- (This page is about the Scottish musician. For the documentary of the same name, see Alex Harvey(2)).
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.
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 tombstones, before finding success in music. He first began performing in skiffle groups in 1954. On Friday, 20 May 1960, at the Town Hall in Alloa, Alex Harvey and his Big Beat Band opened for Johnny Gentle and His Group, "His Group" being the Beatles(John, Paul, George, Stuart Sutcliffe and Tommy Moore), on this the opening night – and biggest audience – of the Beatles' seven-date tour of Scotland with Gentle.
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Links to Peel[]
According to available tracklistings on this site, Peel seemed to have discovered the artist in the late 60's and would play his solo material, as well as his group, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. He also saw the band on many occasions in the 70's and interviewed him for a documentary simply called Alex Harvey, as well as reviewing his singles in the early/mid 70's on Singles Reviews, published in the Sounds music paper.
Shows Played[]
- 24 January 1970: Let My Bluebird Sing (LP - Roman Wall Blues) Fontana
- Sensational Alex Harvey Band
- 13 September 1975: Fanfare (Justly, Skillfully, Magnanimously) (LP - Live) Vertigo
- 13 September 1975: Faith Healer (LP - Live) Vertigo
- 21 October 2004 (Robert Smith of the Cure sitting in for Peel): Swampsnake