Körner, also rendered Koerner, or Korner is a German surname which may refer to

People[link]

• Alexis Korner (1928–1984), born Alexis A. N. Koerner, musician
• Alfred Körner (born 1926), a former Austrian footballer
• Brendan I. Koerner, contributing editor for Wired magazine
• Christian Gottfried Körner (1756–1831), German writer and lawyer
• David Korner(1914–1976), Romanian and French communist militant
• Diana Körner (born 1944), German actress
• Edith Körner CBE (1921–2000), British magistrate, wife of Stephan Körner, mother of Thomas William Körner and Ann Margaret Körner (the wife of Nobel Laureate Sidney Altman and mother of Daniel Altman)
• Friedrich Körner (1921–1998), World War II Luftwaffe Flying ace
• Gabriel Köerner (born 1982), visual effects artist
• Gustav Körner (1809–1896), German revolutionary, American politician
• Hal Koerner, American Distance runner specializing in the Ultramarathon
• Hildegard Körner (born 1959), German athlete
• Joseph Koerner (born 1958), US art historian
• John Korner (born 1967), painter based in Copenhagen
• John Koerner (born 1938), American singer, guitarist and songwriter
• Julius Körner (1870–?), German rower who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics
• Lara Joy Körner (born 1978), German actress
• Oskar Körner (1875–1923), killed as participant of Adolf Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch
• Robert Körner (1925–1989), Austrian footballer
• Roy Koerner (1932–2008)
• Rudolf Körner (1892–?), German gymnast in the 1912 Summer Olympics
• Stephan Körner (1913–2000), philosopher, father of Thomas William Körner and Ann Margaret Körner (the wife of Nobel Laureate Sidney Altman and mother of Daniel Altman)
• "Spider" John Koerner, guitarist and vocalist for the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover
• Theodor Körner:
  • Theodor Körner (author) (1791–1813), also Carl Theodor Körner, German poet and soldier
  • Theodor Körner (BDL) (1863–1933), German merchant
  • Theodor Körner (Austrian president) (1873–1957), President of Austria
• Thomas Körner:
  • Thomas William Körner (1946), British mathematician and author
  • Thomas Körner (Schriftsteller) (born 1942), German writer (de:Thomas Körner (Schriftsteller))
  • Thomas Körner (Cartoonist) (born 1960), German cartoonist (de:Thomas Körner (Cartoonist))
• Walter Koerner (1898–1995), Canadian businessman
• Wilhelm Heinrich Dethlef Körner (W. H. D. Koerner; Anglicized William Henry Dethlef Koerner) (1878–1938), painter, including the work used as the cover of George W. Bush's book A Charge to Keep and discussed within
• Wilhelm Körner (1839–1925), a German chemist

Places[link]

• Körner, Germany, is a municipality in the Unstrut-Hainich district of Thuringia, Germany.

See also

Korn (disambiguation)

This page or section lists people with the surname Körner. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner & Snape, Musikhalle Hamburg, November 1972
Background information
Birth name	Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner
Also known as	"Father of British Blues"
Born	(1928-04-19)19 April 1928 Paris, France
Died	1 January 1984(1984-01-01) (aged 55) Westminster, London
Genres	Blues, blues rock
Occupations	Musician Songwriter Historian Broadcaster
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, Martin tiple
Years active	1945–1984
Labels	Decca, Polydor, Spot Records, CBS Records, Transatlantic Records, Fontana, RAK Records, Tempo, Brain Records, Liberty, Atlantic/Metronome, 77 Records, Warner Bros., Charisma
Associated acts	Blues Incorporated C.C.S., Snape
Notable instruments
Fender Telecaster

Alexis Korner (19 April 1928 — 1 January 1984) was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues".^[1] A major influence on the sound of the British music scene in the 1960s,^[2] Korner was instrumental in bringing together various English blues musicians.

Early career[link]

Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner was born in Paris to an Austrian Jewish father and a half-Turkish half-Greek mother,^[3][4] and spent his childhood in France, Switzerland, and North Africa. He arrived in London in 1940 at the start of World War II. One memory of his youth was listening to a record by black pianist Jimmy Yancey during a German air raid. Korner said, "From then on all I wanted to do was play the blues."^[5]

After the war, he played piano and guitar (his first guitar was built by friend and author Sydney Hopkins, who wrote Mister God, This Is Anna), and in 1949 joined Chris Barber's Jazz Band^[6] where he met blues harmonica player Cyril Davies. They started playing together as a duo, formed the influential London Blues and Barrelhouse Club in 1955, and made their first record together in 1957. Korner made his first official record on Decca Records DFE 6286 in the company of Ken Colyer's Skiffle Group. His talent extended to playing mandolin on one of the tracks of this rare British EP, recorded in London on 28 July 1955. Korner brought many American blues artists, previously unknown in England, to perform.^[7]

The 1960s[link]

In 1961, Korner and Davies formed Blues Incorporated,^[8] initially a loose-knit group of musicians with a shared love of electric blues and R&B music. The group included, at various times, such influential musicians as Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Long John Baldry, Graham Bond, Danny Thompson and Dick Heckstall-Smith. It also attracted a wider crowd of mostly younger fans, some of whom occasionally performed with the group, including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Geoff Bradford, Rod Stewart, John Mayall and Jimmy Page.^[9]

One story is that The Rolling Stones went to stay at Korner's house late one night, in the early 1960s, after a performance. They entered in the accepted way, by climbing in through the kitchen window, to find Muddy Waters' band sleeping on the kitchen floor.^{[citation needed]}

Although Cyril Davies left the group in 1963, Blues Incorporated continued to record, with Korner at the helm, until 1966. However, by that time its originally stellar line-up and crowd of followers had mostly left to start their own bands. "While his one-time acolytes The Rolling Stones and Cream made the front pages of music magazines all over the world, Korner was relegated to the role of 'elder statesman'."^[5]

Although he himself was a blues purist, Korner criticised better-known British blues musicians during the blues boom of the late 1960s for their blind adherence to Chicago blues, as if the music came in no other form. He liked to surround himself with jazz musicians and often performed with a horn section drawn from a pool that included, among others, saxophone players Art Themen, Mel Collins, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Lol Coxhill,^[10] Dick Morrissey, John Surman and trombonist Mike Zwerin.

Broadcasting[link]

In the 1960s Korner began a media career, working initially as a show business interviewer and then on ITV's Five O'Clock Club, a children's TV show. Korner also wrote about blues for the music papers, and continued to maintain his own career as a blues artist, especially in Europe.

On 17 October 1967, Korner interviewed The Jimi Hendrix Experience for the BBC radio showTop Gear. Some of these tracks, including audio of Korner himself, appear on the Hendrix double-CD BBC Sessions, including Korner playing slide guitar on "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man".

While touring Scandinavia he first joined forces with guitarist and singer Peter Thorup, together forming the band New Church, who were one of the support bands at the Rolling Stones Free Concert in Hyde Park, London, on 5 July 1969. Jimmy Page reportedly found out about a new singer, Robert Plant, who had been jamming with Korner, who wondered why Plant had not yet been discovered. Plant and Korner were in the process of recording a full album with Plant on vocals until Page had asked him to join "the New Yardbirds", aka Led Zeppelin. Only two songs are in circulation from these recordings: "Steal Away" and "Operator".^[9] Alexis Korner gave one of his last radio interviews to BBC Midlands on the Record Collectors Show with Mike Adams and the Late Chris Savory.

