Steve Harley

Known for his theatrical vocal style and impressionistic, scattershot lyrical stance, Steve Harley is best remembered as the leader of the British rock band Cockney Rebel, whose music fused glam rock, art rock, and ambitious pop. Not afraid of the grandiose, Cockney Rebel's early efforts (1973's The Human Menagerie and 1974's The Psychomodo) produced eccentric, ambitious minor hits like "Sebastian" and "Judy Teen," but Harley asserted his dominance of the group -- changing their name to Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel -- and scored his biggest hit with "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)," a catchy-on-the-surface, but bitter-underneath pop song from 1975's The Best Years of Our Lives. Harley's days as a major star in British rock proved to be short, but he remained a potent cult figure, recording and touring when not occupied by his work as an actor and radio host.