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East 17
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For the postcode, see E postal area.
East 17 (later re-grouped as E-17) are an English pop boy band founded in 1992.
The group name came from the postcode for Walthamstow, an area of London between the old East End and the Essex commuter belt. They achieved 18 Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the famous acts along with Take That in the UK and some parts of the world during the early to mid 1990s.
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Encyclopedia
For the postcode, see E postal area.
East 17 (later re-grouped as E-17) are an English pop boy band founded in 1992.
The group name came from the postcode for Walthamstow, an area of London between the old East End and the Essex commuter belt. They achieved 18 Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the famous acts along with Take That in the UK and some parts of the world during the early to mid 1990s. They occasionally blended rap and pop in songs such as "House of Love", "Steam" and "Let It Rain", attaining fame as a result of the main songwriter Tony Mortimer.
Biography
The band began in 1992 when Mortimer was promised a record deal after he showcased his own material. The deal was granted under the condition that he form a group, which was the format London Records were looking for. The original roles in the band were soon altered when Brian Harvey, who was intended to be a back-up singer and dancer, was heard singing along during a recording session. He was duly promoted to lead vocalist. The group's other members are Terence Coldwell and Jonathan Hendy.
Mortimer wrote the vast majority of the group's songs, which often contained rap verses vocalized by him to complement Harvey's more fluid R&B style vocals. The group was usually seen as a grittier, more political and hip-hop or rap-aligned group than rival boy band Take That.
East 17 scored 12 Top 10 hits on the UK singles chart between 1992 and 1998. Their debut album, Walthamstow, shot to #1 on the UK album chart. It featured a string of Top 20 singles, including "House of Love" and "Deep". "It's Alright" became a major success in Australia, reaching #1 in early 1994 for 7 weeks in a row and #3 in the UK in 1993. The lyrics to some of their songs (e.g. "Let It Rain") had political undertones, talking about war, peace, equality, love, and other political issues. Their popularity reached Mongolia, particularly with the song "It's Alright", helped by music television channels, Channel V and MTV.
In 1994, upon the release of their second album, Steam, they scored their only UK number-one single with "Stay Another Day", which remained at the top for five weeks and was also that year's Christmas number-one. Following the somewhat low-key release of the next album, Up All Night, their drop in appeal became apparent compared to previous albums. The album's songwriting duties were split among the four members of the group, rather than Mortimer alone, although all of the singles released from the album were actually penned by him.
East 17 also appeared on the Childliners record The Gift Of Christmas, alongside acts such as MN8, Boyzone, E.Y.C., Sean Maguire, Deuce, Ultimate Kaos, Let Loose, Backstreet Boys, Peter Andre, Michelle Gayle and Dannii Minogue amongst others. In 1996, the group hit #2 with the track "If You Ever", a duet with the singer Gabrielle.
In 1997, Harvey was engulfed in a drug controversy when he claimed he took 12 Ecstasy pills in one night, saying, "It's cool to take drugs". He also claimed that Ecstasy "can make you a better person". The act went against the group's "boy band" image, and there was a huge media uproar, with questions being asked in the House of Commons. The group's career and reputation was tarnished. Harvey was sacked as a result. Mortimer later decided to leave several months later, due to creative differences between himself and the rest of the group.
Harvey, Coldwell and Hendy all attempted a comeback in 1998 under the name of E-17 and landed a record deal with Telstar Records after recording an album's worth of self written material in their home studios. Their first single was "Each Time," which reached #2 in the UK. But without Mortimer's songwriting influence, the band struggled, and after rather disappointing sales of the next single, "Betcha Can't Wait", reaching just number 11 in the charts, and their album Resurrection not selling as much as the record company would have liked, the band were dropped by their label in 1999.
2000s
After launching himself as a solo artist with help from Wyclef Jean, Harvey went back to East 17 to play numerous gigs on the nostalgia circuit with Coldwell and Hendy. On the ITV1 docusoap Redcoats, East 17 were shown performing at a gig that was held at Butlins in Bognor on a programme that also featured Keith Harris.
In 2005, Harvey, Coldwell and Hendy performed as E-17 in the country of Mongolia.
Mortimer attempted to create two bands, but each time opted to return to production work for other artists from his Essex studio. He also recorded his own solo material, released in January 2006 on his official website (now defunct).
Brian Harvey made the news in 2005 when he accidentally ran himself over, and required surgical treatment.
On February 4, 2006, Harvey appeared on the UK television music show CD:UK, where he announced that East 17 might make a comeback with the original four members. In mid-February 2006, the group reformed. They played their first concert since reformation on May 30 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London.
After reforming for the one-off gig, it was reported that East 17 had split up again, since Hendy was unable to fully commit to the band because his roofing business took up a lot of his time. Friction also flared up again between Harvey and Mortimer, resulting in the latter's departure and the rest of the boys performing as a three-piece at various club events. These events were screened in a Channel 4 documentary called East 17:The Reunion in May 2007.
Performing as a three-member group without Mortimer, E17 played at the University of Strathclyde on September 24, 2006, after DJ Colin Murray was unable to attend. Since then, the group has performed in clubs around the UK. A new single, "Fuck That" was due to be released in early 2008 but was ultimately cancelled.
Discography
Albums
Singles
Miscellany
- Were originally going to call themselves "E-17", but opted for East 17 after the bad press Ecstasy was getting at the time. Ironically, when they reformed as a threesome without Tony Mortimer, they called themselves "E-17"
- The band logo features a cartoon "Bob The Dog" based on Levy, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Levy was the band's official mascot and she was frequently referred to as the "fifth official member of East 17".
- During the peak of their popularity, the band were receiving £500 wages a week.
- The band's name is referenced in the U2 song 'Miss Sarajevo': "Is there a time for East 17?".
External links
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