Alexander James Harvey (5 February 1935 – 4 February 1982) 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.
Biography
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 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.
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, This band recorded the live album Hair Rave Up Live From the Shaftesbury Theatre, which contained Harvey originals and other songs not from the stage show. later to appear on Framed. Harvey remained with Hair for five years.
Harvey was instrumental in the formation of 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, who later worked with Robin Trower. Les Harvey was fatally electrocuted in a freak accident while performing with the band in 1972. 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 the album Fourplay. Harvey re-joined the group for 1978's Rock Drill but left again permanently shortly afterwards.
Single, solo albums and death
After he left the band for good, he released two more solo albums and went on tour with his solo band from 1979., Harvey died from a heart attack, a day before his 47th birthday.
Personal life
Harvey was married twice, first to Mary Martin, with whom he had a son and second to Trudy, with whom he also had a son. He was a cousin of Willie Gardner.
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.
Legacy
In 2002, a biography of Harvey by John Neil Munro was published: The Sensational Alex Harvey. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band were voted 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 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.
Discography
Solo artist
Studio albums
- The Blues (1964)