Biog

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Steve Balsamo is a singer-songwriter from Swansea, Wales. After years of learning the ropes in local rock bands, he shot to prominence in 1997 after playing Jesus to great critical acclaim in the West End revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. After winning a Variety Club Award for the role, Steve decided to return to his first love - writing and performing his own music - and signed to Columbia Records soon after. In 2002 Steve released his debut album - All I Am - which reached the top 40 in the UK. He then went on to win Best Male Solo Artist at The Welsh Music Awards the same year.

Gentle 'persuasion' by the head of the label saw Steve return to the stage in the French phenomena Notre Dame De Paris, which was followed by Poe – More Tales Of Mystery and Imagination, a new musical by Alan Parsons Project writer Eric Woolfson. Based on the life and work of Edgar Alan Poe, the show had it's world premiere at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in 2003, and features the powerful song Immortal.

In 2004, Steve formed The Storys, a West Coast influenced harmony country-rock band, with Andy Collins, Rob Thompson and Dai Smith. The band's highly acclaimed self-titled debut album, released in 2006, came to the attention of Elton John who, after publicly declaring it "Fantastic!", personally called Steve at home and invited the band to tour Europe with him – twice! The Storys have also toured and played with the likes of Joe Cocker, Katie Melua, Celine Dion, Santana, Runrig, Daniel Lanois, Van Morrison and Tom Jones to name-drop but a few.

The Storys' songs have been featured in the US teen drama One Tree Hill and hit Brit-flick The Bank Job , in which the band also made a cameo appearance playing two of their own songs. They released their second album - Town Beyond The Trees - in the UK in 2008, again to great reviews. Although calling time on The Storys, the band released a third and final album called Luck in the summer of 2010.

As a side project, Steve also formed a progressive experimental rock project with Rob Reed (Magenta) and Rob Thompson (The Storys) called ChimpanA. The resulting CD also featured Sam Brown, Tony Dallas, Christina Booth (Magenta), Margo Buchanan, Bluei, Nigel Hopkins, Andrew Griffiths and Sian Cothi. The musical influences were Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Bjork and Massive Attack.

Steve also formed a trio, Oystermouth, with Rob Thompson and Andy Collins of The Storys, creating a sound that is a modern twist along the lines of Simon & Garfunkel in the those hazy, folky, seminal days of the late 60s/early 70s. An EP, Five Songs For Jen, is available for download - details in the Shop section of this website.

After meeting Jon Lord, founder, writer and ex-keyboard player with Deep Purple at The Sunflower Jam in 2007, Steve was asked if he would like to tour with him. A huge fan of Jon, his solo work and Purple, Steve feels very privileged to have worked with such a legend and genuinely nice man. Until Jon's recent death, he and Steve were writing and recording for an album project.

Aside from this, Steve is a prolific songwriter, having scored hits in Europe and Australia with artists as diverse as Meat Loaf, Anthony Callea, Jonatan Cerrada, Slash of Guns n' Roses fame.

Recently he has been writing songs with beautiful, ethereal-voiced folk/country singer Rosalie Deighton and Julian Wilson of Grand Drive for a duet project originally titled Balsamo/Deighton and they have released a stunning new video and a new version of the Shawn Colvin song "I Don't Know Why", also available for download as a single. He has also been working with a Welsh classical crossover singer Annelies on an exciting new project.

Steve feels blessed to have had many adventures in music which have allowed him to sing on stage with the likes of Roger Daltry, Robert Plant, Mario Frangoulis, Justin Hayward, Lara Fabian, Madeleine Peyroux, Glenn Hughes, Steve Harley, Lulu, a couple of Stones, a couple of Eagles, a couple of Floyds and some of the best players on the planet!

When he's not making music, Steve tries to be a good dad, paints, swims, reads, listens to Radio 4 and thinks too much...

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What They Say...

