Since the last edition of this biography, back in 2005, Steve Marriott’s long lost and eldest child, Lesley, has been traced thanks to the wizardry of the worldwide internet. Wonderful thing technology! Here Small Faces expert Mick Taylor interviews Lesley from her home in New Zealand.
MICK: Hi Lesley, many thanks for doing the interview. When did you first find out that you were Steve Marriott’s daughter?
LESLEY: When I found my mother again at age 18, she told me who my father was. I was born in North London on 9th June 1966 as Sally Lisa Foulger and stayed with my mother, Sally Foulger, until I was 15 months old. Sally filed a paternity suit, naming Steve Marriott as my father. However, after much publicity she decided to drop the matter and have me adopted. Sally was just 16 when she had me and I consider myself very lucky not to have been one of the many flushed into the sewage system after a hot bath and a bottle of Gin!! She did tell me stuff about Steve, and I remember looking through her photo album and seeing photos of her with the Who and the Stones (think she was a bit of a groupie!). Looking back, I wished I’d tried a bit harder and got to know Steve. Sally died not long after I made contact with her and I never really got the chance to ask all the things that I wanted to. Steve apparently knew about me and once rang Sally to get her to bring me round so he could see me. However, it was in the early hours of the morning so she decided to stay at home. He certainly wasn’t ready to get tied to a bird with a kid! He was 19 and a famous pop star, who could blame him? At 15 months old I went to a National Children’s Home in Surrey and was luckily adopted at 18 months old. I moved back to North London – to Winchmore Hill, ironically, just 10 minutes away from where I was born. I grew up with two very caring parents and a lovely younger brother, Keith, who was also adopted. I have to say that, as I grew up, I rebelled against my very strict parents, was a bit of a party girl, had unsuitable boyfriends and loved every minute of it. At the age of 26 I went to Austria for a ski season and met my future husband, Mike. We consequently travelled through Asia for six months with about 20 quid to our name and ended up in New Zealand, Mike’s home and mine now. We have three hobbits and live happily by the beach on North Island.
MICK: Have you ever met or seen Steve?
LESLEY: Once I knew who he was (I had to go and look on an album sleeve), I went to see him play many times. He was with the Packet Of Three and was playing small gigs around London. Sometimes he’d be fantastic and sometimes he was crap! But he was always entertaining. My boyfriend at the time did actually approach him once before a gig. Steve was at the bar having a beer and he told him I was there. His response was, ‘Well, whadya want me to do, mind me fucking language?’. Hahaha, isn’t that just so typically Steve?
MICK: When did you decide to get in touch with the rest of Steve’s family and how did you go about it?
LESLEY: I didn’t make any further effort to contact him at the time. I heard about his death on the BBC news. About three years ago my best friend went to London and brought me back the All Too Beautiful biography. It was fascinating for me as, the more I read about him, the more similarities I found between myself and him and my children. I had this urge to meet his Mum, his sister and my siblings. I wrote to John Hellier who passed on contact details and before long I was writing to my Grandmother, Kay. I got a lovely response and Steve’s sister, Kay, wrote back saying they would both like to meet me. I was taking a trip back to London in September 2007 and that’s when we first met. I felt that if Kay accepted me then it would be OK to take it further. The meeting went so well that I now felt it was time to contact my stepbrother and two stepsisters... Toby, Tonya and Mollie.
MICK: What was the reaction of Steve’s other children when they found out that they had another sister?
LESLEY: It was Tonya that I spoke to first. We ran up a great big phone bill, with her in Canada and me in London. She was amazingly excited and happy about my appearance. Luckily for me, I was able to meet Mollie on that trip just before I left for home in New Zealand. I met her, her man James and her Mum, Manon, in the Dorchester Hotel and we had tea (although I could have downed a bottle of wine!). They were all fantastic and welcoming and I felt very honoured to be accepted so readily.
MICK: And you got to meet all of them in September 2008. What was it like when you actually came face to face with them?
LESLEY: That was the weirdest time of all. We all met up at Heathrow Airport and drove to Nan’s and stayed there. It really was like we’d all known each other for years. They have all grown up knowing one another and are obviously really close, but I never felt like an outsider for one minute. We had a great night out together on the eve of the Small Faces Convention; in fact we all woke up on the Sunday with horrible heads. We are all so similar in the way we talk, the things we laugh at, even our dress sense, except perhaps Toby wouldn’t look too cool in a frock! I was really blown away by the Convention. It was like being on the set of Quadrophenia without the Rockers. I found it really amazing that all the people there were there for him and the band and they obviously loved him so much. I like to think that he’s up there somewhere knowing how much he is appreciated and that his talent is recognised. I think he’d like that. The quality of the bands was excellent and I loved the atmosphere. It was also nice that John Hellier and the Small Fakers gave Steve junior (Steve’s nephew) a chance to play guitar too. Awesome day.
MICK: Which of your Dad’s music do you dig the most?
LESLEY: Really and truly, best of all I love the Blues he used to play in those dingy old pubs. He’d grab his guitar, mutter (or shout) a few obscenities and then the magic would start, and he’d just make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. His voice and stage presence were truly unique.
MICK: Have you inherited any of your Father’s talents?
LESLEY: I adore music, love dancing and play a mean triangle! But if I ever try to sing, well, I get abuse from all directions. I was even told to mime in the school choir! Leave it to the experts is my motto and in my case that’s Steve’s other kids, Mollie and Toby and I’m sure Tonya too.
LESLEY: Thanks to all for keeping him, his music and everything around it alive. He put his heart and soul into everything he did, and I know Toby, Tonya, Mollie and, now, me too, are really happy that he is still being so appreciated.