Small Faces - Biography
By J Poet
The Small Faces were one of the biggest British bands of the 1960s – in England. They never made much of a mark in the US, although their psychedelic sound was as influential as The Beatles at one time. When band founder Steve Marriott left to start Humble Pie with Peter Frampton, the band recruited future superstar Rod Stewart and future Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood to replace him. As The Faces they finally had some US success, but when Stewart left for his solo career the band fell apart. In 1996, they were awarded the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
Ronnie Lane was a 16-year-old high school dropout and guitar player when he met Kenney Jones. He switched to bass and they formed The Outcasts. When he went to buy a new instrument at the J60 Music Bar, he struck up a conversation with Steve Marriott, one of the salesmen. After listening to Marrott’s Motown and Stax records and discussing their musical philosophy, they decided to start a band. They brought in Jones and pianist Jimmy Winston and started rehearsing at The Ruskin Arms pub, which was owned by Winston’s parents.
Marriott had been playing guitar, ukulele, and harmonica since childhood. He loved the blues and Buddy Holly and combined those sounds in the music he wrote. In 1963, some demos he made got him a solo record deal, but none of his early singles hit. He started a band called The Moments in late 1963, and while they had a strong London following, their singles failed to chart. He quit the band and got a day job selling music gear at the J60 Music Bar, where he met Lane. He dropped an idea of forming a duo with David Bowie to be called David and Goliath, to start the Small Faces.
Marriott’s good looks and the band’s raw energy attracted attention from their first gigs. Their opening act was frequently an American folk rock duo called Sonny & Cher. Within six weeks the band had a manager and a record deal and their first single “Whatcha Gonna Do About It” shot to #12. Jimmy Winston was fired, allegedly for being “too tall;” he was almost 6 feet - the rest of them were 5’ 4”. Ian McLagan, a short, well-known London keyboard player was hired to take his place.
The band hit the charts again with their third single, "Sha-La-La-La-Lee", which peaked at #3. The Small Faces (1966 Deram), which included both of their hits, shot up the album charts. Their next single, “All Or Nothing” hit #1 and their second album, again titled The Small Faces (1966 Immediate) also did well. They were about to leave on an American tour opening for The Lovin' Spoonful and The Mamas and the Papas when Ian McLagan got busted for drugs.
Their psychedelic masterpiece Ogden's Nut Gone Flake (1966 Immediate, 1991 Columbia UK) with the hits “Lazy Sunday” and “Tin Soldier” hit #1 for two months and the single “Itchycoo Park” topped the British charts. Immediate put out the compilation album There Are But Four Small Faces (1967 Immediate US) for the American market. It failed to chart, but it included “Itchycoo Park” which was a minor US hit. Disgusted with being pigeonholed as a pop band, Marriott quit to start Humble Pie with Peter Frampton in 1969.
The remaining players enlisted Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart who had just left the Jeff Beck Group, and released the third album called The Small Faces (1970 Warner), quickly reissued as both Small Faces (1970 Warner) and First Step (1970 Warner.) They became The Faces for their next albums, and were a major concert draw for the remainder of their brief career. A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse (1971 Warner) included the UK #1 "Stay with Me.” Long Player (1971 Warner) had another hit, “Had Me a Real Good Time,” but Stewart’s solo career was already taking off. Their live gigs were being billed as Rod Stewart and The Faces, which angered the rest of the band. Before they started working on their last album Oh La La (1973 Warner), Ronnie Lane quit. They had one more UK hit, “You Can Make Me Dance, Sing, or Anything” in 1974, but when Ron Wood joined the Stones, the band splintered.
Most of the Small Faces/Faces stayed active in the music business. Ronnie Lane started Slim Chance and made Rough Mix (12977 Atco) with Pete Townshend. He contracted multiple sclerosis and died in 1997. Kenney Jones became the drummer of The Who. McLagan toured with The Stones, moved to the US, and became a session musician. Rod Stewart is a superstar. Marriott led Humble Pie until Frampton started his solo career, and briefly reformed The Small Faces for Playmates (1977 Atlantic) and '78 in the Shade (1978 Atlantic), but the albums tanked and the band split up again. By 1980, Marriott was almost homeless and in debt to Inland Revenue (the British IRS) for £100,000 he didn’t pay on his Small Faces income. He put together a new version of Humble Pie in 1981/82 and made The Majik Mijits (2000 NMC UK) with Ronnie Lane, although it was never released during his lifetime due to record company politics. Plagued by drug and alcohol problems, Marriott’s last years were a long sting of underpaid one nighters and missed recording opportunities. He died when his cottage burned down in 1991, his blood containing traces of Valium, coke and alcohol.
