Steve Bolton
Encyclopedia
Steve Bolton, also known as "Boltz" Bolton, (born 1949, Manchester, Lancashire) is an English rock music
ian who, since the start of his career in the 1960s, has played guitar on video, film and television and recorded as well as toured with a number of well-known artists.
, Steve Bolton played with Puzzle and The Dimensions in the sixties. In 1971 he was recruited into the band Atomic Rooster
, part of a new line-up for a tour supporting the band's third album In Hearing of Atomic Rooster
and their #4 charting single "The Devil's Answer". The tour was successful, and included a charity gig where the band supported The Who
. The band was also recording their third LP Made In England
which was released in 1972 with a more funky sound replacing their original progressive rock leanings. Bolton also appeared on Devil's Answer
: Live on the BBC released in 1998, and on the release of In Satan's Name: The Definitive Collection
.
Bolton left Atomic Rooster at the end of 1972 and joined the band Headstone, appearing on their albums Bad Habits in 1974 and Headstone in 1975. After leaving Headstone, he played with 20th Century and then continued working as a musician, recording and touring with a number of different artists. In 1982, he joined the band Vampire Bats, in 1984 he played with K4, and in 1988 Richard Strange and the Engine Room.
In 1989 Bolton went on tour with The Who, playing lead guitar as one of twelve supporting musicians on the band's 25th Anniversary tour. A performance of the rock opera Tommy
at Los Angeles
' Universal Amphitheatre, including special guests Elton John
, Billy Idol
, Phil Collins
, Patti LaBelle
and Steve Winwood
, was broadcast on television and later released as a video.
For a while in the nineties, Bolton took on vocals for the band Act of Faith. In June 2000, Bolton played The Hope Festival and jammed with rising young stars from Logo Records
. The set included covers of The Bluestones' "Slight Return", Elvis Costello
's "Peace, Love And Understanding", and The Who's songs "Substitute" and "Squeeze Box".
, David Bowie
, Paul Young
, David Gilmour
, Belinda Carlisle
, Joe O'Donnell, Pino Palladino
, Mark Pinder, Laurie Latham
, Matt Irving
, Mark Ashton, Bill Smith, Bad Habits
, Graham Prekett, Carl Palmer
, Dominic Miller
, Tony Lukyn, Kim Lesley, Ian Kewley, Manu Katché
, John Otway
and The Who
.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
ian who, since the start of his career in the 1960s, has played guitar on video, film and television and recorded as well as toured with a number of well-known artists.
Music career
A native of ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Steve Bolton played with Puzzle and The Dimensions in the sixties. In 1971 he was recruited into the band Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster
Atomic Rooster were an English progressive rock band, composed of former members of the The Crazy World of Arthur Brown. Throughout their history, keyboardist Vincent Crane was the only constant member, and wrote the majority of their material. Their history is defined by two periods, in the early...
, part of a new line-up for a tour supporting the band's third album In Hearing of Atomic Rooster
In Hearing of Atomic Rooster
In Hearing of is the third album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. Although not included on the album, "The Devil's Answer" single was released just prior to it, becoming the band's highest chart success at number 4 in the UK...
and their #4 charting single "The Devil's Answer". The tour was successful, and included a charity gig where the band supported The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. The band was also recording their third LP Made In England
Made in England (Atomic Rooster album)
Made in England is the fourth album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. Although previously known for generally having a progressive rock style, this album saw the band moving in more of a funk/soul direction, largely influenced by new singer Chris Farlowe...
which was released in 1972 with a more funky sound replacing their original progressive rock leanings. Bolton also appeared on Devil's Answer
Devil's Answer
Devil's Answer is a compilation album of live recordings by British rock band Atomic Rooster.It was released on 1998 by Hux Records and contains every extant in-studio session the band recorded for BBC Radio, as well as three live in-concert tracks....
: Live on the BBC released in 1998, and on the release of In Satan's Name: The Definitive Collection
In Satan's Name: The Definitive Collection
In Satan's Name: The Definitive Collection is a 1997 compilation album by British rock band Atomic Rooster. It was released on the Recall Records label ....
.
Bolton left Atomic Rooster at the end of 1972 and joined the band Headstone, appearing on their albums Bad Habits in 1974 and Headstone in 1975. After leaving Headstone, he played with 20th Century and then continued working as a musician, recording and touring with a number of different artists. In 1982, he joined the band Vampire Bats, in 1984 he played with K4, and in 1988 Richard Strange and the Engine Room.
In 1989 Bolton went on tour with The Who, playing lead guitar as one of twelve supporting musicians on the band's 25th Anniversary tour. A performance of the rock opera Tommy
Tommy
Tommy is a given name that is usually the English diminutive of Thomas. The name also could refer to:- People with the given name Tommy :* Tommy Alcedo , Venezuelan road cyclist* Tommy G...
at Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
' Universal Amphitheatre, including special guests Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
, Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
and Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, was broadcast on television and later released as a video.