1970s[link]

Korner and Peter Thorup in Bremen

In 1970 Korner and Thorup formed a big-band ensemble, C.C.S. - short for "The Collective Consciousness Society" - which had several hit singles produced by Mickie Most, including a version of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love", which was used as the theme for BBC's Top Of The Pops between 1971 and 1981. Another instrumental called "Brother" was used as the theme to the BBC Radio 1 Top 20/40 when Tom Browne/Simon Bates presented the programme in the 1970s. This was the period of Korner's greatest commercial success in the UK.^[9]

1970s to 1984[link]

In 1973, he formed another group, Snape, with Boz Burrell, Mel Collins, and Ian Wallace, who were previously together in King Crimson. Korner also played on B. B. King's In London album, and cut his own, similar "supersession" album; Get Off My Cloud, with Keith Richards, Peter Frampton, Nicky Hopkins and members of Joe Cocker's Grease Band. In the mid-1970s, while touring Germany, Korner established an intensive working relationship with bassist Colin Hodgkinson who played for the support act Back Door. They would continue to collaborate right up until Korner's death.^[9]

In the 1970s Korner's main career was in broadcasting. In 1973 he presented a unique 6-part documentary on BBC Radio 1, The Rolling Stones Story,^[11] and in 1977 he established a Sunday-night blues and soul show on Radio 1, Alexis Korner's Blues and Soul show, which ran until 1981. He also used his gravelly voice to great effect as an advertising voice-over artist. In 1978, for Korner's 50th birthday, an all-star concert was held featuring many of his above-mentioned friends, as well as Eric Clapton, Paul Jones, Chris Farlowe, Zoot Money and others, which was later released as The Party Album, and as a video.

In 1981, Korner joined another "supergroup", Rocket 88, a project led by Ian Stewart based on boogie-woogie keyboard players, which featured a rhythm section comprising Jack Bruce and Charlie Watts, among others, as well as a horn section. They toured Europe and released an album on Atlantic Records. He played in Italy with Paul Jones and the Blues Society of Italian bluesman Guido Toffoletti.

Korner married Roberta, daughter of art critic Robert Melville.^[12] He died of lung cancer in London on 1 January 1984 and was survived by a daughter, musician Sappho Gillett Korner, and two sons, guitarist Nicholas (Nico) Korner and sound engineer Damian Korner.^[9]

Bibliography[link]

• Bob Brunning (1986), Blues: The British Connection, London: Helter Skelter, 2002. ISBN 1-900924-41-2
• Bob Brunning, The Fleetwood Mac Story: Rumours and Lies, Omnibus Press, 2004; foreword by B.B. King.
• Dick Heckstall-Smith (2004), The Safest Place in the World: A Personal History of British Rhythm and blues, Clear Books. ISBN 0-7043-2696-5. First Edition: Blowing the Blues - Fifty Years Playing the British Blues.
• Christopher Hjort Strange Brew: Eric Clapton and the British Blues Boom, 1965-1970, foreword by John Mayall, Jawbone, 2007. ISBN 1-906002-00-2
• Harry Shapiro, Alexis Korner: The Biography, London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 1997; Discography by Mark Troster. ISBN 0-7475-3163-3

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alexis Korner

• Biography at Allmusic
• Biography at British Music Experience
• Alexis Korner page at Radio Rewind
• Works by or about Alexis Korner in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Steve Marriott
Marriott with Humble Pie
Background information
Birth name	Stephen Peter Marriott
Born	(1947-01-30)30 January 1947 East Ham, Essex, England
Died	20 April 1991(1991-04-20) (aged 44) Arkesden, Essex
Genres	R&B, rock, blues-rock, blue-eyed soul
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer, child actor
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, keyboards, piano, harmonica, drums
Years active	1960–1991
Labels	Decca, Immediate, A&M, Atco
Associated acts	Small Faces, Humble Pie
Website	www.stevemarriott.co.uk
Notable instruments
Gretsch 6120, Gibson Les Paul Custom, Gibson ES-335, Gibson SG, Fender Telecaster

Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991), popularly known as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, songwriter and frontman of several notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades. Marriott is remembered for his powerful singing voice which belied his small stature, and for his aggressive approach as a guitarist in the mod rock bands- the Small Faces (1965–1969) and Humble Pie (1969–1975 and 1980–1981). Marriott was inducted posthumously into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012 as a member of the Small Faces.

In Britain, Marriott became a popular, often-photographed mod style icon through his role as lead singer and guitarist with the Small Faces in the mid to late 1960s.^[1] Marriott was influenced from an early age by his heroes including Buddy Holly, Booker T & the MG's, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Muddy Waters and Bobby Bland. In later life Marriott became disillusioned with the music industry and turned his back on the big record companies, remaining in relative obscurity. He returned to his music roots playing the pubs and clubs around London and Essex.^[2]

Marriott died on 20 April 1991 when a fire, thought to have been caused by a cigarette, swept through his 16th century home in Arkesden, Essex.^[3] He posthumously received an Ivor Novello Award in 1996 for his Outstanding Contribution to British Music,^[4] and was listed in Mojo as one of the top 100 greatest singers of all time.^[5]

Black Sabbath frontman, Ozzy Osbourne, named Marriott the fourth greatest singer^[6] and Clem Burke of Blondie named him the sixteenth greatest singer and wrote under his name, "greatest rock singe[r]."^[7] Paul Stanley of Kiss has said, "He had a great voice" and went on to say, "Steve Marriott was unbelievable". Keith Richards listed Marriott as one of his five favourite artists of all time. Steve Perry, of Journey fame, has claimed that, "One of my favourite vocalists was Steve Marriott."^[8] While discussing Kevin DuBrow with Billboard.com, Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo said "If there was anybody that Kevin would say 'I try to sing like,' it would be Steve Marriott."^[9]

Early years[link]

Steve Marriott was born on 30 January 1947 at East Ham Hospital, Manor Park, Essex, (now London), England^[10] to parents Kay and Bill Marriott who lived at Strone Road, Manor Park. Born three weeks premature and weighing just 4 lb. 4 oz., he developed jaundice and was kept in hospital four weeks before being well enough to go home.^[11] Marriott came from a working class background and attended Monega Junior School. His father Bill worked as a printer and later owned a jellied eels stall called 'Bill's Eels' outside the Ruskin Arms. For a short time he also sold pie and mash.^[12] Kay worked at the Tate & Lyle factory in Silvertown. Bill was an accomplished pub pianist and the life and soul of many an 'East End' night. Marriott's father bought him a ukulele and harmonica which Steve taught himself to play. Marriott showed an early interest in singing and performing, busking at local bus-stops for extra pocket money and winning talent contests during the family's annual holiday to Jaywick Holiday camp near Clacton-on-Sea.^[13] In 1959 at the age of twelve, Marriott formed his first band with school friends Nigel Chapin and Robin Andrews. They were called 'The Wheels', later the 'Coronation Kids', and finally 'Mississippi Five'. They later added Simon Simkins and Vic Dixon to their line-up. From a young age, Marriott was a huge fan of American singer Buddy Holly and would mimic his hero by wearing large-rimmed spectacles with the lenses removed. He wrote his first song, called "Shelia My Dear," after his aunt Shelia to whom he was close. Those who heard the song said it was played at a jaunty pace in the style of Buddy Holly and his bandmates also nicknamed him 'Buddy'. They would play the local coffee bars in East Ham and perform Saturday morning gigs at the Essoldo Cinema in Manor Park.^[14] Marriott was a cheeky, hyperactive child, according to his mother Kay, and well known by his neighbours in Strone Road for playing pranks and practical jokes. While he was a pupil at local Sandringham Secondary Modern School, Marriott was said to be responsible for starting a deliberate fire in a classroom,^[15] though he always denied this.

In 1960, Bill Marriott spotted an advertisement in a London newspaper for a new Artful Dodger replacement to appear in Lionel Bart's popular musical Oliver!, based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, at the New Theatre (now called the Noël Coward Theatre) in London's West End, and without telling his son, applied for him to audition. At the age of thirteen, Marriott auditioned for the role. He sang two songs, "Who's Sorry Now" by Connie Francis, and "Oh, Boy!" by Buddy Holly. Bart was impressed with Marriott's vocal abilities and hired him. Marriott stayed with the show for a total of twelve months, playing various boys' roles during his time there, for which he was paid £8 a week.^[16] Marriott was also chosen to provide lead vocals for the Artful Dodger songs "Consider Yourself", "Be Back Soon," and "I'd Do Anything," which appear on the official album to the stage show, released by World Record Club and recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios.^[17] In 1961 the Marriott family moved from Strone Road to a brand new council flat in Daines Close, Manor Park.

