Steve Mariott Biography

Steve Marriott was born on January 13, 1945 in Bow, London. At 18, he formed a band called the Frantics playing keyboards and singing lead vocals; the Frantics would later change their name to the Moments (not the soul group) and became a regular act at the Attic Club in Hounslow. Their only single, a cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" b/w "Money Money" was released on World Artists Records only in America and failed to chart. In 1965, Steve and former Moments member Jimmy Winston formed the Small Faces with Ronnie Lane on bass and Kenney Jones on drums; Jimmy Winston would be replaced by Ian MacLagan after their first single "Whatcha Gonna Do About It", a reworking of Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love". The group's first original composition "I've Got Mine" would forge Marriott's songwriting partnership with bassist Ronnie Lane. After "I've Got Mine" failed to chart, their manager Don Arden brought in songwriters Kenny Lynch/Mort Shuman to write their next single "Sha La La La Lee". Although the single charted high, most in the band felt it was too commercial. In 1969, Marriott would leave the Small Faces after their single "The Universal" failed to chart. Within a year, he formed Humble Pie with up-and coming guitarist Peter Frampton from the Herd. Steve Marriott would die in a house fire at his home in Essex on April 20, 1991.

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