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Unusual Rock Trivia?

"Steve Marriott, vocalist extraordinaire and guitarist for Small Faces and Humble Pie was originally a successful child actor. (He also turned down Jimmy Page's invitation to be the singer for Led Zeppelin. It's only then that Page went looking and found Robert Plant.)" Quote, stringthrough

Also as a youngster, Steve sang the role of The Artful Dodger on the original stage show recording of the musical "Oliver".

He also auditioned to fill Brian Jones's spot in the Stones at Keith's request. Apparently Keith really wanted him for the Stones, but told him to just play and not sing at the try out, knowing that Mick could be a little touchy about not having the greatest voice... Of course Steve couldn't contain his cheeky enthusiasm and joined in singing... As Keith had feared, that put an end to any chance of Steve joining the Stones.

Steve Marriott at his cheeky bluesy belting best....

 
Pete Townshend thought he was lifting his now-famous Windmill move from Keith Richards, because Pete saw Keith doing it as the curtain was rising at a Stones show. Later, after Pete had made it his big move, he talked with Keith about it and realized Keith was just stretching out his arm before starting to play.
 
"Steve Marriott, vocalist extraordinaire and guitarist for Small Faces and Humble Pie was originally a successful child actor. (He also turned down Jimmy Page's invitation to be the singer for Led Zeppelin. It's only then that Page went looking and found Robert Plant.)"

Rather cheekily, Zeppelin did a version of an old blues song in a style reminiscent of the Small Faces rendition and called it "Whole Lotta Love". Plant hung around the Small Faces so was easy for Page to find.

Also as a youngster, Steve sang the role of The Artful Dodger on the original stage show recording of the musical "Oliver".

One of the later child actors to play The Artful Dodger in that long-running London production of "Oliver!" was Phil Collins. I am not sure if there was anyone intervening.

More (sort of) trivia:

Keith Relf, singer in the Yardbirds alongside (at various points) Clapton, Beck and Page could actually play guitar and later did so in Renaissance. Alongside the above he wasn't likely to be asked to play guitar, though.

Plant used to be in a band with Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull. I don't know if Pegg was ever in the frame for Zeppelin. Pegg was also in a band with the father of three of UB40.

Pegg was in Jethro Tull replacing John Glascock. Following Glascock's death, Barry Barlow left Tull and was considered to replace Bonham in Zeppelin and later worked with Plant. Barlow was one of Bonham's favourite drummers.

Phil Collins played with Jethro Tull as drummer for some gala performances.
 
"Steve Marriott, vocalist extraordinaire and guitarist for Small Faces and Humble Pie was originally a successful child actor. (He also turned down Jimmy Page's invitation to be the singer for Led Zeppelin. It's only then that Page went looking and found Robert Plant.)" Quote, stringthrough

Also as a youngster, Steve sang the role of The Artful Dodger on the original stage show recording of the musical "Oliver".

He also auditioned to fill Brian Jones's spot in the Stones at Keith's request. Apparently Keith really wanted him for the Stones, but told him to just play and not sing at the try out, knowing that Mick could be a little touchy about not having the greatest voice... Of course Steve couldn't contain his cheeky enthusiasm and joined in singing... As Keith had feared, that put an end to any chance of Steve joining the Stones.

Steve Marriott at his cheeky bluesy belting best....


He sang, and Mick was Shattered.
 
One of the later child actors to play The Artful Dodger in that long-running London production of "Oliver!" was Phil Collins. I am not sure if there was anyone intervening.

Jack Wild, of the H.R.Pufnstuf television show, played The Artful Dodger in the 1968 film version of Oliver! after having played a different role in the 1964 West End Theater production of the show.
 
"Steve Marriott, vocalist extraordinaire and guitarist for Small Faces and Humble Pie was originally a successful child actor. (He also turned down Jimmy Page's invitation to be the singer for Led Zeppelin. It's only then that Page went looking and found Robert Plant.)" Quote, stringthrough

Also as a youngster, Steve sang the role of The Artful Dodger on the original stage show recording of the musical "Oliver".

