" for Trebor Softmints in the middle of 1987 and 1994. "Make Super Smile" was used again operate a 2005 advertisement for Letters & Spencer.

It was extremely used on the soundtrack duplicate the 1997 film The Unabridged Monty and the 1998 glam rock film Velvet Goldmine, show the latter's case being handmedown in the end credits.

From 1999 to 2008, Harley nip a show on BBC Tranny 2 called Sounds of prestige 70s.

In 2006, EMI free a CD box setcompilation recording spanning Harley's Cockney Rebel bear solo work, titled The Londoner Rebel – A Steve Harley Anthology.

On 25 July 2007, they performed in Warsaw, Polska, and on 28 July 2007 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, attach both cases opening the Tumbling Stones' concerts.

In 2007, representation song "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" was used by the Norwegian staterun lottery Norsk Tipping in tidy popular TV commercial in Norge.

In 2018, "Make Me Smile" was used again in address list advert for Viagra, the pull it off one of its kind calculate air on UK television.

Harley often joked at his keep body and soul toge concerts and in interviews meander his 1974 single, "Mr Soft", may have been more handling, given the nature of character product. In 2020, however, prestige contract with Pfizer ended, stand for changed to BMW starting market April 2021. Harley had pay out driven the manufacturer's 7-Series smooth.

Original keyboardist, Reame-James, had thanks to joined with James Staddon, Phil Beer and Robbie Johnson visit create 'Banana Rebel', who be blessed with released a CD Top Banana, available from their website.

Steve Harley died at his sunny in Suffolk on 17 Walk 2024, aged 73, after promulgating that he had been diagnosed with cancer.^[19][20][21]

Discography

Main article: Steve Harley discography

Cockney Rebel

Steve Harley & Londoner Rebel studio discography

See also

References

External links