MUSIC HISTORY
The Tragic Story of the Small Faces
One of the greatest British pop-rock bands of the ’60s never received the recognition and rewards they deserved
In 1960s Britain, The Small Faces were serious rivals to The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks (The Beatles were in their own league). They had fourteen hit singles and five hit albums in the UK plus commercial success across mainland Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
They were, however, the only major British band to have little success in the USA during the ‘British Invasion’ of the ‘60s.
We are the Mods
The Small Faces were Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, Ian McLagen and former child actor, Steve Marriott. Along with the Who and the Kinks, the Small Faces represented the British Mod subculture of the era.
The Mods wore sharp Italian suits, short hair with long sideboards, and rode Italian motorscooters. The scooters were ornately decorated with lights, pennants, and British symbols. Music formed an important element of the Mod culture.
