Brian Harvey

Brian Lee Harvey (born 8 August 1974) is an English musician and was the lead singer of pop band East 17, later renamed E-17.

Harvey was born in Walthamstow, London. He was initially slated to be a backup singer and dancer for East 17, but during the initial recording session he was heard singing along by the recording staff and was promptly instated as the lead singer of the band.

Harvey's vocal style emulated R&B and new jack swing vocalists from the United States. His vocals put him into a position of the band's frontman, or main member, which was shared with the band's creator, songwriter, instrumentalist, rapper and singer Tony Mortimer.

Throughout the course of the band's career, Harvey and Mortimer had many disagreements, ranging from how to vocalise songs to their behaviour in public.

In 1997 Harvey was sacked from the band after making comments in a radio interview that appeared to condone the use of the drug ecstasy, causing an uproar in the press and the raising of the matter in Parliament. Mortimer left East 17 several months later. Harvey eventually rejoined the band under the rebranded name of E-17.

As E-17, the band had two UK Top 20 singles between 1998 and 1999 with the album Resurrection reaching the UK Top 50.

In 2000, he collaborated with True Steppers with the song "True Step Tonight" featuring Donell Jones that reached no. 26 in the UK.

After E-17, he signed a record deal with Edel Records and had two singles released in 2001, "Straight Up (No Bends)" (#26 UK) and "Loving You (Ole Ole Ole)" (#20 UK).

In 2004, he appeared on the ITV1 programme I'm a Celebrity...Get Me of Here! in Australia but left as his grandmother died when he was travelling to appear on the show.

On 17 March 2007, Harvey performed a song entitled "I Can" for Making Your Mind Up, the UK's national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was written by singer Conner Reeves. Harvey was eliminated after the first round of voting and the eventual winners were Scooch.

Harvey was married to dancer Tash Carnegie with whom he has a daughter. During the early 1990s, he was in a relationship with the EastEnders actress Danniella Westbrook.

On 12 December 2001, he required reconstructive surgery after being attacked with a knife in a club car park in Nottingham.

In May 2005, after being diagnosed with clinical depression, Harvey was hospitalised after an alleged suicide attempt. On 31 May 2005, he was readmitted to hospital in a critical condition after falling under the wheels of his Mercedes-Benz. A documentary about Harvey's attempts to rekindle his music career, and recovery from his accident, was aired on BBC Television on 13 December 2005.

Studio albums

East 17

• 1992 – Walthamstow
• 1994 – Steam
• 1995 – Up All Night

E-17

• 1998 – Resurrecton

Solo

• 2001: Solo (Japan Only)

Singles

• 2000: "True Step Tonight" (True Steppers featuring Brian Harvey and Donell Jones) – No. 25 UK
• 2001: "Straight Up (No Bends)" – No. 26 UK
• 2001: "Loving You (Ole Ole Ole)" (Brian Harvey and The Refugee Crew) – No. 20 UK
• 2007: "I Can"
• 2010: "Going Backwardz"
• 2012: "This Isn't Love"
• 2014: "Invisible"

• Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 568. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
• ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 245. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.