Following Marriott's successful acting debut in Oliver!, his family encouraged him to pursue an acting career. In 1961 he auditioned and was accepted as a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. Because his family were unable to afford the private school fees, it was mutually agreed the fees would be deducted from acting work the school found him.^[18] After Marriott's enrollment at the Italia Conti Academy, he quickly gained acting roles, working consistently in film, television and radio, often typecast as the energetic Cockney kid. Soon he lost interest in acting and turned his attention back to his first love, which was music. His parents were devastated and his decision to give up acting caused a family rift. As a result, he left the family home for a short period to stay with friends.^[19]

In 1963, Marriott wrote "Imaginary Love" and touted it around the big record labels in London. On the strength of "Imaginary Love", Marriott secured a Decca Records deal as a solo artist with Dick Reagan (also an agent for Cliff Richard). Marriott's first single was a song written by Kenny Lynch, "Give Her My Regards", with Marriott's self-penned song as the B-side. The single was released in July 1963 and promptly vanished.^[20] In the same year Marriott formed the Moments, originally called the Frantiks. The Frantiks recorded a cover version of Cliff Richard's song "Move It" with ex-Shadows drummer Tony Meehan, who was brought in to help with production. Despite the single being hawked around the major record companies, no one was interested and the song was consequently never released. They then changed the band's name to The Moments or 'Marriott and his Moments'. They played support for artists such as the Nashville Teens, the Animals, Georgie Fame, and John Mayall, playing venues such as the 100 Club in Soho, London, and the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond. The Moments gained a loyal following, and for a short time had their own fanzine Beat '64, dedicated to 'Steve Marriott's Moments', started by Stuart Tuck.^[21] They are noted as performing a total of 80 gigs in 1964. The group was asked to record a single for the American market, a cover version of the Kinks' UK hit song "You Really Got Me", released on the World Artists record label (1964).^[22] When their version of "You Really Got Me" failed to get attention, Marriott was dropped from the band, with members claiming he was too young to be a lead singer.^[23]

Small Faces[link]

On 28 July 1964, Marriott first saw his future Small Faces partners, Ronnie Lane and 16-year-old drummer Kenney Jones. They were all performing at the Albion in Rainham, with their bands.^[24] Lane and Marriott met again by chance in the J60 Music Bar, a music shop in High Street North, Manor Park, where Marriott was working after his recent departure from the Moments. Lane came in looking to purchase a bass guitar, and afterwards was invited to Marriott's home to listen to his extensive collection of rare American R&B import records. With their shared love of R&B the trio were soon firm friends. Marriott was invited by Lane and Jones to perform with "the Outlaws" (previously called "the Pioneers") at the band's regular gig the Earl of Derby in Bermondsey.^[25] However the trio each ended up completely drunk and Marriott enthusiastically destroyed the piano he was playing, much to the amusement of Lane and Jones. The landlord sacked them and the band was finished.^[26] According to David Bowie on a 1999 episode of VH1 Storytellers, in 1964 he and his good friend Marriott planned to form an R&B duo called 'David and Goliath'.^[27] Instead, Marriott, Lane and Jones decided to form their own band, with Steve bringing along his acquaintance, Jimmy Winston (Winston was later replaced by Ian McLagan). Marriott's friend Annabel, an ex-student from the Italia Conti, came up with the band's distinctive name after commenting that they all had "small faces"; the name stuck in part because they were all (apart from Winston) small (none being over 5 ft 6 in tall), and the term "face" in English mod culture was the name given to a well-known and respected mod.^[28] Small Faces were signed to Don Arden within six weeks of forming and quickly became a successful mod band highly regarded by the youth cult's followers when their debut single "Whatcha Gonna Do About It"^[29] hit the UK singles chart. Later, they were said to be one of many influences on the formation and musical style of British hard rock group Led Zeppelin^{[citation needed]}. Marriott is reputed to have been Jimmy Page's benchmark when selecting a lead singer, and there are unmistakable stylistic and timbral similarities between the voices of Marriott and Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin's lead singer^{[citation needed]}. In fact, Plant was a fan of Small Faces and a regular at their early gigs where he also ran small errands for them. Zeppelin's classic song "Whole Lotta Love" is said by some to be a direct take of Marriott's version of the classic song "You Need Lovin'", originally written by Willie Dixon and recorded by American blues singer Muddy Waters.^[30] Small Faces would regularly perform "You Need Lovin'" in their live set, and the song also appears on their debut album Small Faces, released by Decca in May 1966.

"It was fantastic, I loved it, Muddy Waters recorded it but I couldn't sing like Muddy Waters so it wasn't that much of a nick. I was a high range and Muddy was a low range so I had to figure out how to sing it. So I did and that was our opening number for all the years we were together. Every time we were on stage that was our opening number, unless we had a short set. That's where Jimmy Page and Robert Plant heard it. Robert Plant used to follow us around. He was like a fan." – Marriott^[31]

However Marriott bore no animosity to Plant. He is quoted as shouting "Go on my son!" and wishing him luck when he first heard Plant's version on the radio.^[32] Arden paid the band a wage of twenty pounds a week each, along with accounts in clothes shops in Carnaby Street. On Boxing Day, 1965, Arden arranged for them to move into a rented house, 22 Westmoreland Terrace, Pimlico.^[33] In his autobiography, McLagan describes the house as "party central", a place where the likes of Marianne Faithfull, Brian Epstein, Pete Townshend and other celebrities would hang out. Marriott was just 18 years old.

Marriott wrote or co-wrote most of Small Faces' hit singles. In an interview in 1984, Marriott was asked what his best Small Faces songs were: "I think 'All or Nothing', that I wrote, takes a lot of beating. To me, if there's a song that typifies that era, then that might be it. Words regardless, cos it's only a silly love song, but the actual feel and arrangement of the thing, and maybe 'Tin Soldier'".^[34] In 1967, Marriott wrote the evocative rock-ballad "Tin Soldier" to woo model Jenny Rylance.^[35] They first met in 1966 and Marriott was immediately smitten, but Rylance was dating up-and-coming singer Rod Stewart and so the two became friends. She later broke up with Stewart and had a brief romantic liaison with Marriott, but much to his disappointment ended it to go back to Stewart. Rylance and Stewart later split for good after a rocky four-year relationship; when Marriott found out he pursued her relentlessly, leading him to write "Tin Soldier". The song was a hit for the band in 1967 and for Marriott a personal triumph. He and Rylance were married at Kensington Register Office, London, on 29 May 1968.^[36]

Later they moved into Beehive Cottage in Moreton, Essex. The property was jointly purchased with Ronnie Lane and wife Susan and was where Marriott established his music studio, "Clear Sounds".^[37] In 1967, after a dispute over unpaid royalties, relations between the Small Faces and Don Arden broke down and Arden sold them on to Andrew Loog Oldham, who owned the Immediate Records label. The band were much happier at Immediate, spending more time in the recording studio and far less time playing live; however, they lost the dynamic live sound that had made them famous. After the success of the group's number one hit concept album Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake Marriott was keen for the group to evolve and wanted to bring in ex-Herd frontman Peter Frampton, but McLagan, Jones and Lane refused.^[38] Marriott started to feel the band had reached the end creatively and began to spend more time with Frampton and Greg Ridley. After rumours in the press about the band splitting up, which were always officially denied, Marriott quit the group, storming off stage during a disastrous live performance on New Year's Eve, 1968.^[39] In a 1984 interview with NME reporter Paolo Hewitt on the subject of leaving the band, Marriott said:

"You grow apart for Christsakes. You're talking about people living together from the ages of seventeen to twenty-two and that's a growing up part of your life and we got to hate each other, no doubt about it. We didn't speak to each other for fucking years. Maybe ten years." – Marriott^[40]

Frampton claims that after Marriott's departure from the Small Faces, the remaining members, Lane, McLagan and Jones, turned up at his home and offered him Marriott's role in the band. (Ian McLagan vehemently denies this story).^[41]

"The following day after the Alexandra Palace gig (where Steve walked off), I was back home and I got a call from Ronnie Lane who said Me, Kenney and Mac would like to come round and see you. I thought, Hello, what's all this about? Anyway, they all came round to my horrible little flat in Earls Court and asked me to join the Small Faces. All I could say was it's a bit late now. Why couldn't you have asked me while we were in Paris? We'd all be in the same band together and Steve wouldn't have left." – Peter Frampton.^[41]

Humble Pie[link]

Marriott with Humble Pie during a 1972 performance

Shortly after leaving Small Faces, Marriott joined the newly formed rock band Humble Pie with Frampton, drummer Jerry Shirley and bassist Greg Ridley.^[42] In the early years, Humble Pie allowed Marriott the artistic freedom he craved but was denied in Small Faces due, in part, to commercial pressures and individual differences. After extensive secret rehearsals at his Clear Sounds home recording studio, the band released on Immediate their debut album As Safe As Yesterday Is, closely followed by the Marriott-penned debut single "Natural Born Bugie" (often mis-spelt "Boogie"), which peaked at # 5 in the UK Singles Chart in the summer of 1969.^[42] Humble Pie almost disbanded after their first American tour when they returned to England and discovered that Immediate had gone into liquidation. They transferred to A&M Records and focused all their attention on the lucrative U.S. market. Their new manager, Dee Anthony, had the band scrap its 'unplugged' set and crank the volume up.

