Who’s Steve Gibbons?

Quotes and reviews on Steve Gibbons

It was not until Steve Gibbons took the stage that I realised that the quiet handsomely road-worn man I had met was also the brilliant writer, the image-perfect, voice-perfect creatuere described to me by Pete. … I became more and more impressed with the talent, and the great musicians that Steve had found for his band… His writing never ceases to amaze me. He distills everything in the graet British Rock writers tradition from Ray Davis to Lionel Bart… Steve can also bring across the true spirit of Nashville, of Dylan`s New York, or Bruce Springsteens`s or Paul Simon`s street heritage. Steve is from Birmingham but his culture is a stifed bag of music flour from fifteen years of Rock Harvest… His works sometimes touches on areas I have covered too: Steve is one of the few writers barring myself and Leo Sayer who have come up with a perfect song for Roger Daltrey… (Pete Townsend, The Who, in: The Steve Gibbons Book)

The world is unjust. If it were otherwise, a man like Steve Gibbons would have long since taken pride of place in the hall of fame of rock ’n‘ roll and would perform in giant arenas (Stefan Radlmaier, head of the feature section of the Nürnberger Nachrichten)

Steve was, and still is, a most colourfull and charasmatic performer with a wonderful voice and a way of expressing himself visually that then, and now, it is a treat to behold. I always thought he had ’star`written all over him, but Steve was to make only one incursion into the British hit parade, in the late 70s, with the Chuck Berry song „Tulane“. Such is rock ’n‘ roll. (Dave Morgan in „Patterns in the Chaos“)

I owe my career to Steve. I can’t stress too much how important he was… So let me say thanks to Steve for putting me on the spot back then: you changed my life, mate! ( Dave Pegg, Fairport Convention, Ex-Jetho Tull, Ex-The Ugly`s, Ex-The Dylan Project, Off The Pegg, p. 29 )

Steve Gibbons has been in the music business for over four decades, surviving the ever-changing trends by being himself. (Harborne: Famous People)

His smoky voice is his trademark, a song from his LP „Street Parade“ is his musical program: „British Rock’n’Roll“. Even if he has not yet become a rock star, his qualities as an excellent songwriter are undisputed and generally acknowledged. (Munzinger)

Steve performed every song with a voluminous show of theatrical gestures, acting out the lyrics in a deliberate melodrama, something I had not seen done before. (Dave Morgan, successor of Dave Pegg at the Ugly`s)

A four piece band with Steve playing rhythm guitar as well as vocals/harmonica and featuring Howard Gregory on guitar and violin, the show at the Robin showed that Steve (now in his 70s) has lost none of his on stage presence… A key feature of any Steve Gibbons show is the long spoken introductions, mid song asides and street cool persona. All of these ingredients are still intact and with fine (fierce and fluid) guitar leads from Howard Gregory, the band put on a good show for the Gibbons devotees in the crowd. (London Guitar Academy)

Steve Gibbons is somehow one of the sad heroes of rock history: endowed with the potential of a superstar, there was always a lack of really competent supporters who could have given his career the decisive boost it needed. Thus the singer, whose brittle charm reminded one of a Bryan Ferry or perhaps even more of Willy DeVille, always remained an insider tip, but was able to achieve true cult status in his home region around Birmingham to this day. It is hard to believe: this man has been active without interruption since 1958. The man has experienced a lot and you can hear that in his music! (Rocktimes)

Live At Rockpalast“ means in the case of the STEVE GIBBONS BAND: Cosy ambience, catchy tunes and music set between hot-blooded rock, soul and everything else that fits into sweaty dives. For fans, the name alone is an obligation; newcomers like the author receive tuition in early crossover styles. Andreas Schiffmann

One of the biggest (rock festivals) I attended was at the Zeppelin Feld in Nuremberg 1970 with 70.000 people at the very same place were Adolf Hitler had that huge mass meetings Anyway that day and night the Bands were amo Cheap Trick, Nils Lofgren, The Scorpions, AC / DC (with Bon Scott) and THE WHO – first time without Keith, but with a gigantic back then unique avantgarde LASER SHOW – First time ever seem that green Laser Lights there. BTW one of the best bands that day was The Steve Gibbons Band … (Baron Von Talbot, Apr 7, 2009)

If you appreciate really hard, loud rock and roll Steve Gibbons is still your man A guy who’s kept his faith through thick and thin Having reached his commercial peak in ’78 when Tulane reached the Top 10, Steve is still rockin‘ as hard today. It’s hard to define his approach, it’s not country, nor blues, nor soul. He builds things consistently throughout his set, reaching high points that are all the more effective and satisfying for that. Virtually every other band on the planet could learn a lesson from his approach. His group specialises in slow burn rather flash fire and can put a pitbull sized bite onto a groove like say, Little Feat, The Meters or going back even further, The Coasters.

Midlands legend… particular rock ’n‘ roll maestro …. (with such a longstanding legacy) who deserves much more recognition and plaudits than has been afforded him to date (http://elobeatlesforever.blogspot.com/2016/11/caught-live-steve-gibbons-band-quill.html)

A critic once called Steve Gibbons „the English Bob Seger,“ which, as descriptions go, could have been much worse,… The trouble was that being the English Bob Seger meant little, if anything, to most American rock fans (who preferred their own Seger by a wide margin), and Gibbons‘ career never amounted to much in the U.S.; he was fairly popular in England, though. (https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/steve-gibbons-band/106670954

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