Autobiography… the story so far
At this time I am living in Finland with my family and apart from an average of 120 gigs a year spend most of my time writing new pieces for the two very different bands that I work with. My plan is to produce a new record every 18 months or so. The Finnish music scene is much the same as most I have worked in with record companies concentrating on fashion and the young and radio playing from narrow playlists; usually imports or songs in Finnish.
Apart from the Finnish stuff, which is new to me, I seem to hear an awful lot of fairly manufactured sounds. However the audiences are fantastically loyal to all sorts of music especially if it’s played with all the soul you got. Also there are many talented players here and I have been most fortunate to have worked with some of them. For example, Hasse Walli, an extraordinary guitarist who has fused Hendrix with Senegalese music and with whom I have made two records (www.hassewalli.com for more info). Eero Raittinen is also a big star in Finland, much respected for many years and a great singer. He has recorded one of my songs, as have other local names like Nina and Bablo.
Thanks to modern, inexpensive equipment and the relatively cheap cost of making CDs it is possible for people like me to make records. All my time in the business has been a build up to this and the frustrations you will read about in the biography have largely gone away. After all, if one is part of the established music business one has to play by the rules and that works for many. Of course I would love to sell a lot more records and reach the audience that I know is out there and welcome any help from the ‘Big Boys’ if they offer, but there is great satisfaction in making records for oneself with no one to answer to. So enjoy the site for what it is intended for, the music, and if you want a stroll down my memory lane… read on.
Early Years
I bought my first guitar for ten shillings when I went to St Edwards College in Malta in 1963 and there I met Victor Patacciola from Boston MA. He taught me all the chords he knew and we formed a band called “The Pythons” and played our first gig at the school. Vic wrote some cool tunes, one instrumental I remember called ‘Suspense’ (There's an old tape around somewhere). I fell in love with the guitar and when sent back to Britain to study at H.M.S. Conway in 1966, I was enrolled at the same time as Pete Brown—a gifted drummer, guitarist, and nephew of Joe Brown of “Joe Brown and The Bruvvers” (big UK star with hits like “Sheik of Araby”). They provided us with VOX amps and our parents with warnings of the dangers of the music business.
I left in 1970 and after a spell learning computers at ICL I jumped at the chance to join an American heavy rock band “The Clouds” whose guitarist and singer quit a tour of southern Africa during the Zambian leg (where my Dad was teaching at a technical college). They had charted in Billboard and had a mass of huge Sunn amplifiers. John Stein was on bass and Danny Surtak on drums. We played huge stadiums, hit TV shows, and landed on the front page of the national paper thanks to the gyrations of one Kathy Keppi (see photo again). Mum and Dad were not best pleased. I was a teenager and they were still my legal guardians but they let me go. John and I wrote a song called ‘Hold on Baby’ that seemed in the right direction, with Danny playing huge double bass drum lines and me screaming gamely. (Much faded copy here as soon as I can repair it a bit.) We were supposed to go on to Italy but the band was eventually stranded in Livingstone for a month after being refused entry to what was then Rhodesia. We spent the first week swimming in the Zambezi River about a mile above Victoria Falls until some chap in a slouch hat yelled at us that the water was infested with man-eating crocodiles. We stayed by the pool from then on. The Americans finally got home and I hitched back to Mum and Dad under an ‘I told you so.’ Tragically, Danny was drowned after being caught in an undertow while swimming in a flooded mine pit back in Belleville, Illinois.
Life on the Road
I then roadied for “The Casuals” (UK hit “Where Jesamine Goes”) when they toured Zambia. Through their guitarist, I got an audition in London—only to find the gig gone. I turned to street busking and made good money in the Underground. However, I really wanted to be in a band and after soul-destroying auditions in London I headed to Southampton to connect with Pete Brown and Pat Bond (a great left-handed bassist). We lived rough in a van, then landed a gig with dance bandleader Bob Ames, playing working men’s clubs and bingo halls.
Soon we joined “The Fantastics” backup band (eight musicians plus four US-style vocalists akin to The Four Tops and The Temptations). Don Heywood, the leader and MD, taught me about soul and funk guitar. Two years later, I joined Southampton group Iguana, recorded for Polydor, then returned to London in 1974 at Island Records' invitation to tour with Jess Roden. I played solos on his album and toured with Roxy Music, Eric Clapton, and The Who.
Solo Work and Beyond
Over the years I’ve recorded solo albums, toured festivals worldwide, and collaborated with names like Hasse Walli, The Difference, Lion, and Big Bad Bo Hurtig. In 2004, I formed Steve Webb & The RetroRockets to dive into classic Rock’n’Roll; our CDs have sold well via CD Baby and elsewhere.
Well, that’s about it for now. I hope you enjoy the music and stories on this site—feel free to download and share. A full list of albums is available under Discography. Peace.
Updated April 2008
Early Days
I bought my first guitar for ten shillings when I went to St Edwards College in Malta in 1963 and there I met Victor Patacciola from Boston MA and he taught me all the chords he knew and we formed a band "The Pythons" and played our first gig at the school. Vic wrote some cool tunes, one instrumental I remember called 'Suspense' (There’s an old tape around somewhere). I fell in love with the guitar and when sent back to Britain to study at H.M.S. Conway in 1966...
I then roadied for "The Casuals" (U.K. hit "Where Jesamine goes") when they came out to tour Zambia...
I relocated to London and in the summer of 1974 while loading steel pipe at Chiswick Ironworks received a call from Island...
We made two albums with Jess Roden Band, toured with Roxy Music, Eric Clapton and The Who, and recorded "Keep Your Hat On" with Island Records...
Over the years, I’ve played with many bands and recorded numerous albums, including solo work and collaborations with Hasse Walli, The Difference, Lion, and more. Live recordings, studio sessions, and festival appearances have defined my journey...
Well that’s about it for now, I hope you like some of the music on the site, feel free to download and pass it on. A list of albums available from Webbsongs is on the site. Peace.
Updated April 2008