In the 1960’s Steve was to be found playing in Jug Bands, and British Country Music bands and then in the early 1970’s he first played with Joe & Vicki as a member of Brown’s Home Brew. Brown’s Home Brew was an exceptionally talented bunch of musicians whom Joe had put together to help him play the music he loved. Regrettably it was a short lived venture due to mismanagement but they still managed to put together two great albums which having been obsolete for over 40 years we have now managed to rescue on Joe’s 60th Anniversary Box Set.
Following Brown’s Home Brew Steve joined Slim Chance, the band formed by former Small Faces founding member Ronnie Lane, a true showman in action both on and off stage. A gentleman and a talented troubadour.
In the Mid 70s Steve could be found in the iconic Meal Ticket before joining Frankie Miller’s Band and then a short spell with The Sutherland Brothers and by 1980 he had become the mainstay in the legendary Chuck Farley (still popping up from time to time) prior to playing with Hinkley’s Heroes and a long standing working relationship with Roger Chapman & The Shortlist.
1981 brought Steve a rare privilege and he was delighted to accept an invitation from Paul Brady to work with the legendary Irish singer / songwriter’s band for a short spell during which the Hard Station album was released and toured, soon afterwards he played lead guitar with Dr Hook front man Dennis Locorriere’s band.
By 1989 Steve had started a project with bass man Malcolm Hoskins from Little Sister which led to a good rocking crew ‘The New Heaters’ all of whom feature on Steve’s 2010 album ‘The Wrong Road Home’. Special guests on vocals are Charlie Dore, Beccy Clowes and Andy Winfield.
In the 1990’s you would have found Steve playing with Bluesman Eric Bibb’s band alongside ace bass player Dave Bronze which Steve describes as an emotional and musical journey before a stint with the talented Amy Wadge – also a joy to work with !
Soon afterwards another invitation came in, this time from Errol Walsh to play in Bologna with The Distant Mercies, a totally acoustic version of Errol’s Tender Mercies that developed into The Coyotes, whom Errol founded with Dave Luke and Willie Wilson (ex-Quiver) and who recorded an excellent album at Dave Gilmour’s astounding studio on the Thames at Hampton. This CD also featured Malcolm Hoskins on bass, Andy Cooper on Hammond and Bob Loveday on fiddle and mandolin.
There is a long-standing association between Steve and ‘The Good Men in the Jungle’, fronted by Beccy Clowes and Alun Davies, and he is still called upon by his long-time friend Yussef Islam for world-wide concerts.
Then in 2010 a welcome return to Ronnie Lane’s music with the “reformed but unrepentant” Slim Chance (currently featuring Charlie Hart, Steve Bingham, Brendan O’Neill, Geraint Watkins, Billy Nicholls and Steve himself.)
Three Slim Chance albums: ‘The Show Goes On’, ‘On The Move’ & ‘New Cross Road’ showcase Ronnie’s Lane’s music presented by the original players with honesty, respect and dedication, complete with a fair sprinkling of original compositions.
A new Chuck Farley album, recorded live at The Boom Boom Club, is also now available and features John (Poli) Palmer on mallets, Pete Stroud on bass and vocals, Sam Kelly on drums and lead vocals, with Steve on guitar and also on Lead vocals.
Then in 2019…a call to rejoin Joe Brown – who’d have thought it?