20-529: Willie Gardner is a Scottish musician, who formed part of various pop and rock bands in the 1970s and 1980s, playing guitar. He was a cousin of Alex Harvey . His earliest known band was The Hot Valves, formed in 1976. The band was influenced by Bill Nelson and Mick Ronson , and their name was taken from a Be-Bop Deluxe EP. They were Gardner on guitars and lead vocals, Coling King on drums, and Danny Mitchell on keyboards (the latter two later of Modern Man and Messengers), and split up in 1977. In 1977, he joined
40-399: A British/Australian English exclamation of surprise or shock ) by Led Zeppelin 's manager, Peter Grant . The band was co-managed by Grant and Mark London . London was associated with Lulu as the co-writer of her signature song , " To Sir With Love " and was also married to Lulu's manager, Marion Massey . London had also managed the predecessor band Cartoone , in which Peter Grant had
60-513: A competition that sought "Scotland's answer to Tommy Steele ". Harvey became strongly identified with British rhythm and blues music, although he was equally able to play rock songs. After leaving the Big Soul Band, he briefly tried for a solo career but with little success. By 1967, he found a positive direction for his career when he became a member of the pit band in the London stage production of
80-489: A financial interest and featured Les Harvey on guitar. The band's first two albums were recorded with the original line up and Bell's vocals were described as being similar to Janis Joplin 's. McGinnis and Dewar left the band in 1971 and were replaced by Ronnie Leahy and Steve Thompson. Guitarist and co-founder Les Harvey was electrocuted onstage in front of a live audience at Swansea 's Top Rank Suite in May 1972. Wires to
100-556: A number of jobs, from carpentry to being a waiter at a restaurant to carving gravestones, before finding success in music. He first began performing in skiffle groups in 1954. On Friday, 20 May 1960, at the Town Hall in Alloa , Alex Harvey and his Big Beat Band opened for Johnny Gentle and His Group, "His Group" being the Beatles (John, Paul, George, Stuart Sutcliffe and Tommy Moore), on this
120-701: A son; second to Trudy, with whom he had a son. Harvey was a Master Mason in Lodge Union, No. 332, in the City of Glasgow, in Scotland. He was initiated on 22 June 1955 and was passed to the Second Degree in Freemasonry on 24 August 1955. He received his Third Degree on 16 November 1955. In 2002, a biography of Harvey by John Neil Munro was published: The Sensational Alex Harvey . The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were voted
140-757: A succession of highly regarded albums and tours throughout the 1970s. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band had top 40 hits in Britain with the single " Delilah ", a cover version of the Tom Jones hit, which reached number seven in 1975, and also with "The Boston Tea Party" in June 1976. The band never achieved acclaim in the United States the way it did in Great Britain, but it had a cult following in certain US cities, especially Cleveland , where
160-598: A third band named Zones , composed of drummer Kenny Hyslop , keyboardist Billy McIsaac and bassist Russell Webb , who previously were part of PVC2 , along with Midge Ure , who quit and moved to London to form the Rich Kids after the demise of the teenybop band Slik . They released singles including " Stuck with You ", "Sign of the Times", "Looking to the Future" and "Mourning Star", and an album called Under Influence (1979), which
180-630: The Crows Stone the Crows were a Scottish blues rock band formed in Glasgow in late 1969. They are remembered for the onstage electrocution of guitarist and founding member Les Harvey . The band were formed after Maggie Bell was introduced to Les Harvey by his elder brother Alex Harvey . After playing together in the Kinning Park Ramblers, their next band Power was renamed Stone the Crows (after
200-630: The album Fourplay . Harvey re-joined the group for 1978's Rock Drill . SAHB with Alex toured the UK in Autumn 1981 with the last gig at Workington's Carnegie Theatre on 1 November. After he left the band for good, he released two more solo albums and went on tour with his solo band from 1979. On 4 February 1982, returning from performances in Belgium, Harvey died from a heart attack, a day before his 47th birthday. Married twice, first to Mary Martin, with whom he had