Humble Pie toured constantly over the next three years, completing nineteen tours in the U.S. alone. The band's next album releases, Humble Pie and Rock On, benefited from their touring. Their live album Performance Rockin' the Fillmore (1971) became the band's most successful release to date. During these recordings, Marriott's strong vocal performances became the focal point of the band. Dee Anthony pushed Marriott to take more of the on-stage spotlight, something he had, up to then, been sharing with Frampton and Ridley. Mariott's new prominence is said to have resulted in Frampton's decision to leave the band. (Frampton was replaced by Clem Clempson.)

Some close to Marriott would say that his personality changed for the worse when he toured America. Eventually, possibly as a result of excessive alcohol and drug use, Marriott started showing signs of mild schizophrenia. He had regularly taken amphetamines (speed) and smoked cannabis in his days in The Moments and Small Faces, and in the latter half of the 1960s he also tried LSD. But towards the end of his Small Faces career and in Humble Pie, Marriott allegedly developed a destructive cocaine and alcohol addiction, which is thought to have been the cause of his marriage breakups and to have contributed to his premature death in a house fire.

"He (Steve) became another person in order to cope with the pressures, he would say things like, "Please tell me that you’ll leave me if I go on tour again because if you say that I’ll have justification not to go, if I go and have to be that other person again I’ll just go mad." This would be said in a moment of truth but the next day had changed his mind and he’d be up and off.... He was married to his music and I didn’t mind that especially in the early years when he would play me new songs on an acoustic guitar but what didn’t make me happy was when he was in the home studio, out of his brain, trying to come up with the next album because he was being pressurised into it. He would just disappear into the studio for three or four days at a time. He never slept and there would be all sorts of strange people in there with him. It was a crazy business and even the nicest people get mixed up. All sorts of chemicals were presented to him and he became addicted to them in the end. It was drugs that destroyed our relationship. Before the home studio was built Beehive Cottage was our sanctuary, afterwards it just became his workplace." – Jenny Rylance^[43][44]

Rylance finally left Marriott in 1973. She said: "The drugs and the drink I would tolerate no more. It broke my heart to leave Steve but it had to be done, I was ultimately the stronger".^[45] Due to the breakup of his marriage and growing drug use, some band members said that Marriott at times became domineering, aggressive and intolerable to work with. Humble Pie disbanded in 1975, citing musical differences as the reason for the split. Financial mis-management and widespread substance abuse within the band also played a part. In an interview in 2000 with John Hellier, Jerry Shirley said:

"We were all doing too many drugs, we’d lost sight of our business arrangements and no-one within the band had any control over money matters. But the main reason was that we were making bad records, it all came to a head in early 1975. The rot had set in so deep it was inevitable." – Jerry Shirley^[46] (Humble Pie).

Marriott with Humble Pie in 1973

Marriott always believed Dee Anthony had syphoned off band earnings to promote his new project, Frampton, and his album Frampton Comes Alive. After Marriott's death, his second wife Pam Stephens claimed in an interview that while they were making the Marriott solo album they were warned off accusing Anthony of any financial misdealings and received threatening phone calls. Anthony was alleged to have links with the Genovese crime family (amongst others). She also claimed that after Marriott confronted Anthony about missing money, she and Marriott were summoned to a meeting at the Ravenite Social Club on Mulberry Street in New York's Little Italy district. Among those present were John Gotti, Frank Locascio and Paul Castellano, all members of the Gambino crime family. Marriott was informed that he would not be getting any money and was warned to drop the matter. Marriott took the threats seriously.^[47]

Solo and various bands[link]

Marriott released his first solo album, Marriott, in 1976 and moved back to England. Pam gave birth to their first child Toby on 20 February 1976,^[48] and they were married on 23 March 1977, at Chelsea Registry office in London.^[49] The money from Humble Pie's farewell tour soon ran out, and Marriott was reduced to stealing vegetables from a field next to his home in England. Marriott went on to form The Steve Marriott Allstars with ex-Pie bassist Greg Ridley, drummer Ian Wallace and ex-Heavy Metal Kids guitarist Mickey Finn, and found a new manager, Laurie O'Leary. In the 1980s O'Leary asked Marriott to meet a friend of his, the infamous Ronnie Kray, who was incarcerated in Broadmoor Hospital for the murder of George Cornell. Marriott gave him a signed photo.^[50]

After the departure of Mick Taylor in 1975 from the Rolling Stones, Marriott was considered as his replacement; however, Mick Jagger allegedly blocked the move after Marriott upstaged him during the audition. According to Ronnie Wood in his autobiography Ronnie, Marriott was Richards' first choice to replace Mick Taylor.

"Steve told me, 'I was good and stood at the back for a while but then Keith would hit this lick and I just couldn't keep my mouth shut.' Keith wanted him in but there was no way that once Steve opened his mouth Mick would have him in the band. He knew Steve would never stay in the background. They were the one band in the world that Steve would have loved to have been in. He just wanted to work with Keith." – Pam Marriott^[51]

In 1976 a court ruled that Arden still owed the Small Faces £12,000 in unpaid royalties. He agreed to pay in monthly installments, but disappeared after making just one payment.^[52]

Due to the success of re-released singles "Itchycoo Park" and "Lazy Sunday" in 1975 and 1976, McLagan, Jones and Marriott were persuaded to reform Small Faces.^[53] Rick Wills took the place of Lane, who pulled out after just two rehearsals. Unknown to the others, Lane was suffering from multiple sclerosis. The band recorded two albums, Playmates and '78 in the Shade, but the albums proved a financial and commercial failure and they disbanded. Marriott did not make any money out of the venture. His earnings were used to extricate him from old binding management contracts. Due to financial problems, Marriott was forced to sell Beehive Cottage, which had been his home since 1968, and move to a small terraced house in Golders Green, London.^[54]

Late in 1978, the Inland Revenue informed Marriott that he still owed £100,000 in back tax from his Humble Pie days; he thought manager Dee Anthony had made all the necessary payments.^[55] O'Leary, Marriott's manager, advised him to leave England or go to jail.^[55] He sold the house in Golders Green and moved to California. Marriott, Pam and son Toby were staying with friends in Santa Cruz and Marriott formed a new band with Jim Leverton and (most notably) former Mountain guitarist Leslie West called The Firm, but after Leverton had to leave the U.S. due to visa problems, and disputes over potential royalties, the band broke up. Marriott was by now completely broke and forced to collect empty glass bottles to redeem them for small change. According to Leslie West, Steve needed the money and accepted a lucrative offer to reform Humble Pie.^[56]

In 1980, Marriott contacted Jerry Shirley, who was living in New York City, to discuss a Humble Pie reunion. Shirley agreed and they recorded "Fool for a Pretty Face", which Marriott had written earlier. The new lineup included Anthony "Sooty" Jones, who was well respected among American east coast musicians, also vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench former member of the Jeff Beck Group. The song proved good enough for them to secure a recording contract with Atco. In the UK their material was released by Jet Records, owned by ex-Small Faces manager Don Arden.^[57] They recorded the heavy rock album On to Victory (1980), followed by Go for the Throat (1981), and both proved reasonably successful. They also toured America as part of the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon bill. In the latter half of 1981, Marriott was beset with personal problems. His marriage was almost over and after he broke his wrist in an accident and was hospitalised with a suspected burst ulcer, whilst opening for Judas Priest and the new Humble Pie line-up disintegrated.^[57]

During a visit to England in 1981, Marriott became eager to see Ronnie Lane.^[58] By this time Lane had begun to use a wheelchair. After an emotional meeting, Marriott suggested they gig together. They got together with Jim Leverton, Mick Weaver, Dave Hynes, Zoot Money and Mel Collins to record an album called Majik Mijits. The album features songs by Lane and Marriott, though none were co-written.^[59] Due to Lane's illness, they were unable to tour and promote the album.

