Formed in 1973 by the strongly opinionated ex-journalist Steve Harley (b. Steven Nice, 27 February 1951, south London, England). Following his advertisement in a music paper he recruited Jean-Paul Crocker (violin, guitar), Paul Avron Jeffreys (b. 13 February 1952, d. 21 December 1988 in the Lockerbie air disaster; bass), Milton Reame-James (keyboards) and Stuart Elliott (drums). Visually they looked like early Roxy Music with a strong David Bowie influence. Their debut hit "Judy Teen" was a confident start, but one that was spoilt by the self-destructive Harley. He antagonized the music press and shortly afterwards disbanded his group. The most stable line-up featured Jim Cregan (guitar, ex-Family), George Ford (bass), Lindsay Elliott (percussion), Duncan MacKay (keyboards) and original drummer Stuart Elliott. Their first two albums remain their best and most satisfying works with Harley venturing into dangerous fields with his Dylanesque lyrics, winning him few critical friends. They reached the UK number 1 position in 1975 with the sparkling "Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)", now billed as Steve Harley And Cockney Rebel. Harley's limited but interesting vocal range was put to the test on George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun", which made the UK Top 10 in 1976.

Listen to Cockney Rebel at Finetune.

• Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)

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• T. Rex
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• janedickie