Small Faces were originally a British rhythm and blues band with a heavy mod following.[1] They were later heavily praised and regarded as an influential psychedelic group with songs such as "Here Come the Nice","Itchycoo Park" and "Lazy Sunday"[2] Formed in early 1965, the group originally included guitarist and lead singer Steve Marriott, bassist Ronnie Lane, keyboardist and guitarist Jimmy Winston and drummer Kenney Jones.
(seated) Lane
History
Small Faces were formed in early 1965 by Steve Marriott, previously of the Moments, Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones of the Outcasts and Marriott's acquaintance Jimmy Winston.[3] Don Arden signed them onto Decca Records, and released their debut single "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" shortly thereafter. It managed to reach number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] The follow-up single "I've Got Mine" was not nearly as successful, as it failed to chart in the UK.
Winston left the band for a solo career shortly after.[5][6] In a 2000 interview, Kenney Jones 'stated' the reason Winston was fired from the band was because "He (Winston) got above his station and tried to compete with Steve Marriott." Reality is he left.[7] Ian McLagan, of the Muleskinners, replaced Winston as the keyboardist.[5] McLagan played his debut performance with them on 2 November 1965.[8] After "Sha-La-La-La-Lee" became their first top ten hit, the Small Faces enjoyed widespread success, particularly in the UK and mainland Europe. Despite rumours that the group split on New Year's Eve of 1968,[9] the truth is that they were actually obligated to perform a few scheduled live performances during the earlier parts of 1969 before finally separating, with Marriott forming Humble Pie, and the remaining Small Faces created Faces with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, both formerly of The Jeff Beck Group.
Members
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Marriott |
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| all Small Faces releases | |
| Kenney Jones |
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| Ronnie Lane |
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 | Jimmy Winston | 1965 (died 2020) |
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| Ian McLagan |
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| Rick Wills |
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| Jimmy McCulloch |
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| 78 in the Shade (1978) – as guest |
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Session contributors
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Lynch | 1965–1966 (died 2019) | backing vocals | Small Faces (1966) | |
| P. P. Arnold |
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| Billy Nicholls | 1967–1968 | Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (1968) | ||
| David McCallum Sr. | 1967–1968 (died 1972) | conductor | ||
| Stanley Unwin | 1967–1968 (died 2002) | narration | ||
| Lyn Dobson | 1967–1968 | flute |
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| Eddie Thornton | trumpet | |||
| Harry Beckett | 1967–1968 (died 2010) | |||
| Derek Wadsworth | 1967–1968 (died 2008) | trombone | ||
| Joe Brown | 1977 |
| Playmates (1977) | |
| Mel Collins | saxophone | |||
| Dave Hynes | backing vocals | |||
| Greg Ridley | 1977 (died 2003) | |||
| Vicki Brown | 1977–1978 (died 1991) |
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| Helen Chappelle | 1978 | 78 in the Shade (1978) | ||
| Lavinia Rogers | ||||
| Madeline Bell | ||||
| Liza Strike | ||||
| Sam Brown | ||||
| Stephen Smith | ||||
| Greg Cobb | ||||
| Nick Webb |
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Timeline
Line-ups
| Lineup | Members | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| January – October 1965 |
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| November 1965 – February 1969 |
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| Band inactive February 1969 – Late 1975 | ||
| Late 1975 |
| None |
| Early 1976 – September 1977 |
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| September 1977 – 1978 |
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