H is for Steve Harley

Friday 15th March

Steve Harley was the singer in Cockney Rebel.  I first heard of them and saw them singing live in 1972, I didn’t realise then that Steve was not only the singer but the songwriter and creative force behind the band.  Two incredible albums of ‘Glam Rock’ which almost rivaled Bowie and Marc Bolan later and the band broke up.  This was probably because of Steve’s irascible temper and musical dominance.  He quickly assembled a new band and ditched the violin-player and started to make a harder more traditional rock group.  He wrote a song about the members of the first band coming to see him to tell him they were leaving.  This went on to become a massive number 1 hit and a perennial radio and dance-hall favourite ‘Make me Smile (Come up and See Me).

But still Steve was hardly happy and brought out a couple more albums, perversely changing the band’s name to Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel before dispensing with their services completely and going it alone.  He was still writing great songs but seemed adrift somehow.  He moved to L. A. and married Yvonne Elliman.  We heard nothing from him for a few years until he returned to England and remarried and settled in Suffolk.  He has since brought out a few studio and a lot of live albums and continues to tour with both a big band and an acoustic set.  He has an incredibly loyal following who turn up at every gig to hear the old songs sung with great passion and energy and the occasional new one thrown in.

The man is a genius, a brilliant singer and songwriter and a complete arsehole.  He could have been a really big star, but apart from a few stalwart musicians he has managed to alienate most of those in the music business.  I, of course, still buy everything he deigns to release and see him about once every two years for communion with a holy (and devilish) spirit.