Shocking Story of How Steve Marriott (Small Faces) Got Me Fired!

How Steve Marriott (ex-Small Faces and Humble Pie) got me sacked from my top job.

Full disclosure of the disaster at Gray's Inn Ball in the late 1980s.

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[graceq]

He was electric on stage, I always thought it must be hard to handle all that energy in everyday life. I remember him from my Robey days in the mid '80's with the Packet of Three. He was always very chatty and full of stories but you could see the bitterness. Anyhow, bless him, a legend

[philipjones]

Jim, as young man (20 years old, getting to know the Mod thing but with little info available and inaccurate presumptions) I went to see Steve Marriott around April 1987 at the Cricketers, on a Saturday night. His show is something else to talk about but one thing I remember is that me and my mate (we were sort of Indie post-punks) wanted to meet him afterwards and the (presumably) landlord let Steve know. About 10 -20 minutes later he appears straight to the bar, sat on stool and kept badgering the landlord for a glass of wine who refused probably because of licensing hours. Steve was really decent and down to earth with us (despite my nieve questions). Steve kept badgering and eventually the landlord relents and he gets a glass. 2 things I learned from that night was the dedicated workmanlike importance to give your guitar (I noticed something about him doing 'My girl') and good old Cockney cheerie-chapie focused persistence.. Steve R.I.P. ..🙏🏽😊

[TimMiddleton]

I remember seeing Steve Marriott and the Packet of Three a the Dickens in Southend. The Packet of Three would play a support set and then be joined by Steve to perform the main act. The Packet of Three hailed from Leamington Spa. Eventually, their guitarist, Steve Walwyn, joined Doctor Feelgood, with whom he performed from 1989 - 2021.

[PWMoze]

Saw Marriot's Packet of Three a few times at The Half Moon Putney. Brilliant on stage. He should have gone into acting, he would have been great as a character in 'The Sweeney' or 'Minder'.

[sonnyflint]

Interesting story. The demons of drink and drugs taking hold I think. It tends to mess everything up in the end, as it did (and still does) with so many talented musicians.

[henryfrost]

Hi Jim,
Thanks for your videos, very interesting.
Would it be possible if you did one about all the blues acts around London.
There used to be so many. Examples are. Children Shack, Peter Green, Sam Mitchell, Jo Anne Kelly, The inmates. Them there were the great Irish groups, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy and so on.
Maybe you have a lot of very interesting stories to tell.
All the best...

[tim.timothy.brennan]

A big fan of 'Steve Marriot' myself I remember at The Half Moon Putney a gig he did with Peter Frampton also and when it was over Steve was just standing in the middle of the floor on his own. I plucked up the courage to approach him and very politely said 'Hey Steve that was great' whereapon he turned his back on me. And he was still by himself.

[benw-king]

Thank you. Interesting post Jim. I loved Marriott's music - particularly the Small Faces. Brilliant vocalist and very underrated guitar player. The band I was in was due to support him in Bristol in the 80s...the venue burnt down days before the gig! I was gutted, so was the building. Ironically, he died in that house fire a few years later. As much as I admired him, I do appreciate that he was murder to work with. The stories are legion. It's fairly common knowledge that The Small Faces were run ragged by Marriott. I once spoke to Ian McLagan having supported him years back. He said that 'Steve was exhausting to be around. Very unpredictable.' But f**k it, we all have our moments...I know I have. Let's end on a positive - and this is just a personal opinion. I believe 'Tin Soldier' is one of the finest songs ever comitted to a 45rpm....the dying 30 seconds still takes my breath away.

[billtaylorsmith]

Steve was troubled because he was fed up getting ripped off. I remember getting Steve a drink cos he was skint. We got the proceeds of an album to help his family after his death.

[maverickminstrel]

I really enjoy your rambling stories and chuckle at your sarcastic replies sir ...keep up the good work jimbo...but I want a sarky reply

[PatriotSteve]

I enjoyed the story and have been a Marriott fan since the late 70’s. On To Victory turned me onto him and I got to see HP in California in 1980. That was the best show I’d seen for the next twenty years and to this day in my top 5. Marriott owned the stage and his talent blew me away. Was Ronnie Lane out of the country by the time you’d gotten into the business?

[colinmartin]

Marriott disliked all promoters and record company execs. He refused to sign record deals when he was in the Official Receivers and with Peter Frampton just before he died, because he did not trust the execs and when he worked live he always insisted in being paid in cash. He was very bitter at the way he had been ripped off by the business.

[hiljab]

Yes, a great singer AND guitarplayer. He was one of my great heroes i the sixties. I still got every Small Faces singles. And I remember where I was when I heard about "supergroup" Humble Pie. Actually I was aware of Peter Frampton at that time because of his hits with Heard (Paradise Lost)m but to me it was all about Stevie.
1981 or 1982 I was visiting a good danish drummer in London and we planned to hear Stevie playing in a rather humble club outside the center. But it was cancelled, Dont know why.
I guess five years later I finally managed to see him in concert. Femøren in Copenhagen. It was not nice. He was aggresive to the public and I remenber this beuatifull man as rather ugly and stupid. I dont remember the music.
But to me I understand his feeling. It was so cruel that this magic man ended up broke becauce of the bastards in the industry.
I know he was planning a project with the very very very good later Peter Frampton - but then the fire.

Nice to hear these stories, Jim.

[richardjones]

Sounds like he was peeved about being short changed at the cricketers, as he saw it.

[robertcjonesesq]

Cockneys don’t suffer fools, and therein lies the answer !!! Steve is also blessed by our creator and he’s still winding you up now by the look of things 🤣😂🤣

[wthefrek]

That skinny little freak, well, sorry for that misfortune. I kind of wondered what happened to him . Oh well, he definitely went down the wrong path.

[stephensnelling]

Great video Jim, never got to see Steve Marriott but on the whole l now do very little for bands anymore because your damned if you do your damned if you don't and are like buckets with a hole 🕳️ in them l tend to do stuff for bands that l feel never had the credit They deserved anyway Jim keep up the great work.

[roberttompkins]

damn this guy simply talks in circles-get on with it

[bristolfashion]

Great little vid. and full of stuff - slightly too much if truth be told… I refer you, dear reader, to the well-known poem by Philip Larkin, called This Be The Verse. It's a bit rude but there you go…

[richardirvin]

😅really i really love the people think they did something.