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Steve Marriott was arguably the greatest white soul singer of them all. A supremely gifted songwriter, he never held back from anything, least of all his music, his vocals always possessed of an intensity, clarity and maturity that at the time were unmatched by any other singer.

Unfortunately, Marriott was a graduate of the Chuck Berry “Let’s fuck things up when they’re going well” school. His band The Small Faces, were the first to be banned from the BBC’s “Top of The Pops” show and were deported from Australia at gunpoint. His next group Humble Pie ruled the stadiums of America, but the money earned was diverted by mafia associates and he returned to the UK broke and on the run from the Taxman. After the departure of lead guitarist Mick Taylor from the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards wanted Steve Marriott to fill the slot. Steve, bless him, sabotaged his chances at the rehearsal by hamming it up too much and demonstrating his superior vocal prowess, which immediately turned Mick Jagger against him.

In later life he struggled with schizophrenia but always continued playing blistering gigs in front of small audiences in the pubs and clubs around London. Reunited with his old Humble Pie sparring partner Peter Frampton, he was on the verge of a comeback when he was tragically killed in a housefire, aged 44-years-old in 1991.

He might never have lost his love of performing,but Marriott peaked early. From 1965 to 1970, he rivaled both Ray Davies and Pete Townshend as the originator of a uniquely British style of rock music – essentially an unlikely hybrid of East End cheeky ‘chappiness’ and steamy Memphis soul – yet would remain insecure about his instrumental abilities. Nevertheless, he was undoubtedly the nearest thing to Wilson Pickett that Wapping had to offer, whilst his band reflected the social aspirations of the mod movement more accurately than either the Who or the Kinks. Lousy management would derail his dreams……………………….

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