The Arlenes

This married pair gained prominence in Britain’s emerging country circuit toward the end of the 1990s by harnessing England’s mounting enthusiasm for Americana acts crossing the Atlantic. London-born singer-songwriter ‘Big’ Steve Pulford launched his career at the outset of the decade fronting A-La-Tex, a hard-rocking country group whose only release was the 1994 album Rough ’N’ Tumble before the band dissolved. He persisted as a solo performer on the capital’s roots circuit, where he encountered future spouse Stephanie Arlene. Raised in Los Angeles, she had entered music in the mid-1980s as a backing singer for punk outfit the Flesheaters. By decade’s end she had settled in England and paused her musical activities to work at a gentleman’s outfitters. Meeting Steve drew her back to performing, and the two quickly established both a creative partnership and a romantic relationship. They wed in 1998 and issued their first mini-album the next year. The Arlenes contained a revised take of the earlier single ‘Springboard’, a country-rock track distinguished by its sharp lyrics that drew enthusiastic acclaim from British outlets. The duo supplied material for the BBC drama series Border Cafe and cultivated a strong concert following aided by lead guitarist Al Christie and bassist Pat McGarvey.

Widely regarded in 2002 as the strongest country record to come out of the UK in quite some time, Stuck On Love included the standout cut ‘Lonely Won’t Leave Me Alone’, co-authored by ex-Whiskeytown member Mike Daly and the only track on which Stephanie sang lead. The couple relocated to California in 2003 and later settled in Sacramento. Steve took a position as doorman at the Old Ironsides club, where he soon assembled a lineup of area players to augment the Arlenes. Their subsequent album, Going To California, was tracked in Austin, Texas, yet appeared first solely in the UK.