"Steve and Ronnie went to America to see Clive Davis of Arista Records. They played him the tape. Clive Davis was tapping his foot and tapping his very expensive pen on his very expensive desk. He said "Yeah, that’s great man". Steve said "So you like the tape, Clive". Steve then stopped the tape, ejected it and said "WELL YOU CAN’T FUCKING HAVE IT!" The story that Steve told me was that it would have meant touring and Ronnie just wasn’t up to it. It would have meant pretty much carrying him everywhere, no tour, no album. That’s why the Mijits never came out at that point in time. Its been gathering dust for ages" – Jim Leverton.

The album was released nineteen years later. After the Majik Mijits, Marriott went back to New York playing on the club circuit again.^[60] For the next year and a half, Marriott was on the road with Jim Leverton, Goldy McJohn and Fallon Williams. They played mostly Small Faces and Humble Pie material, touring non-stop for the next eighteen months. After the departure of McJohn, the trio changed the band's name to the Three Trojans. Despite attempts at reconciliation, Marriott's marriage finally came to an end when his wife found out that Marriott was expecting a child with Terry Elias, a Canadian girl he had met while they were separated.^[61]

Accepting that his marriage was over, Marriott moved back to England. With no home and no money, he stayed at his sister Kay's house in the spare bedroom. Marriott formed Packet of Three,^[53] again playing the pub circuit. He insisted on being paid for each gig in cash as the Inland Revenue were still pursuing him for back taxes. In August 1984, Aura Records released Steve Marriott Live at Dingwalls 6.7.84.^[62] Marriott contacted longtime friend Manon Piercey, and they quickly developed a close relationship and rented a house together. Piercey gave birth to daughter Mollie Mae on 3 May 1985.^[63] With Piercey's help, Marriott reduced his excessive drink and drug habits. His sister Kay said: "Steve would say, I'm not drinking any more, and he'd stop, six weeks, two months, he was very strong willed, if he wanted to he could". In 1985 Marriott was still touring with Packet of Three playing Canada, America and Europe.

During Live Aid in 1985, London-based Phoenix Modernist Society joined mod revival bands such as The Lambrettas and Purple Hearts, with 1960s stars such as Chris Farlowe and PP Arnold. Together they cut a version of "All or Nothing" for Band Aid Trust. Kenny Lynch persuaded Marriott to get involved, and the single was released under the collective name The Spectrum.^[64]

In 1985, Marriott ended his relationship with Piercey when he met his future third wife Judith (Toni) Poultney at a Packet of Three gig.^[65]

Due to his financial situation, Marriott jokingly later renamed the group Steve Marriott and the Official Receivers. In the mid 1980s Marriott and Toni moved to a rented cottage in the small village of Arkesden.^[66] The 16th-century cottage was also used for location shots for the home of the title character in the BBC's long-running television series Lovejoy, starring Ian McShane.^[67] Marriott became well-known locally, often popping into the pub opposite his home to buy bottles of brandy and borrowing glasses. He once turned up wearing trainers and a dressing gown and became something of an eccentric figure, playing pranks, particularly on the owner of the pub.^[68]

Due to past experiences, in later years Marriott became wary of success and fame as well as involvement with big record companies, and turned down lucrative concert and recording deals with names such as EMI. Because of this attitude, the band grew resentful, believing that he was holding them back, and Packet of Three was disbanded. For the next year Marriott took time off. By now he was 39 years old. He had health problems, was overweight, and had a scruffy appearance. There was little left of the striking 1960s mod icon. Film-maker Paolo Sedazzari recalled, "I remember going to see him in the 1980s, and he was brilliant. Great voice, great guitarist but what I couldn't get over were the dungarees and the mullet haircut. That was really disappointing".^[69] According to his wife, Marriott still smoked cannabis and took cocaine, but nothing compared to what he had once consumed. In his later years Marriott liked reading; his favourite authors included Stephen King, Philip K. Dick and anything on Noël Coward, whom Marriott had always admired.

In May 1988, Marriott started rehearsing with a band from Birmingham, the DT's, though by the time they starting touring they were called Steve Marriott and the DT's.^[53] Despite being out of the public gaze, Marriott was still asked to participate in various projects. Andrew Lloyd Webber asked Marriott to record two songs for his musical Evita, though after becoming drunk at the meeting Marriott ungraciously declined.^[70] Film composer Stephen Parsons asked Marriott to sing the title track "Shakin' All Over" for the low budget horror film Gnaw: Food of the Gods II (1989);^[71] Marriott agreed, seeing it as easy money.^[72] While recording the song, Trax Records asked Marriott to record a solo album. Thirty Seconds to Midnite was recorded at Alexandra Palace. Marriott used the money to buy a narrowboat.^[72] On 14 July 1989, Marriott and Toni Poultney were married at Epping Registry office. Afterwards, they threw a party at their cottage.^[73]

During this period Jim Leverton got in touch and Marriott formed a new group called Steve Marriott's Next Band, with Leverton and ex-members of both the DT's and The Official Receivers.^[73] When several members left due to financial disagreements, the band name Packet of Three resurfaced.

By 1990 Marriott was playing an average 200 gigs a year, when Frampton flew into England and asked Marriott to reform Humble Pie to produce a one-off album and a reunion tour.^[53] The payment would be enough to allow Marriott to take things easier. He agreed, and they flew out to Frampton's recording studio in Los Angeles on 27 January 1991.^[74] They began writing songs, but the project was never completed, as Marriott had a change of heart and returned home. Two recorded songs from this final effort, "The Bigger They Come" and "I Won't Let You Down", with Marriott on vocals (and guitar), appeared on Frampton's album Shine On: A Collection. A third song, "Out of the Blue", featuring both Marriott and Frampton, was featured on the first solo recording Frampton made after Marriott's death. A fourth song, "An Itch You Can't Scratch", has been found on many illegal compilations and even on one of two "authorised" British releases. The recording date, and whether Frampton played on it, have never been verified.

Death[link]

On Friday 19 April 1991, Marriott and his wife Toni Poulton^[75] were on a flight home from the USA, where he had been recording songs for a future album with Frampton. During the flight, according to his wife, Marriott was drinking heavily and was in a foul mood, and they constantly argued. On arrival in the UK they were met by a mutual friend and ate at one of Marriott's favourite restaurants, where he consumed more alcohol. They returned to their friend's house and decided to stay overnight, since it was now the early hours of the next morning, but upstairs in bed, Marriott and Poulton continued to argue. Poulton finally fell asleep and was unaware that Marriott had called a taxi and made his way home alone.

At approximately 6:30 am on 20 April, a passing motorist saw the roof of Marriott's cottage ablaze and called the fire brigade. It was reported that four fire engines were needed to put out the fire. In newspaper interviews, Assistant Divisional Fire Officer Keith Dunatis, who found Marriott, said:

"It was a tough fight getting upstairs. We searched the bedroom areas and it was very hot, we knew immediately that no-one could have survived the fire. We began to feel around the walls and discovered him lying on the floor between the bed and the wall. I would say he had been in bed and tried to escape. As soon as I saw the body clearly I knew who it was. I used to be a fan, it's difficult to put my feelings into words. The scene was horrific in that corner of the room. I saw him lying there and thought what a pity it all was. I deal with many fires but this one was like walking down memory lane. We managed to salvage all his guitars and musical equipment. I feel a bit upset, all the firemen do. It was like seeing part of our lives gone forever." – (Fire Officer)^[76][77]

It is believed that the most likely cause of the fire was that soon after arriving home, jet-lagged and tired, in the early hours, Marriott had lit a cigarette whilst in bed and almost immediately fallen into a deep sleep.

