10 Reasons Why Steve Marriott's Life Was a Greek Tragedy

Guitarist and singer Steve Marriott's professional life started with a lot of potential.  His vocal talent, harmonica and guitar playing prowess has been appreciated and copied by many.  But somewhere along the way it all went south.  Some of it can be attributed to his drug and alcohol abuse which led to a volatile personality.  But the stories of artists who have had massive success despite drug and alcohol abuse are many and legendary, so there was obviously also a fair amount of bad luck involved.

1. Steve Marriott led the Small Faces; a talented British Blues/British Invasion band on par with The Yardbirds and The Kinks; yet for some reason never broke out in the States.

2. Steve Marriott's powerful bluesy vocal style was blatantly imitated by Robert Plant, yet millions of Led Zeppelin fans don't realize that.

3. After leaving Small Faces, the band morphed into Faces with Rod Stewart as frontman.  Faces enjoyed arguably marginally better success in the United States than Small Faces, but just enough to eclipse any recognition established by the band during Marriott's tenure.

4. Marriott started a classic blues rock band named Humble Pie with Peter Frampton.  They put out several albums, appreciated by a small segment of rock fans.  The band's early 70s heyday was fleeting and nowadays few remember the band.

5. After leaving Marriott and Humble Pie, Peter Frampton went on to be a multi-million seller with 'Frampton Comes Alive!'.

6. After the departure of lead guitarist Mick Taylor from the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards wanted Steve Marriott to fill the slot.  Marriott sabotaged his chances at the rehearsal by hamming it up too much and singing, which immediately turned Mick Jagger against him.

7. Humble Pie's mob-connected management badly ripped off the band.  When Marriott tried to play hardball to reclaim some of the money owed to him, threats were issued that made it clear he should consider himself fortunate if he never sees a dime.

8. By the mid-70s, Marriott's Small Faces and Humble Pie money had run out.  He struggled financially for the rest of his life.

9. Marriott's volatility and violent behavior, exacerbated by his drinking and drug use, ensured his marriages would not last.  He was in four very tumultuous marriages.

10. Steve Marriott died in 1991 in a self-inflicted house fire, caused by him lighting a cigarette in bed at the end of a long day of drinking and using drugs.

Note this song that exemplifies Marriott's influential vocal stylings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp0jZ4BGuDw