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East 17 (later re-grouped as E-17) are an English pop boy band founded in 1992.
The group name came from the postcode for Walthamstow, an area of London between the old East End and the Essex commuter belt. They achieved 18 Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the famous acts along with 5ive and Take That in the UK and some parts of the world during the early to mid 1990s. They occasionally blended rap and pop in songs such as "House of Love", "Steam" and "Let It Rain", attaining fame as a result of the main songwriter Tony Mortimer.
The band began in 1992 when Mortimer was promised a record deal after he showcased his own material. The deal was granted under the condition that he form a group, which was the format London Records were looking for. The original roles in the band were soon altered when Brian Harvey, who was intended to be a back-up singer and dancer, was heard singing along during a recording session. He was duly promoted to lead vocalist. The group's other members are Terence Coldwell and Jonathan Hendy.
Mortimer wrote the vast majority of the group's songs, which often contained rap verses vocalized by him to complement Harvey's more fluid R&B style vocals. The group was usually seen as a grittier, more political and hip-hop or rap-aligned group to rival boy band Take That.
East 17 scored 12 Top 10 hits on the UK singles chart between 1992 and 1998. Their debut album, Walthamstow, shot to #1 on the UK album chart. It featured a string of Top 20 singles, including "House of Love" and "Deep". The lyrics to some of their songs (e.g. "Let It Rain") had political undertones, talking about war, peace, equality, love, and other political issues. Their popularity reached Mongolia during the 1990s around the Steam album period, particularly with the song "It's Alright", helped by music television channels, Channel V and MTV.
In 1994, upon the release of their second album, Steam, they scored their only UK number-one single with "Stay Another Day", which remained at the top for five weeks and was also that year's Christmas number-one. In 1996, the group hit #2 with the track "If You Ever", a duet with the singer Gabrielle.
East 17 also appeared on the Childliners record The Gift Of Christmas, alongside acts such as MN8, Boyzone, E.Y.C., Sean Maguire, Deuce, Ultimate Kaos, Let Loose, Backstreet Boys, Peter Andre, Michelle Gayle and Dannii Minogue amongst others.
Following the somewhat low-key release of the album Up All Night, their drop in appeal in comparison to previous albums was attributed to the fact that Mortimer stepped down as songwriter. The album's songwriting duties were split among the four members of the group, although all of the singles released from the album were actually penned by Mortimer.
In 1997, Harvey was engulfed in a drug controversy when he claimed he took 12 Ecstasy pills in one night, saying, "It's cool to take drugs". He also claimed that Ecstasy "can make you a better person". The act went against the group's "boy band" image, and there was a huge media uproar, with questions being asked in the House of Commons. The group's career and reputation was tarnished. Harvey was sacked, and Mortimer later decided to leave as well.
Harvey, Coldwell and Hendy all attempted a comeback in 1998 under the name of E-17, and got off to a good start with "Each Time," which reached #2 in the UK. But without Mortimer's songwriting influence, the band struggled, and after rather disappointing sales of the next single, "Betcha Can't Wait", and album, Resurrection, the band eventually decided to disband in 1999.
2000s
East 17 performance in Sibiu, Romania, 2007 New Year's Eve. After launching himself as a solo artist with help from Wyclef Jean, Harvey went back to East 17 to play numerous gigs on the nostalgia circuit with Coldwell and Hendy. On the ITV1 docusoap Redcoats, East 17 was shown performing at a gig that was held at Butlins in Bognor on a programme that also featured Keith Harris.
In 2005, Harvey, Coldwell and Hendy performed as E-17 in the country of Mongolia.
Mortimer attempted to create two bands, but each time opted to return to production work for other artists from his Essex studio. He also recorded his own solo material, released in January 2006 on his official website
Brian harvey made the news in 2005 when he accidentally ran himself over, and required surgical treatment.
On February 4, 2006, Harvey appeared on the UK television music show CD:UK, where he announced that East 17 might make a comeback with the original four members. In mid-February 2006, the group reformed. They played their first concert since reformation on May 30 at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London.
After reforming for the one-off gig, it was reported that East 17 had split up again, since Hendy was unable to fully commit to the band because his roofing business took up a lot of his time. Friction also flared up again between Harvey and Mortimer, resulting in the latter's departure and the rest of the boys performing as a three-piece at various club events.
Performing as a three-member group without Mortimer, E17 played at Strathclyde University in Scotland on September 24, 2006, after D.J Colin Murray was unable to attend.
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