Steve Strange Biography
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- Born May 28, 1959
Stephen John Harrington (28 May 1959 – 12 February 2015), known professionally as Steve Strange, was a Welsh singer. From the late 1970s he was a nightclub host and promoter. He became famous as the leader of the new wave synth-pop group Visage, best known for their single "Fade to Grey", and was one of the most influential figures behind the New Romantic movement of the early 1980s.
Harrington was born in Newbridge, Caerphilly, Wales. His grandfather moved with his family to Aldershot, Hampshire, where his father was serving in the British Army as a paratrooper. The family moved back to Wales and lived in Rhyl, Denbighshire, on the north coast, where his parents bought a large guest house and opened sea front cafes. His parents divorced and Harrington moved back to Newbridge in South Wales with his mother, where he attended Newbridge Grammar School. The school merged with a secondary school to form Newbridge Comprehensive School, a year after he arrived there, and he subsequently lost interest in all subjects but art.
After attending a Sex Pistols concert at the Castle Cinema in Caerphilly in 1976, Harrington befriended the bass player Glen Matlock. He then arranged gigs for punk bands in his home town and befriended Jean-Jacques Burnel of the Stranglers before leaving for London. Here he worked for Malcolm McLaren and formed a punk band called the Moors Murderers with Soo Catwoman. Additional members included future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, future Clash drummer Topper Headon, future Psychedelic Furs drummer Vince Ely and The Kid (who was formerly in Adam and the Ants, as Mark Ryan). They recorded a song called "Free Hindley". After several gigs, the band split up around early 1978.
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