He also auditioned to fill Brian Jones's spot in the Stones at Keith's request. Apparently Keith really wanted him for the Stones, but told him to just play and not sing at the try out, knowing that Mick could be a little touchy about not having the greatest voice... Of course Steve couldn't contain his cheeky enthusiasm and joined in singing... As Keith had feared, that put an end to any chance of Steve joining the Stones.

Steve Marriott at his cheeky bluesy belting best....


How is it that I had never heard of Steve Marriott until now? Great voice!
 
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"Steve Marriott, vocalist extraordinaire and guitarist for Small Faces and Humble Pie was originally a successful child actor. (He also turned down Jimmy Page's invitation to be the singer for Led Zeppelin. It's only then that Page went looking and found Robert Plant.)


Check out the vocals to this tune and especially @ ~3:30 and Steve Mariott sounds like Robert Plant! Or is it the other way around? Crazy!

The Small Faces had some great tunes!
 
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How is it that I had never heard of Steve Marriott until now? Great voice!

He's something else, wish I could have seen him live.



Check out the vocals to this tune and especially @ ~3:30 and Steve Mariott sounds like Robert Plant! Or is it the other way around? Crazy!

The Small Faces had some great tunes!


I've heard/read somewhere, can't remember where, that Plant modeled his voice for Zep from Steve's.
 
Frau Eva von Zeppelin, a direct descendant of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, was upset over what she believed to be a dishonoring of the family name by the band. She demanded the group change their name, and got her wish on February 28, 1970, when the band performed as The Nobs in Copenhagen. Both popular and critical opinion favored the band's preferred name, and they were Led Zeppelin once more for their next show—and every show thereafter.
 
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Rather cheekily, Zeppelin did a version of an old blues song in a style reminiscent of the Small Faces rendition and called it "Whole Lotta Love". Plant hung around the Small Faces so was easy for Page to find.



One of the later child actors to play The Artful Dodger in that long-running London production of "Oliver!" was Phil Collins. I am not sure if there was anyone intervening.

More (sort of) trivia:

Keith Relf, singer in the Yardbirds alongside (at various points) Clapton, Beck and Page could actually play guitar and later did so in Renaissance. Alongside the above he wasn't likely to be asked to play guitar, though.

Plant used to be in a band with Dave Pegg of Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull. I don't know if Pegg was ever in the frame for Zeppelin. Pegg was also in a band with the father of three of UB40.

Pegg was in Jethro Tull replacing John Glascock. Following Glascock's death, Barry Barlow left Tull and was considered to replace Bonham in Zeppelin and later worked with Plant. Barlow was one of Bonham's favourite drummers.

Phil Collins played with Jethro Tull as drummer for some gala performances.

following on in a theme of trivial links...

David O'List was in The Nice, P.P. Arnold's backing band, P.P. Arnold having also been in a relationship with Steve Marriot. O'List was briefly in Jethro Tull, as was Tony Iommi. Keith Emerson later formed ELP with Carl Palmer who had been in Atomic Rooster which later featured the singer from Colluseum that also later featured Don Airey who was later in Jethro Tull. So that's Tull to Tull.

Also in Colluseum was Gary Moore, also of Thin Lizzy with Phil Lynnott who composed Yellow Pearl with Midge Ure which replaced the (then occasional) use of the CCS version of Led Zep's Whole Lotta Love, which was a version of the same blues standard that Marriot in Small Faces also did. So we're back to Led Zep. Well, technically it was by the BBC Orchestra version of the CCS theme, but featured lots of CCS musicians somehow.

CCS was fronted by Alexis Korner who gave John Mayall a hand up, feature Clapton who was in The Yardbirds as was Jimmy Page. One of its other big hits was a version of Tull's Living in the Past.
 
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