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STEVE'S BIO

Steve Arvey was born in Chicago Illinois and mostly raised in The Chicago area. Arvey re-located to Havana Cuba in 1958 where he lived with his family until 1961. His father Erwin B Arvey had a business in Cuba and had to leave after political pressure from the Castro Regime. Returning to Chicago Arvey grew up in Chicago and was surrounded by music due to his mother Celeste Ravel who was a former jazz singer in the Wayne King Orchestra. Steve's first exposure to music was from blues music that was played on Maxwell Street in Chicago. In 1978 Arvey moved to Florida where he met Delta Blues Guitar Player Ben Andrews and then started playing bass with Bo Diddley. Steve also worked around the Gainesville area of Florida with Saxophonist Robert Hunter. During summer months he would return to Chicago where he worked as a sideman playing bass behind such notable musicians such as Jr Wells, Jimmy Rogers, Hubert Sumlin, Big Smokey Smothers, Homesick James, Sammy Fender, Detroit Jr, Lucky Lopez and many others. In 1981 he formed his own band named West Side Heat and toured around the midwest. in 1984 he recorded his first record "Crazy Mixed Up World" 

After the release of this Album Steve toured with the band both internationally and nationally until the band broke up in 1990. Steve then became active in a number of solo projects. From being in the Chicago group The Celtic Rovers, forming a rock cover band named Monkey Chow, and recording and playing with Kraig Kenning. In 1997 he recorded a CD with Kenning entitled Pass The Hat. During this time period Steve has appeared at The Chicago Blues Fest, either with his band or other members, ten times. The band West Side Heat reformed in 1997, and started doing reunion gigs. In the year 2001 Steve recorded his album Fine Line which got him major airplay in the U.K. and Australia. Steve did his first tour in Australia in 2002.
 

Steve's Popularity in Australia got him a slot on the 2005 Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival and was signed to Warner International and appeared on The compilation CD from that festival which included tracks from Dave Matthews, REM, Jack Johnson and other notable artists. In 2012 Steve formed a group named The Delta Swamp Rats which featured the Cigar Box Guitar. This groups Raw sound which was labeled "Mississippi Delta Funk" raised Steve Arvey's popularity in the Cigar Box Guitar/Americana World.

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