Since Marriott was found lying on the floor between the bed and wall, investigators concluded he may have tried unsuccessfully to escape after being awakened by the blaze. Disoriented and confused after inhaling large amounts of thick smoke, Marriott had turned left instead of right towards the bedroom door and safety. He had been unable to rectify his mistake before being overcome with smoke. At the inquest, a verdict of accidental death by smoke inhalation was recorded. Marriott's blood was also found to contain quantities of valium (taken earlier for flight nerves), alcohol and cocaine.^[78]

"He (Marriott) was certainly the most talented person I ever worked with. He was like a brother to me and I was devastated when he died. He always lived on the edge and I was always waiting for a 'phone call to say that he had died but I never dreamed it would be under those circumstances. He's never got the credit he deserves. He should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame because he was the greatest white soul singer that England ever produced. I'm certain that if you caught the likes of Rod Stewart and Paul Rodgers in a private moment and asked them who was the main man, they would say, Steve Marriott." – Jerry Shirley^[79]

The Small Faces song "All or Nothing" was played as the requiem at Marriott's funeral^[80] held on 30 April 1991, at the Saffron Walden crematorium.^[53] Amongst the mourners, noted attendees included ex-Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones, as well as Peter Frampton, Joe Brown, PP Arnold, Terence Stamp, Jerry Shirley and Greg Ridley. Among those who sent wreaths were David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd), and Rod Stewart and his then wife Rachel Hunter. Nothing was heard from ex-Small Faces members Ian McLagan or Ronnie Lane.^[81]

Marriott was married three times. His first wife was Jenny Rylance and his son Toby was born during Marriott's time with his second wife Pam Stephens, in 1976.^[82] His third wife was Toni Poulton. He also had two daughters, the first was Tonya, with Terri Elias in 1984. His second daughter Mollie Mae was born in 1985 when Marriott was with his childhood friend Manon Piercey.^[83]

To mark the 10th anniversary of Marriott's death a tribute concert was held at the London Astoria on 20 April 2001. All the songs performed at this concert were from the The Small Faces or Humble Pie catalogue. Pre-1980 Humble Pie alumni Peter Frampton, Clem Clempson, Greg Ridley and Jerry Shirley gave a one off performance.^[84] Other guest appearances included two original members of the Small Faces, Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher and Bobby Tench from Marriott's 1980's Humble Pie line up and John's Children. Other musicians such as Alan White, Gem Archer, Midge Ure, Zak Starkey, Rabbit Bundrick, Steve Ellis and Tony Rivers appeared in band lineups during the two and half hour concert, released on DVD as the Stevie Marriott Astoria Memorial concert.^[85] The proceeds of the concert were donated to The Small Faces Charitable Trust^[86] set up by Kenney Jones in memory of Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane.^[87]

In September 2007 Marriott, along with the other members of the Small Faces and manager Don Arden were honoured with a plaque unveiled in Carnaby Street, on the site of Don Arden's offices, the spiritual home of the band in the 1960s.^[88][89]

Discography[link]

• Steve Marriott discography
• Small Faces discography
• Humble Pie discography

Guitars[link]

• Gretsch 6120 (various models) – during the Small Faces, Marriott used the original brown Gretsch 6120 (various models). Most Small Faces tracks would have been recorded with this guitar. Marriott also used a brown model at the beginning of Humble Pie.
• Fender Telecaster – used towards the end of the Small Faces (1968). Marriott fattened its sound by replacing the neck pick-up with a P90. Interestingly, Eddie Cochran replaced his neck pick-up on his Gretsch with a P90 too. Marriott's Telecaster ended its days with the Small Faces at Alexandra Palace, breaking in two as it was thrown down in disgust during the gig on New Year's Eve when Marriott announced his decision to leave the band.
• Gibson Les Paul Junior – apparently given to Marriott by a fan. Like the Telecaster, Marriott modified it in a whimsical way by removing the original scratch plate and replacing it with the white scratch plate from his Dwight.
• Epiphone Dwight – used during Humble Pie's early days, and can be heard on the band's song "I Don't Need No Doctor". The Dwight was also victim to a rather strange modification, the apparently home-made black scratch plate extended along to the controls and jack socket. The Dwight is probably the most famous Humble Pie guitar icon, and it was stolen in the UK (whereabouts still unknown).
• Gibson Les Paul Custom – Marriott was pictured using a Les Paul in the Small Faces. It was used almost exclusively at Humble Pie performances from 1973 onwards and was possibly still being used right at the end of the band's life. Steve’s son Toby now owns this guitar, and played it at his father's Memorial Concert in 2001.
• Gibson ES-175 – Marriott was seen using a one-pickup Gibson ES-175 on the French television show "Surprise Party" on 31 December 1968. He used it on the songs "Song Of A Baker" and "Rollin' Over".
• Ovation & Ibanez – Marriott advertised an Ovation Electric in the trade and music press in the mid 1970s (he was never seen actually playing one).
• Fender Esquire – used on the Small Faces II reunion. It appeared on the Small Faces II tour and disappeared as quickly after the split. There is video footage of Steve playing a Sunburst Fender Stratocaster during the Blackberries period of Humble Pie.
• Gibson ES335 – Manon Piercey bought Marriott this guitar around 1985. His decision to play in three-piece bands in the future reflects the confidence that he had in his guitar playing. After the acquisition of this guitar, he seemed never to play any other, adding to the rumours that this was in fact his only guitar. Toby has this guitar now and the pick-up covers are removed.^[90]

Guest appearances[link]

• Bill Wyman invited Marriott to play guitar and backing vocals on the recording of Their Satanic Majesties Request album, on the track "In Another Land", in Brian Jones' absence.^[91]
• PP Arnold – Marriott wrote and produced "(If You Think You're) Groovy" – along with Lane and the other members of Small Faces.
• Joe Brown – collaborated on the singer/entertainer's song "Tin Soldier"
• The Herd – produced the UK band's single "Sunshine Cottage"
• Alexis Korner hired Marriott as a guitar player for his UK and European tours in 1975
• Mott the Hoople – provided vocals on "Midnight Lady" (1971)
• Del Shannon – contributed keyboards on the Home and Away album in sessions recorded by Andrew Oldham
• Traffic – on the Mr. Fantasy album, Marriott is heard talking on the track "Berkshire Poppies"
• Donovan – Marriott guested on track "Boy for Every Girl" on the 1973 Essence to Essence album.
• Chris Farlowe song "My Way of Giving" – contributed guitar and vocals on the single which was produced by Mick Jagger and written by Marriott/Lane.
• Easybeats – provided vocals on their single "Good Times" from the LP Vigil in 1968.
• Nescafe coffee's new product – Blend 37 TV commercial (1989). Marriott and Clempson were asked to guest, singing Ike and Tina Turner's hit song "Black Coffee" (which also appears on Humble Pie's (1973) album Eat It).
• Jim Capaldi – Marriott provided guest vocals on the 1984 album One Man Mission on the track "Young Savages". (Marriott and Capaldi were friends from Capaldi's days in the band Traffic).
• "Seamus" on Pink Floyd's album Meddle – Marriott's dog Seamus made an appearance in the song.^[92]
• Johnny Hallyday – Marriott and Small Faces together with Frampton appear on recordings by the French pop singer
• New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders – appeared on recordings.
• John Lee (ex The Dingoes) – wrote and recorded with the Australian drummer and songwriter.
• Marge Raymond was hired to sing background vocals by Steve Marriot and appears on the Go for the Throat and On to Victory albums.

