Steve Harley
British rocker Steve Harley was born Steven Nice in London on February 27, 1951; the son of a jazz singer, he was stricken with polio at age two and spent the better part of his adolescence in and out of hospitals. After trying his hand at journalism, Harley was busking throughout London by the early '70s, forming the band Cockney Rebel in 1973 with guitarist Jean Paul Crocker, bassist Paul Jeffreys, keyboardist Milton Reame James, and drummer Stuart Elliott. Signing to EMI, the group debuted with The Human Menagerie. The single "Judy Teen" followed in early in 1974, becoming Cockney Rebel's first hit. Psychomodo was also a success, but as Harley's combative relationship with the press worsened, he dissolved the group soon after. A Harley solo single, "Big Big Deal, " preceded the formation of a new Cockney Rebel lineup, which again featured drummer Stuart Elliott in addition to new guitarist Jim Cregan, bassist George Ford, and keyboardist Duncan McKay.
1975's The Best Years of Our Lives generated Harley's first U.K. chart-topper, "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)," on its way to selling over a million copies. The follow-up, Love's a Prima Donna, also launched a Top Ten hit with its cover of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun." But in the wake of 1977's Face to Face: A Live Recording, Harley again disbanded Cockney Rebel and relocated to the U.S., recording the better part of Hobo with a Grin in Los Angeles before returning to Britain. 1979's The Candidate failed to restore his commercial luster, and with the exception of a minor 1983 hit, "Ballerina (Prima Donna)," he spent the better part of the '80s removed from the pop scene. When his recording of "Mr. Soft" experienced a rebirth thanks to its use in a television commercial, Harley assembled a hits collection of the same name. Soon after he formed a new incarnation of Cockney Rebel and regularly toured into the following decade. 1999's Stripped to Bare Bones documents an acoustic set recorded the previous year. Yes You Can was issued in summer 2000. Steve Harley died on March 17, 2024, after being diagnosed with cancer; he was 73.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Best Years of Our Lives (Deluxe Version)
Steve Harley, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 22 mrt. 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Cream of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Steve Harley, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Pop - Released by Chrysalis Records on 15 mrt. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Face to Face (A Live Recording) (Live)
Steve Harley, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 1 jul. 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love's a Prima Donna (1997 Remaster)
Steve Harley, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 1 okt. 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hobo with a Grin
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 1 jan. 1978
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Make Me Smile: The Best of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Steve Harley, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Pop - Released by Chrysalis Records on 1 jan. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stranger Comes To Town
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 2 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best Years of Your Life
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel
Rock - Released by Autarc Media GmbH on 13 mei 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Phantom Of The Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Sarah Brightman, Steve Harley
Musicals - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on 1 jan. 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live at Hammersmith 1975 (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 14 April 1975)
Steve Harley, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Pop - Released by Chrysalis Records on 7 jul. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Candidate
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 1 jan. 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 2 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Faith & Virtue
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 2 mei 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ordinary People
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 25 sep. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I've Just Seen A Face
Rock - Released by Chrysalis Records on 4 feb. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo