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Steve Hogarth | |
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_live_at_Trading_Boundaries_13th_December_2024_(54205317272).jpg) Hogarth in 2024 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | h |
| Born | Ronald Stephen Hoggarth (1956-05-14)14 May 1956 (age 69) Kendal,Westmorland, England |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
| Member of | Marillion |
| Formerly of |
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| Website | stevehogarth |
Steve Hogarth (bornRonald Stephen Hoggarth, 14 May 1956),[2] also known as "h", is an English musician. Since 1989, he has been the lead singer of the rock bandMarillion, for which he also performs additional keyboards and guitar. Hogarth was formerly a keyboard player and co-lead vocalist withthe Europeans and vocalist withHow We Live.AllMusic has described Hogarth as having a "unique, expressive voice" with "flexible range and beautiful phrasing".[3]
Hogarth was born inKendal,Westmorland, England. His father was an engineer in theBritish Merchant Navy. He was brought up on a council estate inDoncaster,South Yorkshire, from the age of two. As a child he became interested in music, his earliest influences beingthe Beatles andthe Kinks, and taught himself to play piano.[4]
Leaving school at the age of eighteen, Hogarth spent three years studying for a degree inelectrical engineering at Trent Polytechnic (nowNottingham Trent University).[4] He was also a member of a band during this time, Harlow, who played working men's clubs. They recorded the single "Harry de Mazzio" on the Pepper record label, which Hogarth wrote and later described as "dreadful" and "definitely the worst record I ever made."[5] The band split in 1981 and Hogarth left his engineering degree, moving to London to further his music career.[4]
In London, after responding to an advertisement in the music press Hogarth joined the band Motion Pictures. They were subsequently renamedthe Europeans. Initially joining just as a keyboard player, Hogarth later shared the vocal duties with Ferg Harper. Signed toA&M Records,the Europeans released two studio albums and one live album. Hogarth sang just one track on the first studio album but sang five of the eight tracks on the second album.
In 1985, Hogarth and guitarist Colin Woore left the band to formHow We Live, The duo were signed toColumbia Records. In 1987, following record company changes, How We Live's debut albumDry Land was unsuccessful. Hogarth considered leaving the music industry and becoming a milkman or postman. However, a meeting with his publishers arranged by a friend,Darryl Way, a founding member ofCurved Air, persuaded him to send a tape to Marillion, who were recruiting for a new lead vocalist following the departure ofFish in late 1988.
Marillion heard the tape and were interested enough to ask for a meeting with the singer. Later accounts of this first meeting record that Hogarth turned up at band memberPete Trewavas' house with his demo tapes contained in a red plastic fire bucket – the audition taking place in Trewavas' garage, due to the presence of cats in the house (seebelow). The band were immediately impressed by his vocal prowess. Hogarth himself, however, took a little longer to make up his mind, holding as he did at the time a potentially lucrative offer to tour theU.S. onkeyboards withThe The. As he later recalled in a 2001 interview byClassic Rock, he had a choice "between the most hip band in the world, and the least...".[6] In the end he accepted the position with Marillion, won over as the band wanted an equal partner and were offering a potentially permanent arrangement.
Hogarth's first album with the band, released in September 1989, wasSeasons End, their fifth studio album. Since then, Marillion have recorded a further fourteen studio, and numerous live albums, with Hogarth on vocals, the most recent beingAn Hour Before It's Dark released in March 2022.
Hogarth has also released one solo studio album under the name 'h' calledIce Cream Genius. This album had contributions from ex-Japan/Porcupine Tree synthesiser/keyboard maestroRichard Barbieri, formerXTC guitaristDave Gregory,Blondie drummerClem Burke, bassistChucho Merchan and percussionistLuís Jardim.
Subsequently, Hogarth's side-project,The H-Band, has played live across the UK and Europe featuring a variety of musicians, including formerthe Stone Roses MKII guitaristAziz Ibrahim,Massive Attack andthe Bays drummer Andy Gangadeen,session musician Jingles onbass, Aziz's regular musical partner Dalbir Singh Rattan on tablas and Stephanie Sobey-Jones on cello. With Barbieri and Gregory, this line up recorded a double album entitledLive Spirit: Live Body atDingwalls on 8 and 9 August 2001. It was released one year later.
In 2006, Hogarth undertook a solo tour, 'h Natural', during which he played around 20 dates in the UK and Europe . It was billed as an evening of music and conversation with Hogarth at the piano. These shows were mixed and released for download, one at a time and for a limited period only, on Hogarth's (now defunct) H-Tunes website.
On 14 May 2010, Hogarth performed at theRelentless Garage in London to celebrate his birthday. On the following two days he also performed in Liverpool and Sheffield. To coincide with these shows a CD was released featuring some of the best tracks taken from his H Natural shows. This collection is called H Natural Selection and was available at the shows and from the Marillion website.
In 2012, Hogarth joined forces withRichard Barbieri again, releasing an album as a duo calledNot the Weapon But the Hand.
In 2014, it was announced that Hogarth was releasing two volumes of diaries, written between 1991 and 2014. The first was released in June 2014 by Miwk Publishing and is calledThe Invisible Man. Volume 2 followed in December 2014.
Hogarth collaborated with Swedish chamber-rock band Isildurs Bane on an album titledColours Not Found in Nature, released in 2017. Hogarth had written the lyrics and recorded the vocals in hotel rooms around the world while on tour with Marillion.[7][8][9]
Hogarth has three children: a daughter named Sofi and a son named Nial with his first wife Sue,[10] and a son named Emil from his current relationship with Linette, who is from Denmark.[11][12]
Hogarth is violently allergic to cats, first learning this when hospitalised as a child after visiting a Liverpudlian aunt "...whose house was full of 'em!" Marillion bass player Pete Trewavas had cats in January 1989 when they had their first meeting so Hogarth could not enter his house.[13]
Hogarth is a fan of the football clubManchester United.[14][15]
In an interview forHuffPost in 2012, Hogarth citedthe Blue Nile,Paddy McAloon,Mike Scott,John Lennon,David Bowie andJoni Mitchell as musical inspirations, andPeter Gabriel,Sting andMassive Attack as artists he would like to work with. On Sting, Hogarth commented: "It's weird how few artists mention Sting and pull him out but he's such a brilliant talent."[16]
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