Steve Priest, the long time bassist for glam rock/power pop band Sweet, died yesterday, June 4 2020, at the age of 72. No cause of death has been given.Steve Priest was born on February 23 1948 in Hayes, Middlesex. He was a fan of such groups as The Shadows, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. He was still a teenager when he built his own bass guitar. He played for time with The Countdowns. In the mid-Sixties he joined the band The Army. Mr. Priest was still with The Army when he formed The Sweetshop with vocalist Brian Connolly, guitarist Frank Torpey, and drummer Mick Taylor. In 1969 Frank Torpey was replaced by Mick Stewart. It after Mick Taylor left that Andy Scott took over on guitar in 1970. With the addition of Andy Scott, the classic line-up of Sweet was formed.
The Sweetshop's name would be shortened to The Sweet and it was under that name that their first album, Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be was released in 1971. It was that same year that The Sweet had their first hit with "Funny Funny", which went to no. 13 on the UK singles chart. Their following single "Co-Co" would perform even better, reaching no. 2 on the chart. The Sweet would have several more hits on the UK singles chart from 1972 to 1973, including "Little Willy," "Wig Wam Bam," "Blockbuster!," and "Hell Raiser." "Little Willy" would be their first in the United States, going to no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Perhaps their best known song and their biggest hit in the United States, "The Ballroom Blitz," was released in September 1973 in Europe and in July 1975 in the United States. It went to no. 2 on the UK singles chart and no. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
It was with their second album, Sweet Fanny Adams, that the band's name was shortened to "Sweet." Originally performing near bubblegum in their early days before shifting to a glam rock/power pop song, with Sweet Fanny Adams Sweet moved to a harder power pop sound. They would continue to have hits in the United Kingdom and the United States, including "Teenage Rampage," "Fox on the Run," and "Action." Both "Fox on the Run" and "Action" would reach the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States as well.
Unfortunately, Sweet's popularity would decline in 1976. Their single "Lies in Your Eyes" only went to no. 35 in the United Kingdom. Following singles did not chart at all. A tour of the United States in 1976 to increase their popularity there was not financially successful. Their 1977 album Off the Record failed to chart in the UK and only reached no. 151 in the United States. Their following album, Level Headed would give Sweet one last hit. "Love Is Like Oxygen" reached no. 9 on the UK singles chart and no. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1978 lead vocalist Brian Connolly left Sweet. The band continued as a trio, with Steve Priest assuming most of the vocals. While Steve Priest would prove to be a good vocalist, Sweet would continued to struggle. Two more albums (Cut Above the Rest, Waters Edge) failed to chart in the United Kingdom and did poorly elsewhere as well. Sweet broke up in 1981 and their final album, Identity Crisis, was released only in Mexico and Germany in 1982.
In the wake of Sweet's break up, Steve Priest formed the band Allies, but the group proved to be short-lived. In 1985 he was invited by Andy Scott to join a reformed Sweet, but Mr. Priest declined. In 1988 the classic line-up of Sweet, including Steve Priest, held a demo session in Los Angeles to possibly reform and release a new album. The project fell through when the band members could not come to an agreement.
In 1994 Steve Priest published his autobiography, Are You Ready Steve?. His album, Priest's Precious Poems, was released in 2006. Owning the rights to the name "Sweet" in the United States, in 2008 Steve Priest formed his own version of Sweet. Steve Priest's Sweet recorded a cover of The Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" for Cleopatra Records' tribute record Abbey Road, released in 2009. A live album, Live in America, was released that same year.
In his tribute to him, guitarist Andy Scott referred to Steve Priest as "...the best bass player I ever played with." Certainly, Mr. Priest was among the best bassists in rock music. Few bassists ever played with the power that Steve Priest did. He would inspire future generations of bassists. Steve Priest was also a fairly good vocalist, sharing vocals on "The Ballroom Blitz" and some other songs. He was certainly responsible for much of Sweet's success and their continued popularity.
