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East 17 (later regrouped as E-17) are a British pop boy band founded in 1992.
The band name came from the postcode for Walthamstow, which is an area in London, between the old East End and the Essex commuter belt. They charted 18 Top 20 singles and 4 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 due to the main song writer Tony Mortimer.
The band began in 1992 when Tony 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 backup 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 band to rival boy Take That and much less so 5ive, since 5ive frequently included hip hop verses in almost all of their songs
They scored 12 Top 10 hits on the UK singles chart between 1992 and 1998. Their debut album, Walthamstow, named after the area of northeast London where they were based, shot to number 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, such as "House of Love" and "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 the song "It's Alright" helped by the music television like Channel V and MTV.
In 1994, upon the release of their second album, Steam, they scored their only UK number one single, the 1994 Christmas chart topper "Stay Another Day," which remained at the top for five weeks. In 1996, they hit number 2 in a duet with Gabrielle called "If You Ever."
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 the only songwriter. The album's songwriting duties were split among the four members of East 17, although all of the singles released from the album were 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 number 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.
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 John as E-17 performed in 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, which was released in January 2006 on his official website
On 4 February 2006, Brian 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 30 May 2006 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 John was unable to fully commit to the band because his roofing business took a lot of his time. Friction also flared up again between Harvey and Mortimer, resulting in Mortimer's departing 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 24 September 2006, after D.J Colin Murray was unable to attend.
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