Born in 1952 in Birmingham, England, Steve was brought up listening to his dad playing drums and guitar in 50’s and 60’s.

His father, Bobby Ajao, had a great record collection and Steve was listening to people like Lightnin’ Hopkins, Charlie Parker, Wes Montgomery, T Bone Walker, BB King, Buddy Guy and all the best blues, R&B and jazz at some of his dad’s parties long before the so-called "British Blues Boom" happened in the early 60’s.

Steve started off playing drums, but by the late fifties, when he was just eight, he was given his first guitar, a "Selmer 222". By the age of thirteen, Steve was playing non-stop and beginning to develop his own style, which was strongly based on Lightnin’ Hopkins. He even managed to fool his dad into thinking some tapes that he had made were actually by Hopkins!

That was enough to persuade Steve’s dad to bring him into his band as lead guitarist. Still just thirteen, Steve was playing soul, R&B and early reggae together with a smattering of blues in black clubs and dances all over the UK at weekends.

 

Bobby Ajao

During this time Steve was still studying hard at Moseley Art School in Birmingham, developing his other great passion and skill in fine Art. He then went to Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry to study graphic design, but still came home each weekend to play in his father’s band and even got poached by some of his dad’s friend’s bands!

So by his late teens, Steve was working with a wide range of bands such as The Woodpeckers, The Cariboes, Barley Wine and The Internationals, The Caribbean Allstars and played the odd recording session with the great Laurel Aitken.

After graduating, Steve came back to Birmingham and, having had no luck in the traditional job market, got deeper and deeper into music. Although initially playing mainly soul and reggae, Steve was so amazed by the wonderful playing of Jimi Hendrix that he just had to get back to the music he really loved…

... the blues.

Living in Moseley, right in the heart of the artistic and musical epicentre of Birmingham, Steve soon became recognised as one of Birmingham’s top blues and rock guitarists.

Throughout the seventies, Steve was playing the pub and college circuit with bands like the First Band, Spitfire and the Wide Boys. However, to make ends meet, he was also playing Delta style blues, solo in some of the hardest and roughest pubs around.

Although a hard working blues singer and guitarist for some sixteen years, Steve also wanted to develop his other music passion further and taught himself to play the saxophone. By now Steve was also in great demand as a Bebop sax player on the jazz scene as well as continuing to be widely recognised as a great blues man.
The resurgence of interest in jazz during the eighties saw Steve playing more and more on the London scene, including The Wag Club, Dingwalls, Ronnie Scott’s and at Brighton’s Concorde Club together with the great Red Rodney, Charlie Parker’s trumpet player!

Over the next twenty years, Steve worked endlessly in both jazz and blues.

Steve and Red Rodney

He has maintained his hard hitting three-piece blues band, a regular jazz quartet, made numerous solo appearances and all the time has also worked with countless other well established musicians and done lots of teaching, television and radio work.

With Digby Fairweather

Steve always pushes himself to ensure that his playing never stands still. He has that rare ability to draw upon various music forms which gives him such a unique style which is immediately accessible to both jazz and blues lovers.

Much of Steve’s work over the past thirty or so years has been based here in the UK, however, Steve can now be seen more and more on an international stage.