62 Facts About Steve Harley

Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice, known by his stage name Steve Harley, was an English singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock group Cockney Rebel.

Steve Harley was born on 27 February 1951 in Deptford, London, the second of five children.

Steve Harley's father Ronnie was a milkman and semi-professional footballer; his mother Joyce was a semi-professional jazz singer.

Steve Harley survived, but spent four years in hospital between the ages of three and 16.

Steve Harley was a pupil at Edmund Waller Primary School in New Cross, London.

Over three years, Steve Harley worked at the Essex County Standard, the Braintree and Witham Times, the Maldon and Burnham Standard and the Colchester Evening Gazette.

Steve Harley returned to London to work for the East London Advertiser, where he covered the story of the Kray murder at The Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel.

At the age of 21, unwilling to write a story about a woman who had taken two tins of food from a shop, Steve Harley determined to get sacked, an objective he achieved by not wearing a tie and growing his hair long.

Steve Harley started his musical career in 1971 playing in bars and clubs, mainly at folk venues on open-mike nights.

Steve Harley sang at Les Cousins, Bunjies and The Troubadour in London on nights featuring John Martyn, Ralph McTell, Martin Carthy and Julie Felix, who were popular musicians in the London folk scene.

Steve Harley recorded a number of his own songs as demos that year using his classical guitar at Venus Recording Studios in Whitechapel.

Steve Harley then began busking around London in 1972, including on the Underground and in Portobello Road, while writing songs.

Steve Harley left the folk scene and formed the band Cockney Rebel in 1972, as a vehicle for his own work.

Jones was replaced by Pete Newnham, but with the arrival of keyboardist Milton Reame-James, Steve Harley felt the band did not need electric guitar and settled on the combination of Crocker's electric violin and Reame-James' Fender Rhodes piano.

Crocker, Reame-James and Jeffreys chose to quit after Steve Harley refused their demands to write material for the group, despite the initial understanding that Steve Harley was the band's sole songwriter.

For Mackay's second solo album Score, recorded in August and September 1976, and released in 1977, Steve Harley wrote the lyrics to four tracks and provided lead vocals on "Time is No Healer".

In November 1976, Harley provided backing vocals on T Rex's song "Dandy in the Underworld", which was released as a single from the album of the same name in 1977.

Steve Harley began recording his debut solo album in London and then flew to Los Angeles in February 1978 to complete it.

Steve Harley subsequently decided to emigrate to the US and rented a house in Beverly Hills.

Steve Harley stayed there for nearly a year to gain new experience and inspirations, but later admitted that during his time in America he was not inspired to write a single song.

Steve Harley returned to London at the end of 1978 and recorded his second solo album, The Candidate, in February 1979.

In 1981, Steve Harley provided vocals on the song "No Name" for Rick Wakeman's album 1984.

Steve Harley made an appearance to perform the song at Wakeman's concert at the Hammersmith Odeon.

In June 1983, Cockney Rebel played a one-off concert in London and Steve Harley released the single "Ballerina ", which was written and produced by Mike Batt.

In 1985, Steve Harley signed a five-album recording contract with RAK Records.

Steve Harley originally offered the song to Rod Stewart, who encouraged Steve Harley to record it in the hope that it would put him back in the charts.

Steve Harley's audition was successful and the song was recorded as a duet with Sarah Brightman.

Steve Harley was later surprised to be replaced by Michael Crawford.

In June 1986, a newly remixed version of "Irresistible" was issued as the lead single from Steve Harley's forthcoming solo album El Gran Senor, but it failed to chart.

In 1988, Steve Harley provided vocals on Mike Batt's song "Whatever You Believe", alongside Jon Anderson.

In 1989, Steve Harley assembled a new line-up of Cockney Rebel and returned to touring in the UK and Europe.

Steve Harley would continue performing as both a solo artist and with various incarnations of Cockney Rebel until his death.

In late 1989, Steve Harley was scheduled to play the title role in a feature film based on the true story of John 'Babbacombe' Lee, an Englishman famous for surviving three attempts to hang him for murder.

In October 1991, Steve Harley was invited to play the Night of the Proms, where he performed "Sebastian" and "Make Me Smile".

Steve Harley released a new studio album, Poetic Justice, in 1996, which was a critical success.

In 1998, Steve Harley embarked on his first acoustic tour "Stripped to the Bare Bones" with Cockney Rebel's violinist and guitarist Nick Pynn accompanying him.

In 2000, Steve Harley re-issued his first two solo albums, Hobo with a Grin and The Candidate, on CD through Comeuppance, and between March and May he embarked on the acoustic tour "Stripped Again", accompanied by Cockney Rebel guitarist Robbie Gladwell.

The twelve editions of the second series of Sounds of the 70s aired across 2000 and, with high listening figures for the first two series, Steve Harley accepted the BBC's offer to present the show all year round.

In 2000, Steve Harley began working on a new studio album and opened talks with various record labels.

Steve Harley was involved with the charity Mines Advisory Group from 2002.

Steve Harley became an ambassador for the charity and led two fundraising treks, one around Cambodia in 2002 and the other across Death Valley in 2007.

In 2002, Steve Harley was awarded a Gold Badge of Merit by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.

Towards the end of the year, Steve Harley travelled to Cologne to collaborate with German artist Guido Dossche on the song "Ich Bin Gott", which was issued as a single in Germany in 2004.

In 2007, Steve Harley starred with Mike Bennett in the West End premiere of the Samuel Beckett plays Rough for Theatre I and Rough for Theatre II.

In 2008, Steve Harley released a book, The Impression of Being Relaxed, which is a collection of diary entries he had published on his website between 2000 and 2008.

In 2009, Steve Harley received a Special Award from Childline Rocks for his charity work at Classic Rock magazine's award ceremony in London's Park Lane Hotel.

Steve Harley's efforts raising money for the Mines Advisory group and several schools for Disabled Children were cited in a speech delivered by blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa.

In May 2010, Steve Harley released a new album, Stranger Comes to Town, which he described as a "protest album".

In January 2015, "Make Me Smile" re-charted at number 72 in the UK, after Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May urged viewers to download the song, as part of their discussion that Steve Harley had recently received a speeding fine.

In 2015, Steve Harley pledged to help raise funds for a new memorial to his late friend Mick Ronson.

Steve Harley played for free at the Hull City Hall in April 2016 to help kick-start the appeal.

In November 2016, Steve Harley was one of a number of musicians who teamed up with British Members of Parliament and the Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus to record a charity version of the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in memory of Labour MP Jo Cox.

Steve Harley released Uncovered in February 2020, an album made up of two Steve Harley originals and nine interpretations of songs he said he wished he had written.

In October 2023, after touring earlier in the year, Steve Harley was forced to cancel all upcoming late 2023 and early 2024 shows, citing "a medical procedure followed by a period of recuperation".

Steve Harley later revealed that he had cancer, and was forced to cancel or postpone all shows scheduled for 2024.

Steve Harley was in a relationship with Dutch singer Yvonne Keeley from 1973.

Steve Harley met air stewardess Dorothy Crombie in October 1979 on a flight to Newcastle and they married at Marylebone Register Office in February 1981.

Steve Harley frequently read the lesson during Sunday services and was a member of the parochial church council from 1989.

Steve Harley later served as a councillor for Belchamp St Paul and Belchamp Otten Parish Council until 2023.

Steve Harley was involved in racehorse ownership from 1984, and racing became his main pastime until his death in 2024.

In December 2023, Steve Harley announced on his website that he had cancer.

Steve Harley died at his home in Suffolk on 17 March 2024, aged 73.