Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel

Fronted by Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel first came to the pop forefront in 1972 when they were signed by EMI Records. Yet Harley himself - a former journalist with a flair for self-publicity - had already made a small mark as a solo artist on the folk scene as a regular at famous London club Les Cousins. Fiddle and mandolin player John Crocker (formerly with Trees) decided to develop their line-up and style, adding drummer Stuart Elliott, bass player Paul Jeffreys and guitarist Nick Jones (soon replaced by Pete Newnham) and the unusual sound of a fiddle-led band and Harley's lyrical songs and appealing vocals quickly attracted attention. Their debut single 'Sebastian' won them a following in Europe, but it was the Bob Dylan-influenced second single 'Judy Teen' in 1974 which made them a serious force. Internal disputes within the band caused a bitter split, with Elliott becoming the only member of the original line-up to stay loyal to Harley as he put together a new version of the band, re-named as Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel. With Harley as the undisputed leader and primary force, they achieved their biggest hit in 1975 with the million-selling 'Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)' which also gave them a breakthrough in America. They then split in 1977 as Harley re-located to America and launched a solo career, but re-formed in 1989 for a tour and they have sporadically continued to put together different Cockney Rebel line-ups for occasional gigs.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.