Alex Harvey
b. 5 February 1935, Gorbals, Glasgow, Scotland, d. 4 February 1982. Having left school at the age of 15, Harvey undertook a multitude of occupations until opting for music. Inspired by Jimmie Rodgers, Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston, he became acquainted with several musicians who rehearsed regularly at the city's Bill Patterson Studios. In 1955 Harvey joined saxophonist Bill Patrick in a group that combined rock ‘n’ roll and trad jazz. Known jointly as the Clyde River Jazz Band or the Kansas City Skiffle Band, depending on the booking, the unit later evolved into the Kansas City Counts, and joined the Ricky Barnes All-Stars as pioneers of the Scottish rock ‘n’ roll circuit. By the end of the decade, and with their singer the obvious focal point, the group had became known as Alex Harvey's (Big) Soul Band, the appellation derived from a new form of small combo jazz championed by Horace Silver. The band's repertoire consisted of Ray Charles, the Isley Brothers and urban R&B while their innovative use of conga drums and other percussive instruments emphasized the swinging nature of their sound. Having become popular in Scotland and the north of England, Harvey then moved to Hamburg where he recorded ALEX HARVEY AND HIS SOUL BAND in October 1963. Curiously this excellent set did not feature the singer's regular group, but musicians drawn from Kingsize Taylor And The Dominoes. The following year Alex returned to the UK. His group made its London debut on 6 February 1964 and for several months remained a highly popular attraction in the capital. However another opportunity to capture them on record was lost when THE BLUES consisted of largely solo material with support derived solely from Harvey's younger brother, Leslie. This disparate set included suitably idiosyncratic readings of Danger Zone, Waltzing Matilda and The Big Rock Candy Mountain. Despite initial intentions to the contrary, Harvey dissolved the Soul Band in 1965 with a view to pursuing a folk-based direction. However subsequent releases, including Agent 00 Soul and Work Song, continued the artist's love of R&B. Having briefly fronted the houseband at Glasgow's Dennistoun Palais, Alex returned to London in 1967 to form the psychedelic Giant Moth. The remnants of this short-lived combo—Mox (flute), Jim Condron (guitar/bass) and George Butler (drums)—supported the singer on two invigorating singles, Someday Song and Maybe Someday. Stung by their commercial failure, Harvey took a job in the pit band for the musical Hair which in turn inspired HAIR RAVE UP LIVE FROM THE SHAFTESBURY THEATRE. The singer re-established his own career in 1969 with the uncompromising ROMAN WALL BLUES. This powerful set included the original version of Midnight Moses, a composition which the singer brought to his next substantial group, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Galvanized by the tragic death of his brother Leslie while on stage with Stone The Crows, Harvey formed SAHB with Tear Gas, a struggling Glasgow hard rock band. Together they became one of the most popular live attractions of the early '70s until ill-health took its toll of their irrepressible leader. He abandoned the group in October 1977 to resume a less frenetic solo career, but THE MAFIA STOLE MY GUITAR failed to recapture former glories. Harvey succumbed to a fatal heart attack on 4 February 1982 in Belgium at the end of a four-week tour of Europe. His death robbed rock of one of its most enigmatic and endearing characters.