"A pure and beautiful voice"
- Robert Plant

"Steve has a classic voice - great range and true feeling. He is versatile and puts his heart and soul into every performance"
- Bob Harris

"If I could sing, I'd sing my songs exactly the way Steve sings them - he is to great singing what Madonna is to coffee table books"
- Jon Lord

"Balsamo has a truly spellbinding voice"
- Lisa Vericco, The Times

"Forget the Pop Idol and X Factor wannabes, Steve Balsamo is the real thing, a singer's singer who sweeps effortlessly through the octaves, hits just the note the song demands and opens the floodgates of emotion. Truly, this man is the son of God"
- Neil McCormick, The Telegraph

"Steve Balsamo is the British Don Henley: his huge, breathy, passionate voice sounding like it originated in California, not South Wales"
- Martin Townsend, Sunday Express

"Steve Balsamo's vocal is country rock perfection and full of feeling"
- shakenstir

"Not since the days of Pete Ham and Badfinger has Swansea seen the likes of such a brilliant singer/songwriter as Steve Balsamo"
- John Davies, South Wales Evening Post

"Steve Balsamo's performances were spine-tingling throughout"
- David Sinclair, The Times

"A couple of years of heavy gigging [have] given Steve Balsamo's fabulous voice more dark tones and more weight"
- Kate Lay, South Wales Evening Post

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Bullshit Or Not...?

– Steve is not interested in football.

– Steve is very interested in cage fighting.

– Steve once sang "With a Little Help from My Friends" at a wedding, only to look out at the congregation and see Ringo Starr smiling back!

– Steve was born in Wales on 19 May 1971.

– Since childhood, Steve has harboured a desire to be a news anchorman (jazz flute anyone?).

– Steve once worked as a piano remover.

– Steve has a 3 and a half octave range voice.

– Steve is a second cousin to Dame Shirley Bassey.

– Steve once ran the Venice marathon.

– After winning a Variety Club Best Newcomer Award, Steve's appearance sold £160,000 worth of theatre tickets in half an hour!

– Steve is known to cry at "Mr Bojangles".

– Steve has an extra toe on his left foot.

– Steve had to go through 14 auditions before winning the role of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar.

– Steve believes aliens walk amongst us and disclosure of their existence by world governments is imminent.

– Whilst at College, Steve used to do the washing up at one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants.

– Steve believes everyone is a little bit psychic.

– Steve was invited to play at Windsor Castle in front of Prince Charles.

– Steve designed the logo for Childline Rocks.

– Steve's great great grandfather was a famous Italian chef who pioneered the use of balsamic vinegar in Italian cooking.

– Steve was once "The Milky Bar Kid".

– Steve has a small Welsh dragon tattoo on his right buttock!

– The Box music channel asked Steve to stop requesting his video of Sugar For The Soul!

– Steve once put words into Jennifer Aniston's mouth!

– Catherine Zeta Jones played Mary to Steve's Joseph in his infant school nativity play.

– Steve originally played Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar when studying performing arts at Neath College.

– A teacher once told Steve he couldn't join the school choir because he couldn't sing!

– Steve believes comedian Bill Hicks told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth...

– Steve was once a karate champion.

– Steve learnt to sing by doing Elvis impressions in the bath!

– One side of Steve's Italian family are very distant relatives to Luciano Pavarotti.

– As a child, Steve turned down the chance to study at the Royal Ballet School.

– Steve is a little bit obsessed with Rachel Weisz and is known to sing her name in his sleep - to the tune of Edelweiss!

– Steve is a little bit more obsessed with Mickey Rourke.

– Steve once ran for Parliament.

– Steve once played in George Clinton's Parliament Funkadelic.

– As a child, Steve's nickname was "skinny woman".

– Steve's great great great great great grandfather was occultist and magician Cagliostro, who makes Harry Potter look like a little boy!

– Aerosmith's Steve Tyler added backing vocals to one of Steve's songs.

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On Screen

	DVD - Jon Lord Live (Bucharest - November 5, 2009) jonlord.org Released: 6 Sep 2009
	DVD - Eric Woolfson's Poe: The World Premiere Performance www.edgar-allan-poe-musical.com Released: 6 Sep 2009
	DVD - The Bank Job Released: 30 Jun 2008 Cameo appearance with The Storys
	DVD - Dear Mr Fantasy: Tribute To Jim Capaldi Released: 18 Sep 2007 With The Storys
	DVD - Shooting Shona Released: 5 April 2007 Steve plays a character called Spencer
	DVD - The Strat Pack - The 50th Anniversary of The Fender Stratocaster Live Released: 2 May 2005 On backing vocals

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