Film, TV, radio (1962–1964)[link]

• Night Cargoes – (1962) Children's adventure film, shot between April and June 1962 in Devon and designed for a very young audience. The film was split into eight, fifteen-minute episodes and shown during Saturday morning picture shows.^[93]
• Live It Up! – (1963) Starring David Hemmings and Jennifer Moss. Marriott was typecast as the Cockney drummer called 'Ricky'.^[94]
• Be My Guest – (1964) released in 1965 (the follow-up to Live It Up!) again Marriott plays the character 'Ricky'.^[95]
• Heavens Above! – (released April 1963) Starring Peter Sellers as a prison chaplain and co-starring Eric Sykes. Marriott plays a street kid who shoots his mother. There were reports on set of Sellers and Marriott duetting on banjos between takes.^[96]
• Dateline Diamonds – (1965) Marriott along with the other members of the Small Faces appear as themselves in the film performing their self-penned second single "I've Got Mine".^[97]
• Citizen James – (1961) A popular half-hour comedy starring Carry On Films actor Sid James.
• Dixon of Dock Green – (transmitted in 1963) – Marriott appears in an episode entitled The River People playing a character called 'Clive Dawson'; the episode was written by Ted Willis.
• William the Peacemaker – Marriott's last TV acting role (March 1963). Marriott plays the character of 'Bertie Franks'.
• Mr Pastry's Progress – (1962) b/w BBC television children's sitcom starring Richard Hearne and Barbara Hicks.
• Radio Luxembourg – Reading out listeners' problem letters for well-known agony aunt Marjorie Proops.
• Mrs Dale's Diary^[98] – a popular radio show playing a popstar called 'Art Joyful'.^[19]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Paolo Hewitt John Hellier (2004). Steve Marriott - All Too Beautiful.... Helter Skelter Publishing ISBN 1-900924-44-7.
• Paolo Hewitt/Kenney Jones (1995) small faces the young mods' forgotten story – Acid Jazz ISBN 0-9523935-0-6

External links[link]

• Marriott's official site
• NME's Review of Steve Marriott memorial concert
• Humble-Pie.Net
• Small Faces official site
• youtube: clip of Tin Soldier
• Lasting tribute to Steve Marriott

Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver on September 28, 2008.
Pitcher
Born: (1944-11-17) November 17, 1944 (age 67) Fresno, California
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 13, 1967 for the New York Mets
Last MLB appearance
September 19, 1986 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
Win–loss record	311–205
Earned run average	2.86
Strikeouts	3,640
Teams
New York Mets (1967–1977) Cincinnati Reds (1977–1982) New York Mets (1983) Chicago White Sox (1984–1986) Boston Red Sox (1986)
Career highlights and awards
12× All-Star (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981) World Series champion (1969) 3× NL Cy Young Award winner (1969, 1973, 1975) 1967 NL Rookie of the Year 2× NL TSN Pitcher of the Year (1969, 1975) Pitched a no-hitter on June 16, 1978 New York Mets #41 retired
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1992
Vote	98.8% (first ballot)

George Thomas "Tom" Seaver (born November 17, 1944), nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets. During a 20-year career, Seaver compiled 311 wins, 3,640 strikeouts, 61 shutouts and a 2.86 earned run average. In 1992, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the highest percentage ever recorded (98.84%), and has the only plaque at Cooperstown wearing a New York Mets hat. As of 2010, Tom Seaver and Gil Hodges (played for the Mets in 1962-63) are the only Met players to have their jersey numbers retired by the team (Gil Hodges' number was retired as a manager even though he also played for the Mets).

He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1967, and three NL Cy Young Awards as the league's best pitcher. Seaver is the Mets' all-time leader in wins, and is considered by many baseball experts as one of the best starting pitchers in the history of baseball.

Early life & development[link]

Seaver was born in Fresno, California to Betty Lee Cline and Charles Henry Seaver.^[1] Pitching for Fresno High School, Seaver compensated for his lack of size and strength by developing great control on the mound. Despite being an All-City basketball player, he hoped to play baseball in college.

He joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves on June 28, 1962. He served with AIRFMFPAC 29 Palms, California through July 1963.^[2] After six months of active duty in the Reserves, Seaver enrolled at Fresno City College.

In anticipation of the following season, he was being recruited to pitch for the University of Southern California by legendary Trojan coach Rod Dedeaux. Unsure as to whether Seaver was worthy of a scholarship, he was sent to pitch for the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1964. After a stellar season – in which he pitched and won a game in the national tournament with a grand slam — he was awarded a scholarship to USC. As a sophomore, Seaver posted a 10-2 record, and he was drafted in the tenth round of the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. When Seaver asked for $70,000, however, the Dodgers passed.^[3]

In 1966, he signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves, who had drafted him in the first round of the secondary June draft (20th overall). However, the contract was voided by Baseball Commissioner William Eckert because his college team had played two exhibition games (although Seaver hadn't played). Seaver intended, then, to finish the college season, but because he had signed a pro contract, the NCAA ruled him ineligible. After Seaver's father complained to Eckert about the unfairness of the situation, and threatened with a lawsuit, Eckert ruled that other teams could match the Braves' offer.^[3] The Mets were subsequently awarded his signing rights in a lottery drawing among the three teams (the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians being the two others) that were willing to match the Braves' terms.

Professional playing career[link]

New York Mets[link]

Rookie of the Year[link]

Seaver spent one season with the Jacksonville Suns of the International League, then joined New York in 1967. He won 16 games for the last-place Mets, with 18 complete games, 170 strikeouts, and a 2.76 ERA, all Mets records to that point, and was named the National League Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the 1967 All-Star Game, and got the save by pitching a scoreless 15th inning. In 1968, he won 16 games again, and recorded over 200 strikeouts for the first of nine consecutive seasons, but the Mets moved up only one spot in the standings, to ninth.

1969 Championship season[link]

In 1969, Seaver and the Mets won their first World Series championship. Seaver won a league-high 25 games and his first National League Cy Young Award. He also finished runner-up to Willie McCovey for the League's Most Valuable Player Award.

On July 9, before a crowd of over 59,000 at New York's Shea Stadium, Seaver threw 8 ¹⁄₃ perfect innings against the division-leading Chicago Cubs. Then, rookie backup outfielder Jimmy Qualls lined a clean single to left field, breaking up Seaver's perfect game.

In the first-ever NLCS game, Seaver outlasted Atlanta's Phil Niekro for a sloppy 9-5 victory. Seaver was also the starter for the Mets' first World Series game, but lost a 4-1 decision to the Baltimore Orioles' Mike Cuellar. Seaver then pitched a 10-inning complete-game for a 2-1 win in Game Four to put the Mets on the cusp of their first championship.

At year's end, Seaver was presented with both the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year, and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award.^[4][5]

Continued excellence[link]

On April 22, 1970, Seaver set a major league record by striking out the final 10 batters of the game in a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium. Al Ferrara, who had homered in the second inning for the Padres' run, was the final strikeout victim of the game. In addition to his 10 consecutive strikeouts, Seaver tied Steve Carlton's major league record with 19 strikeouts in a nine-inning game,.^[6] The Mets also won the game in which Carlton struck out 19, with Carlton victimized by Ron Swoboda's pair of 2-run homers in a 4-3 Mets victory in St. Louis on September 15, 1969. (The record was later eclipsed by 20-strikeout games by Kerry Wood, Randy Johnson, and twice by Roger Clemens.) By mid-August, Seaver's record stood at 17-6 and he seemed well on his way to a second consecutive 20-victory season. But he only won one of his last ten starts, including four on short rest, to finish 18-12. Nonetheless, Seaver led the National League in both ERA and strikeouts.

Seaver at Shea Stadium, 1974.

His 1971 season was arguably Seaver's finest year, when he led the league in ERA (1.76) and strikeouts (289 in 286 innings) while going 20-10. However, he finished second in the Cy Young balloting to Ferguson Jenkins of the Chicago Cubs, due to Jenkins' league-leading 24 wins, 325 innings pitched, and exceptional control numbers. Seaver himself has said that 1971 was his best season.

Seaver had four more twenty-win seasons (20 in 1971, 21 in 1972, 22 in 1975 and 21 in 1977 (7 wins for the Mets, then 14 more after being traded to the Reds). He won two more Cy Young Awards (1973 and 1975, both with the Mets).

During his tenure with the Mets, Seaver made 108 starts in which he pitched 9 or more innings and allowed 1 run or less. His record in those starts is 93 - 3 with 12 no-decisions. In seven of the 12 no-decisions, he pitched 10 or more innings. In the 12 no-decisions, he pitched a total of 117 innings, allowing 56 hits and 5 earned runs, compiling a 0.38 ERA.

