Alex Harvey (musician)

Alex Harvey
Background information
Birth name Alexander James Harvey
Born (1935-02-05)5 February 1935
Glasgow, Scotland
Died 4 February 1982(1982-02-04) (aged 46)
Zeebrugge, Belgium
Genres Rock, blues rock, hard rock
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1954–1982
Labels Vertigo, Polygram, Buddah
Associated acts The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The Alex Harvey Soul Band, Rock Workshop, New Band, Giant Moth
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band
Also known as SAHB
Genres Rock, hard rock, glam rock
Years active 1972 (1972)–1978 (1978)
Labels Vertigo, Universal International
Associated acts Tear Gas, SAHB ... without Alex
Website sahbofficial.co.uk
Past members Alex Harvey
Zal Cleminson
Chris Glen
Hugh McKenna
Ted McKenna

Alexander James Harvey (5 February 1935 – 4 February 1982) was a Scottish rock and blues musician. Although his career spanned almost three decades, he is best remembered as the frontman of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, with whom he built a reputation as an exciting live performer during the era of glam rock in the 1970s.

Biography

Harvey was born in the Kinning Park district of Glasgow, a working-class neighbourhood, where he grew up.[1] By his own account, he worked in a number of jobs, from carpentry to being a waiter at a restaurant to carving tombstones,[2] before finding success in music. He first began performing in skiffle groups in 1954.[1] On Friday, 20 May 1960, at the Town Hall in Alloa, Alex Harvey and his Big Beat Band opened for Johnny Gentle and His Group, "His Group" being the Beatles (John, Paul, George, Stuart Sutcliffe and Tommy Moore), on this the opening night – and biggest audience – of the Beatles' seven-date tour of Scotland with Gentle.[3]

His musical roots were in Dixieland jazz and skiffle music, which enjoyed considerable popularity in Britain during the late 1950s. From 1958 until 1965, he was the leader of Alex Harvey's Big Soul Band, playing blues and rock and roll songs and spending considerable time touring in the United Kingdom and Germany.[2] He also won a competition that sought "Scotland's answer to Tommy Steele". Harvey became strongly identified with British rhythm and blues music, although he was equally able to play rock songs.

After leaving the Big Soul Band, he briefly tried for a solo career but with little success.[2] By 1967, he found a positive direction for his career, when he became a member of the pit band in the London stage production of the musical Hair. This band recorded the live album Hair Rave Up, which contained Harvey originals and other songs not from the stage show. In 1970, Harvey formed Rock Workshop with Ray Russell; their first, self-titled album contained an early version of "Hole in Her Stocking",[4] later to appear on Framed. Harvey remained with Hair for five years.

Harvey was also instrumental in the formation of the band Stone the Crows by introducing his younger brother, Leslie "Les" Harvey, to singer Maggie Bell. Also in Stone the Crows was bassist James Dewar, later of Robin Trower fame.[5] Les Harvey was electrocuted in a freak accident while performing with the band in 1972.

In 1972, Harvey formed the Sensational Alex Harvey Band (often shortened to SAHB) with guitarist Zal Cleminson, bassist Chris Glen, and cousins Hugh and Ted McKenna on keyboards and drums respectively, all previous members of progressive rock act Tear Gas. SAHB produced a succession of highly regarded albums and tours throughout the 1970s. The band never achieved acclaim in the United States the way it did in Great Britain, but it had a cult following in certain US cities, especially Cleveland, where the group first played at the Agora Ballroom in December 1974. Thanks to airplay from WMMS, songs like "Next" and "The Faith Healer" became very popular. Cleveland remained a city where the Sensational Alex Harvey Band had a devoted following.[6] However, they were unable to replicate that popularity in most other US cities.[7]

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band had Top 40 hits in Britain with the single "Delilah", a cover version of the Tom Jones hit, which reached number seven in 1975, and also with "The Boston Tea Party" in June 1976. After Harvey left the group later that year, the other members continued as "SAHB… without Alex". Harvey re-joined the group for 1978's Rock Drill, but they disbanded shortly afterwards.

On 4 February 1982, a day short of his 47th birthday, Harvey suffered a massive heart attack while waiting to take a ferry from Zeebrugge, Belgium, to England after performing a Belgian gig with his new band, the Electric Cowboys. He suffered a second, fatal attack in an ambulance on the way to hospital. He left behind his second wife, Trudy, and two sons (Alex, by his first wife, Mary Martin, and Tyro).[8]In 2002, a biography of Harvey by John Neil Munro was published: The Sensational Alex Harvey. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were voted the fifth greatest Scottish band of all time in a 2005 survey.[9] After Harvey's death, they released two live albums, Live in Glasgow 1993 (1994) and Zalvation (2006), which feature many classic SAHB songs. On 4 February 2012, a rowan tree was planted in memory of Harvey on the grounds of the People's Palace museum in Glasgow. The tree was planted by Alex Harvey Junior and the remaining members of the band.[10] A limited edition book entitled Alex Harvey: Last of the Teenage Idols, photographed by Janet Macoska and edited by Martin Kielty was released for the 30th anniversary of his death.[11]

Two novels by Christopher Brookmyre, The Sacred Art of Stealing and A Snowball in Hell, reference SAHB's work.

On March 18th 2016 Universal Music released an all encompassing 14 disc box set of Harvey's work, entitled The Last Of The Teenage Idols. This multi-disc set was the most comprehensive compilation of Harvey's music to date, including many rare and out of print titles, and was released to acclaim.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations/other records

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Collection [ CD Castle Communications 1986 ]

References

  1. 1 2 "Rock Star" 2
  2. 1 2 3 Denselow, 8
  3. ↑ Lewisohn, Mark, The Beatles: All These Years; Tune In, p. 309-310,
  4. ↑ "Rock Workshop album description". Angel Air Records. 13 March 2006. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  5. ↑ Logan, Nick &Woffinden, Bob (eds.) "The New Musical Express Book of Rock", W.H. Allen &Co. Ltd (Star), 1973, p. 450. ISBN 0-352-39715-2.
  6. ↑ Jane Scott. "Alex Harvey Dies on Boat." Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 12, 1982, p. T-23.
  7. ↑ Anastasia Pantsios. "Rock Beat." Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 25, 1980, p. T-34.
  8. ↑ "Alex Harvey". Electricscotland.com. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  9. ↑ "Entertainment | Belle named 'best Scottish band'". BBC News. 12 January 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Alex Harvey – A Tribute – People's Palace – Glasgow". Events.glasgowlife.org.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  11. ↑ "Alex Harvey : Last of the Teenage Idols". Alexharveybook.com. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Hot City: The 1974 Unreleased Album – Alex Harvey". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  13. ↑ "CHART LOG UK: NEW ENTRIES UPDATE : Chart Date: 06.08.2011". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
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