Everything about Alex Harvey totally explained
» This article is about the Scottish rock singer Alex Harvey, not to be confused with American songwriter Alex Harvey, who wrote for Kenny Rogers, or Canadian drummer Alex Harvey, member of Psychosis and Polk and the Dots.
Alex Harvey (
5 February 1935 -
4 February 1982) was a
Scottish rock and roll recording artist. With his
Sensational Alex Harvey Band, he built a strong reputation as a live performer during the
1970s glam rock era. The band was renowned for its eclecticism and energetic live performance, Harvey for his charismatic persona and daredevil stage antics.
His younger brother
Leslie Harvey was also a musician and became guitarist for Glasgow band
Stone the Crows.
Early life
Harvey was born at 49 Govan Road,
Kinning Park,
Glasgow. His musical roots were in
Dixieland jazz and
skiffle music, which enjoyed considerable popularity in
England and
Scotland during the late
1950s. During this period, he won a competition that sought "Scotland's answer to
Tommy Steele". Alex Harvey was literally the "last of the teenage idols," a distinction he made much of during his subsequent career - practically worshipped by his
fans.
In 1959, Harvey formed Alex Harvey's Soul Band, and recorded
blues and
rock and roll material, with modest success. In 1966, Harvey found more success as a member of the pit band in the
London stage production of the musical
Hair. This band recorded the live LP
Hair Rave Up which contained Harvey originals and other songs not from the stage show. In 1970 Harvey formed
Rock Workshop with Ray Russell
(External Link
); their first, self-titled album contained an early version of "Hole In Her Stocking", later to appear on
Framed.
SAHB
In 1972, Harvey formed the
Sensational Alex Harvey Band with
guitarist Zal Cleminson,
bassist Chris Glen, and
cousins Ted and Hugh McKenna on
drums and
keyboards respectively, all previous members of
progressive rock act "Tear Gas".
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (often shortened to SAHB) produced a succession of highly regarded albums and tours throughout the 1970s, and would give Harvey his greatest successes, both musically and commercially.
Initially considered a part of the burgeoning
glam-rock movement, Harvey's wild imagination and unusual
skiffle background led the band to explore an extremely diverse range of topics and styles in the course of their career, from film-noir ("The Man In The Jar") to surf music-tinted tales of shark attacks ("Shark's Teeth") to ominous odes to demented faith healers ("The Faith Healer") and epic symphonies about witchcraft ("
Isobel Gowdie").
The band had hits in
Britain with the single
Delilah, a
re-make of the
Tom Jones hit, which reached No 7 in 1975, and also with "The Boston Tea Party".
Alex Harvey was also instrumental in the formation of
Stone the Crows, by introducing his younger brother Leslie to singer,
Maggie Bell .
On
4 February 1982 while waiting to take a ferry back to shore after performing his last concert with his new band, the Electric Cowboys, Harvey suffered a massive
heart attack. In an
ambulance on the way to the
hospital, he suffered a second heart attack, this one fatal. It occurred on the day before his 47th birthday, in
Zeebrugge,
Belgium.
In 2002, a biography of Harvey by
John Neil Munro was published:
The Sensational Alex Harvey.
The re-grouping
In 2004 the band reformed and
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were voted the fifth greatest Scottish band of all time in a 2005 survey, that had 15,000 participants, reaching higher up the list than
Runrig,
Nazareth,
Lulu,
Texas or
Primal Scream.
In 2008 Zal left the band to be replaced by Julian Hutson Saxby.
Current band
"Mad" Max Maxwell, Julian Hutson Saxby, Hugh McKenna, Ted McKenna and Chris Glen.
Tribute band
Since 2005, Not The Sensational Alex Harvey band has been performing in
Switzerland. Alex Harvey is portrayed by fellow
Scot Gustav Bertha.
Discography
Pre-SAHB albums
Tear Gas albums
"Tear Gas" was a band that Zal Cleminson, Ted McKenna and Chris Glen were in. "Tear Gas" was basically "The Sensational Alex Harvey Band" before Harvey joined, David Batchelor was the singer in "Tear Gas". Here is the discography below.
Piggy Go Getter (1970)
Tear Gas (1971)
Sensational Alex Harvey Band discography
Framed (1972)
Next (1973)
The Impossible Dream (1974)
Live (1975)
Tomorrow Belongs To Me (1975)
The Penthouse Tapes (1976)
SAHB Stories (1976)
Fourplay (1977)
Rock Drill (1978)
BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert (1995)
Live on the Test (1995)
British Tour '76 (2004)
Zalvation (2006)
Remastered SAHB albums
Framed & Next, (2006)
The Impossible Dream & Tomorrow Belongs To Me, (2006)
Live & The Penthouse Tapes, (2006)
SAHB Stories & Rock Drill, (2006)
Compilations
Motive, (19??)
Big Hits And Close Shaves, (1977)
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (Old Gold 1997)
Post-SAHB albums
Alex Harvey Talks About Everything, (1974)
, (1977)
The Mafia Stole My Guitar, (1979)
Soldier On The Wall, (1982)Further Information
Get more info on 'Alex Harvey'.
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