For a while in the nineties, Bolton took on vocals for the band Act of Faith. In June 2000, Bolton played The Hope Festival and jammed with rising young stars from Logo Records
Logo Records
Logo Records was a British record company formed in the mid-1970s by British record executives Geoff Hannington and Olav Wyper. It was originally funded and part-owned by UK publishing company Marshall Cavendish. In 1977, the company purchased Transatlantic Records which was at that time owned...
. The set included covers of The Bluestones' "Slight Return", Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
's "Peace, Love And Understanding", and The Who's songs "Substitute" and "Squeeze Box".
Discography
Steve Bolton has recorded with a number of well known artists. His discography includes:The Who
- Join TogetherJoin Together (album)Join Together is a box set of live material released from The Who's 1989 25th Anniversary Tour. Several of the tracks were recorded at Radio City Music Hall, New York, and at Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, with the rest from various other concerts during the tour.It was released in 1990 by...
(1990) - Thirty Years of Maximum R&BThirty Years of Maximum R&BThirty Years of Maximum R&B is a box set by British rock band, The Who released by Polydor Records internationally and by MCA Records in the US; since 2003, it has been issued in America by Geffen Records...
[Disc 4, track 19] (1994) - Greatest Hits LiveGreatest Hits Live (The Who album)Greatest Hits Live is a compilation of live songs recorded by the Who throughout their history. The album was released exclusively on the iTunes Music Store on 19 January 2010...
[Disc 2, tracks 1-5] (2010)
Other
- Made In England (album) (1972)
- "High on You" (7", promo) (1974)
- "International Language" (single) (1981)
- The Phenomenal Rise of Richard Strange (LP, album) (1981)
- "Come Back and Stay" (single remix version)/Yours (single) (1983)
- Love Of The Common People (Extended Club Mix) (maxi, single) (1983)
- No Parlez (album, comp) (1983)
- Wherever I Lay My Hat (1983)
- I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down (maxi, single) (1984)
- The Secret Of Association (Album, Comp)(1985)
- Tomb Of Memories (Maxi, Single)(1985)
- Going, Gone (LP, Album)(1986)
- Inside (CD, Album)(1986)
- My Place (Album)(1989)
- Other Voices (Album) (1990)
- Engelberg (Album)(1991)
- Privilège (CD)(1992)
- Rock Legends (4xCD, Comp + Box)(1992)
- Diggin' On You (Maxi) (1995)
- Broken China (Album) (1996)
- Other People's Lives (CD)(2006)
- Other People's Lives (CD, Promo)(2006)
Filmography
Steve Bolton has appeared in musical films and videos, including:- Tommy and Quadrophenia Live: The WhoTommy and Quadrophenia LiveTommy and Quadrophenia Live is a 3-disc DVD box set that includes performances by The Who from their 1989 and 1996-1997 tours...
(2005) - The Who Live at Giants Stadium (1989)
- The Who Live, Featuring the Rock Opera Tommy (1989)
- Hearts of FireHearts of FireHearts of Fire is a 1987 American musical drama film starring Bob Dylan, Fiona Flanagan and Rupert Everett. The film was essentially a vehicle for Dylan based on his success as a rock musician...
(1987) - The Who: Thirty Years of Maximum R&B LiveThirty Years of Maximum R&B LiveThirty Years of Maximum R&B is a 1994 compilation video of English rock and roll band The Who. The compilation covers the band live from 1965 to 1989 and is edited together with interviews with band members Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Pete Townshend...
(1994)
Associated musicians
Steve Bolton has also worked with Keith RichardsKeith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Paul Young
Paul Young (singer and guitarist)
Paul Antony Young is an English pop musician. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & The Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, his following solo success as a solo recording artist turned him into a 1980s teenage pop idol...
, David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
, Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
, Joe O'Donnell, Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
, Mark Pinder, Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham is a British rock producer who worked with Glenn Tilbrook, Paul Young and others.He has produced albums by Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze and Slapp Happy.-Career:...
, Matt Irving
Matt Irving
Matt Irving is a musician perhaps best known as the bass guitar player for Manfred Mann's Earth Band between 1981 and 1986. He featured on the albums Somewhere in Afrika and Budapest Live...
, Mark Ashton, Bill Smith, Bad Habits
Bad Habits (band)
Bad Habits is a rock/punk/metal band from London. The line-up has experienced various changes since its original formation in 1984 by former Gypsy Leicester band members who when reformed decided to go in a heavier musical direction from their original formation as Gypsy and therefore used both...
, Graham Prekett, Carl Palmer
Carl Palmer
Carl Frederick Kendall Palmer is an English drummer and percussionist. He is credited as one of the most respected rock drummers to emerge from the 1960s...
, Dominic Miller
Dominic Miller
Dominic Miller is an Argentine-English guitarist who toured and recorded with World Party and King Swamp, worked on Phil Collins' solo album ...But Seriously and played guitar on every Sting album and tour since 1990...
, Tony Lukyn, Kim Lesley, Ian Kewley, Manu Katché
Manu Katché
Manu Katché is a French musician of Ivorian origin, born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés on 27 October 1958. He is a drummer and songwriter.-Career:Session musician...
, John Otway
John Otway
John Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...
and The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
.