220-725: The band Stone the Crows by introducing his younger brother Leslie "Les" Harvey to singer Maggie Bell . Also in Stone the Crows was bassist James Dewar , later of Robin Trower fame. Les Harvey was fatally electrocuted in a freak accident while performing with the band in 1972. In 1972, Harvey formed the Sensational Alex Harvey Band (often shortened to SAHB) with guitarist Zal Cleminson , bassist Chris Glen , and cousins Hugh (keyboards) and Ted McKenna (drums), all previous members of progressive rock act Tear Gas. SAHB produced
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#1732872162852240-607: The fifth greatest Scottish band of all time in a 2005 survey. On 4 February 2012, a rowan tree was planted in memory of Harvey on the grounds of the People's Palace museum in Glasgow. The tree was planted by Alex Harvey Junior and the remaining members of the band. A limited edition book entitled Alex Harvey: Last of the Teenage Idols , photographed by Janet Macoska and edited by Martin Kielty
260-535: The group first played at the Agora Ballroom in December 1974. Thanks to airplay from WMMS , songs like "Next" and "The Faith Healer" became very popular. Cleveland remained a city where the Sensational Alex Harvey Band had a devoted following. However, they were unable to replicate that popularity in most other US cities. After Harvey left the group in 1976, the other members continued as SAHB (Without Alex) producing
280-566: The group's equipment were reportedly damaged by the audience and although the road crew attempted to repair the damage, they overlooked a loose ground wire. Harvey received a jolt of electricity as he reached for a microphone while his fingers touched the metal strings on his guitar. His body reportedly flew into the air and came to rest with his guitar in contact with the microphone stand. Bandmates who tried to rescue him reportedly got shocked themselves and it wasn't until someone kicked his guitar away that medical personnel were able to render aid. He
300-467: The musical Hair . This band recorded the live album Hair Rave Up , which contained Harvey originals and other songs not from the stage show. In 1970, Harvey formed Rock Workshop with Ray Russell ; their first, self-titled album contained an early version of "Hole in Her Stocking", later to appear on Framed . Harvey remained with Hair for five years. Harvey was instrumental in the formation of
320-547: The opening night – and biggest audience – of the Beatles' seven-date tour of Scotland with Gentle. His musical roots were in Dixieland jazz and skiffle music, which enjoyed considerable popularity in Britain during the late 1950s. From 1958 until 1965, he was the leader of Alex Harvey's Big Soul Band, playing blues and rock and roll songs and spending considerable time touring in the United Kingdom and Germany. He also won
340-519: Was a Scottish rock and blues musician. Although his career spanned almost three decades, he is best remembered as the frontman of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band , with whom he built a reputation as an exciting live performer during the era of glam rock in the 1970s. Harvey was born and raised in the working-class Kinning Park district of Glasgow (also reported as the Gorbals in the 2009 STV show The Greatest Scot ). By his own account, he worked in
360-536: Was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. At the suggestion of Thompson, the band originally contacted Peter Green to replace Harvey. The band rehearsed with Green for six weeks to prepare for an upcoming music festival, although Green pulled out two days before the obligation. Jimmy McCulloch ultimately became the band's lead guitarist. Stone the Crows ultimately broke up in June 1973, and Peter Grant continued to manage Maggie Bell's career. Guided by Grant, Bell subsequently recorded two solo albums, Queen of
380-487: Was released for the 30th anniversary of his death. Two novels by Christopher Brookmyre , The Sacred Art of Stealing and A Snowball in Hell , reference SAHB's work. On 18 March 2016, Universal Music released a 14-disc box set of Harvey's work, entitled The Last of the Teenage Idols . This multi-disc set was the most comprehensive compilation of Harvey's music to date, including many rare and out-of-print titles. Stone
400-535: Was unsuccessful, before splitting up. After Zones, Gardner dedicated himself to a brief solo career, releasing two singles in 1982: "Golden Youth" and "Imation". Then he joined a fledgling Euro disco band, Endgames , with whom released two hits, "First Last for Everything" and "Waiting for Another Chance". The band split up around 1985. Gardner still resides in Scotland and is currently working as an English teacher in Glasgow. Alex Harvey (musician) Alexander James Harvey (5 February 1935 – 4 February 1982)
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