Steve Marriott

Revised and updated third edition of the bestselling account of the Small Faces and Humble Pie mainman. Includes two fascinating new chapters.

Steve Marriott, lead singer of the Small Faces and Humble Pie, had a voice coveted by Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey and David Bowie, amongst many others. All or Nothing, Simon Spence's oral history biography, is drawn from over 125 interviews with those who knew Marriott intimately: his wives, children, bandmates and closest friends, managers, record producers, record label bosses and his fellow musicians. Included are scores of people who have never told their story before.

Steve Marriott was one of the music world's most extraordinary individuals, A supremely gifted songwriter, singer and ... schemer. A vocalist from the same mould as Rod Stewart, Eric Burdon and Steve Winwood ... but arguably the greatest white soul singer of them all. Marriott never held back from anything, least of all his music, his vocals always possessed an intensity, clarity and maturity that at the time were unmatched by any other singer. His band The Small Faces were the first to be banned from Top of The Pops and were deported from Australia at gunpoint. Steve's 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. 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. Recently 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. A huge influence on a new generation of musicians from Paul Weller to Noel Gallagher, due to his death, Marriott has perhaps not been granted the status in Rock 'n' Roll's pantheon that he deserved. A major reassessment is long overdue. Marriott was simply one of the greatest rock stars of all time. "An exhaustive account of the East End musical maverick, it spans his beginnings as a child prodigy, his memorable work with arch top Mods the Small Faces, and all the way through to his later work with Humble Pie, his subsequent solo career and untimely death in 1991." Gary Crowley "A riveting account of the singer's life, crammed with entertaining stories of rebellion and debauchery and insightful historical background... Compulsive reading." The Daily Express "One of the best books I've read about the backwaters of rock music." The Daily Mail "A wonderfully researched, eminently readable appreciation of the creative force behind the Small Faces and Humble Pie, who created some of the finest pop, rock 'n' boogie music of his generation." ***** Classic Rock " All Too Beautiful traces Marriott's mercurial career from his upbringing in postwar, bomb-damaged London to his cocaine-ravaged demise in a fire at his Essex home in 1991, aged 44. Revealing... sympathetic, long overdue." **** Uncut "Ultimately, this is a complex story of extraordinary talent, missed chances, exotic highs and frightening lows... This comprehensive biography of Steve Marriott is as close as we're going to get to extracting the truth about Britain's finest white-soul exponent." ***** Record Collector "Compelling reading." **** Mojo

"Rory Gallagher, Steve Marriott, Rick Derringer and Robin Trower are legends. The glue behind legendary barn-burning, hard-touring outfits like Taste, The Small Faces, Humble Pie, Johnny Winter, The Edgar Winter Group and Procol Harem, and later realizing their full potentials as solo artists, this is the first biography of four players whose dedication to music and virtuosity has been inspirational to a generation of fans and admirers." -- Back cover.

(Book). Here is a hard rock memoir essentially an authorized bio on the endearing British rock band Humble Pie as told from the drum throne and backstage hallways during the emerging days of the Seventies classic rock era. In 1969, Jerry Shirley was chosen to drum in a new band led by Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton. He had just turned 17. Along with bassist Greg Ridley, and manager Dee Anthony, the Pie started a 6-year journey that stormed the US and defined Arena Rock bigger sound, bigger contracts, and bigger parties. Along the way Jerry meets with future legends that make for a star-studded bio and rare glimpse into the rock music industry. Written in his own voice and with a wicked musician sense of humor, Jerry details the vibrant scene that created the explosive sound of heavy rock. He explains how sessions were conducted by iconic engineers like Glyn Johns and Eddie Kramer, describes his session work with Syd Barrett and George Harrison and tells amusing tales like drum shopping with the Who's Keith Moon. What was it like to perform a sold-out show at Shea Stadium, play for 250,000 in Hyde Park, charter a private jet for tour, record the trend-setting live record at the Fillmore East (that spawned the FM radio staple "I Don't Need No Doctor"), get hyped for the stage by Dee Anthony, and deal with the drugs and excesses of this inhibitive era of rock? This book definitely answers those question as well as "What was it like to meet, play, record, tour, party, and fight with cult hero Steve Marriott?" No other book can cover it like this.

Packed full of incident and insight, No Cunning Plan is a funny, self-deprecating and always entertaining memoir by Sir Tony Robinson. Sir Tony Robinson is a much-loved actor, presenter and author with a stellar career lasting over fifty years. In this autobiography he reveals how the boy from South Woodford went from child stardom in the first stage production of Oliver!, a pint-sized pickpocket desperately bleaching his incipient moustache, to comedy icon Baldrick, the loyal servant and turnip aficionado in Blackadder. It wasn't all plain sailing though. Along the way he was bullied by Steve Marriott, failed to impress Liza Minnelli and was pushed into a stinking London dock by John Wayne. He also entertained us with Maid Marion and Her Merry Men (which he wrote and starred in) and coped manfully when locked naked outside a theatre in Lincoln during the live tour of comedy series Who Dares Wins. He presented Time Team for twenty years, watching countless gardens ruthlessly dug up in the name of archaeology, and risked life and limb filming The Worst Jobs in History.

The fascination with tragedy and the subsequent theatre of voyeurism are part of human nature, especially when it involves our icons, celebrities and musicians. Knocking On Heaven's Door is the definitive book of rock 'n' roll, pop, R&B and blues deaths. Often, only the biggest selling artists are written about and sometimes it is the death of a personality that cements their iconic status. Knocking On Heaven's Door not only covers the rock legends who lived hard and died young, this detailed reference contains over 1,000 obituaries of music industry personalities, famous and obscure from mid-fifties to the present day. Alphabetical entries of all the important individuals, including: noteworthy producers, managers, songwriters, record company founders A&R men and even critics, puts all the information at your finger tips. Nick Talevski has spent a decade researching this comprehensive and authoritative reference book and it will be an indispensable and practical addition to every music library, full of irresistible and intriguing information.