Between 1970 and 1976, Seaver led the National League in strikeouts five of the seven seasons, finishing second in 1972 and third in 1974. Seaver also won three ERA titles as a Met. A famous quote about Seaver is attributed to Reggie Jackson: "Blind men come to the park just to hear him pitch." Seaver was perhaps the foremost latter-day exponent of "drop and drive" overhand delivery, but his powerful legs protected his arm, and ensured his longevity. Seaver was frequently compared to fellow Hall of Fame pitcher Christy Mathewson.

1977 trade[link]

By 1977, the free agency period had begun and contract negotiations between Mets ownership and Seaver were not going well. Seaver wanted to renegotiate his contract to bring his salary in line with what other top pitchers were making, but chairman of the board M. Donald Grant, who by this time had been given carte blanche by Met management to do what he wished, refused to budge. Longtime New York Daily News columnist Dick Young regularly wrote negative columns about Seaver's "greedy" demands. As for Seaver, he attempted to resolve the impasse by going to then-team owner Lorinda de Roulet, who along with then-GM Joe McDonald, had negotiated in principle a three-year contract extension by mid-June. But before the contract could be signed, Young wrote an unattributed story in the Daily News claiming that Seaver was being goaded by his wife to ask for more money because she was jealous of the fact that Nolan Ryan was making more money with the California Angels. Upon being informed of the story, Seaver informed de Roulet that he immediately wanted out, and asked McDonald to immediately trade him, feeling that he could not co-exist with M. Donald Grant.^[7]

In one of two trades that New York's sports reporters dubbed "the Midnight Massacre" (the other involved struggling outfielder Dave Kingman), Seaver was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on June 15, 1977 (the trading deadline for that year) for Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn, and Dan Norman. Seaver would go 14-3 with Cincinnati and win 21 games that season,, including an emotional 5-1 win over the Mets in his return to Shea Stadium. Seaver struck out 11 in the return, and also hit a double. Seaver, who was immensely popular in New York, also received a lengthy ovation at the 1977 All-Star Game, which was held in New York's Yankee Stadium. His departure from New York sparked sustained negative fan reaction, as the Mets became the league's worst team, finishing in last place the next 3 seasons. Combined with the Yankees' resurgence in the market, attendance dipped in 1978, and plunged in 1979 to 9,740 per game. M. Donald Grant was fired after the 1978 season, and Joe McDonald was fired after the 1979 season following a sale of the team to publishing magnate Nelson Doubleday, Jr..^[8] In a sardonic nod to the general manager, Shea Stadium acquired the nickname "Grant's Tomb".^{[citation needed]}

Cincinnati Reds[link]

After having thrown five one-hitters for New York, including two no-hitters that were broken up in the 9th inning, Seaver finally recorded a 4-0 no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 16, 1978 at Riverfront Stadium. It was the only no-hitter of his professional career.

Seaver was 75-46 during his time in Cincinnati. He led the Cincinnati pitching staff notably in 1979, when the Reds won the Western Division crown and (along with Mario Soto) in the strike-shortened 1981 season, when the Reds posted the best record in the major leagues. He was a close runner-up to Fernando Valenzuela for the 1981 Cy Young Award, a year in which he was 14-2, and was voted third and fourth in two other seasons. He suffered through an injury-ridden 1982 campaign, finishing 5-13.

Return to New York[link]

On December 16, 1982, Seaver was traded back to the Mets, for Charlie Puleo, Lloyd McClendon, and Jason Felice. On April 5, 1983, he tied Walter Johnson's major league record of 14 Opening Day starts, shutting out the Philadelphia Phillies for six innings in a 2-0 Mets win. (He made two more such starts with the Chicago White Sox in 1985 and 1986 for a record total of 16 opening day assignments.) Despite a 9-14 record that season, Seaver had high expectations going into 1984 and intended to finish his career where he started it.

300 wins[link]

Seaver and the Mets were stunned on January 20, 1984 when he was claimed in a free-agent compensation draft by the Chicago White Sox. The team (especially GM Frank Cashen) had incorrectly assumed that no one would pursue a high-salaried, 39-year-old starting pitcher, and left him off the protected list. Faced with either reporting to the White Sox or retiring, Seaver chose the former. The result for the Mets was an opening in the starting rotation that allowed Dwight Gooden to be part of the team.^{[citation needed]}

Seaver pitched two and a half seasons in Chicago, crafting his last shutout on July 19, 1985 against the visiting Indians. In an anomaly, Seaver won two games on May 9, 1984; he pitched the 25th and final inning of a game suspended the day before, picking up the win in relief, before starting and winning the day's regularly scheduled game. This unexpected win set up one of Seaver's most memorable moments.

After Seaver's 298th win, a reporter had pointed out to White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk that following his upcoming start in Boston, Seaver's next scheduled start would be in New York, and that the possibility existed that he might achieve the mark there. Fisk emphatically stated that Seaver would win in Boston, and then would win his 300th.

On August 4, 1985, Seaver recorded his 300th victory at New York against the Yankees, throwing a complete game. Coincidentally, it was Phil Rizzuto Day – Seaver would later become Rizzuto's broadcast partner for Yankee games. Lindsey Nelson, a Mets radio and TV announcer during Seaver's Mets days, called the final out for Yankees TV flagship WPIX.

Final season[link]

Late in 1985, his next-to-last season, Seaver almost returned to the Mets, as general manager Frank Cashen was poised to make a late-season trade. However, manager Davey Johnson vetoed the idea, and Seaver instead ended his career with the Boston Red Sox in 1986 after being traded for Steve Lyons in mid-season. Seaver's 311th and last win came on August 18, 1986 against the Minnesota Twins. At the time of his retirement, Seaver was third on the all-time strikeout list (3,640), trailing only Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton. No major league pitcher ever has matched his feat of striking out ten consecutive batters.^[6] His career average of 6.85 strikeouts per nine innings is second only to Nolan Ryan (9.55)of any Hall of Famer with at least 300 wins. Seaver's lifetime ERA of 2.86 was third among starting pitchers in the Live Ball Era, behind only Whitey Ford (2.73) and Sandy Koufax (2.76). (Jim Palmer and Andy Messersmith both have a career earned run average of 2.86 as well.) Seaver also holds the record for consecutive 200-strike-out seasons with nine (1968–1976). Seaver's 61 career shutouts are second only to Warren Spahn (63) in the Live Ball Era. His career win-loss record percentage of .603 is one of the highest of any Hall of Fame pitcher with 300 wins in the Live Ball Era, and his record of 7.84 hits per nine innings is second only to Nolan Ryan (6.56) for all Hall of Fame pitchers with at least three hundred wins, and first among all HOF pitchers in any era with 300 wins, 3000 strikeouts, and a winning percentage of .600 or better. A knee injury prevented him from appearing against the Mets in the 1986 World Series between the Mets and Red Sox, but Seaver received among the loudest ovations during player introductions prior to Game 1. Roger Clemens attributes the time he shared with Seaver as 1986 Red Sox teammates as instrumental in helping him make the transition from thrower to pitcher. The Red Sox did not offer Seaver a contract to his liking for the 1987 season. His 1986 salary was $1 million; the Red Sox offered $500,000, which Seaver declined. When no new contract agreement was reached, Seaver was granted free agency on November 12, 1986.

In 1987, with their starting rotation decimated by injury, the Mets sought help from Seaver. Though no actual contract was signed, Seaver joined the club on June 6, and was hit hard in an exhibition game against the Triple-A Tidewater Tides on June 11. After similarly poor outings on the 16th & 20th, he announced his retirement, saying, "I've used up all the competitive pitches in my arm!" The Mets retired his uniform number 41 in 1988 in a special Tom Seaver Day ceremony. As of 2010, Seaver remains the only Met player to have his uniform number retired. Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges had their numbers retired as Met managers, and Jackie Robinson had his number retired by all teams. Their numbers—14 (Hodges), 37 (Stengel), 41 (Seaver), and 42 (Jackie Robinson) -- were posted in large numerals on the outfield fence at Shea Stadium, and are posted on the left field corner wall at Citi Field.

Hall of Fame[link]

Tom Seaver's number 41 was retired by the New York Mets in 1988.