How a childhood battle with polio shaped a British rock icon's musical journey
In short: Contracting polio at age two left Steve Harley hospitalized for four years, a formative period that introduced him to literature and poetry. This early isolation sparked a creative fire, leading him from a career in journalism to fronting Cockney Rebel and crafting one of Britain's most enduring hit songs.
Born in London in 1951, Steve Harley faced a life-altering health crisis when he contracted polio at age two. His doctors initially feared he would not survive, but he recovered after years of hospital treatment, including major surgeries in 1963 and 1966. During these long periods of confinement, Harley turned to the works of writers like T. S. Eliot, D. H. Lawrence, and John Steinbeck, while finding musical inspiration in the ballads of Bob Dylan. This period of forced solitude solidified his ambition to pursue a life defined by words and music.
Before finding fame, Harley worked as a journalist, covering local news for the East London Advertiser. His tenure ended abruptly when he intentionally got himself fired by refusing to follow dress codes, a move that allowed him to focus entirely on his musical aspirations. In 1972, he formed Cockney Rebel, naming the band after an autobiographical poem he had written during his school years. The group quickly gained attention for their unique sound, characterized by the combination of electric violin and piano rather than traditional electric guitar.
The band's breakthrough came with the 1975 single "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)," which reached number one on the UK charts. Harley later revealed that the lyrics were a pointed message to former band members who had left him after the success of their second album, The Psychomodo. Despite the song's massive popularity—selling approximately 1.5 million copies in the UK by 2015—Harley's career remained varied. He moved between solo projects, acting roles in musicals like The Phantom of the Opera, and a successful eight-year stint as a BBC radio presenter, proving his versatility as a performer long after his initial chart success.
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