East 17

East 17 ranked as Britain’s top teen-focused dance-pop outfit of the early 1990s, second only to Take That. Songwriter Tony Mortimer guided the quartet, which first attempted to copy American rap and hip-hop before shifting toward a polished mixture of new jack R&B, hip-hop rhythms, rap verses, and pop hooks. Their sleek yet radio-friendly sound, combined with the members’ youthful appeal, turned the group into a major teen sensation. Although occasional remixes earned them limited respect in dance circles, East 17 remained primarily a British adolescent phenomenon that racked up multiple hit singles through the mid-1990s until Brit-pop drew most U.K. teenagers away.

The lineup consisted of four vocalists and rappers—Tony Mortimer (born Anthony Michael Mortimer, October 21, 1970), Brian Harvey (born Brian Lee Harvey, August 8, 1974), Terry Coldwell (born Terence Mark Colwell, July 21, 1974), and John Hendy (born Jonathan Darren Hendy, March 26, 1971). Formed in London in 1991 and named after the Walthamstow postal district, the band initially mimicked U.S. rap groups before also drawing from urban soul and dance music. Their demo reached London Records, where Tom Watkins—the A&R executive who had helped launch Pet Shop Boys and Bros—signed them in April 1992. The debut single, “House of Love,” arrived in August and climbed into the British Top Ten, eventually selling more than 600,000 copies that year. Their first album, Walthamstow, followed in 1993 and became a commercial success despite negative reviews.

For the subsequent two years East 17 maintained strong popularity across Britain and developed an audience on the continent. Their second album, Steam, charted well after its 1995 release, though it proved less dominant than the debut amid changing British tastes that favored guitar rock and electronic music. In 1996 the band issued the singles collection Around the World: The Journey So Far. Brian Harvey was dismissed in January 1997 after an interview in which he voiced support for the drug ecstasy.