Stephen Louis Nardelli (born 10 April 1948 in London) founded

the Syn The Syn are an English band that were active from 1965 to 1967, and then reunited as a progressive rock band in 2004. The band was founded by Steve Nardelli, Chris Squire, Andrew Pryce Jackman, Martyn Adelman and John Painter. Chris Welch, in ...

in 1966 with

Chris Squire Christopher Russell Edward Squire (4March 1948 – 27June 2015) was an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the progressive rock band Yes. He was the longest-serving original member, having ...

Martyn Adelman Martyn J Adelman or Martin, also known as Max Adelman (born 1947) is a British photographer and former drummer. Adelman learnt to play drums aged 14 and soon formed his first group, The Insteps, also including John Altman. A subsequent band inc ...

and others. In 1968, Nardelli left the band for a business career in the

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fash ...

and sports industries before reforming the band in 2003 with Adelman and

Peter Banks Peter William Brockbanks (15 July 1947 – 7 March 2013), known professionally as Peter Banks, was a British guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer. He was the original guitarist in the rock band Yes, and also the Syn, Flash, and Empire. ...

. Banks left the reunited band, but Squire joined and the band recorded a new album, ''Syndestructible''.

As a musician and song writer

Nardelli began playing the guitar at 12.

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are conside ...

, and

the Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound an ...

were early influences. Inspired by the scene at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed wh ...

, at fourteen Nardelli formed his first group called High Court, an R&B band. Not long after, High Court changed its name and amalgamated into

with Nardelli,

, Andrew Pryce Jackman,

and John Painter. The Syn are considered a significant part of the pre-history of Yes. Nardelli's first composition was "Grounded", a

freakbeat Freakbeat is a loosely defined subgenre of rock and roll music developed mainly by harder-driving British groups during the Swinging London period of the mid-to late 1960s. The genre bridges British Invasion R&B, beat and psychedelia. Etymolog ...

song that he wrote when 14. He co-wrote "14 Hour Technicolour Dream" in 1967, which was reviewed as "one of the best British psychedelic singles by any band", and voted by ''Time Out'' magazine one of the best ever top 100 songs written about London. Both were singles performed by the Syn. Nardelli continued to write music after The Syn of the 1960s and had a solo recording contract with Decca. Nardelli reformed the Syn with

and

in 2004. The line-up changed, re-uniting Nardelli with

, and together they wrote ''Syndestructible'' (2005) with contributions from Gerard Johnson and

Paul Stacey Paul Stacey (born 27 September 1963) is a British guitarist and producer, best known for his work with Oasis, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and the Black Crowes. Biography Stacey's early work included the 1990s band, the Lemon Trees (wit ...

. This was followed by the album ''Armistice Day'', the title track being written by Nardelli and Johnson. Squire, Johnson and Stacey all left the band, and Nardelli formed a new line-up with

Francis Dunnery Francis Dunnery (born 25 December 1962) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and record label owner. Dunnery was the lead singer and guitarist for British prog-pop band It Bites between 1982 and 1990. Since 1990 he has ...

and

Tom Brislin Tom Brislin (born October 5, 1973) is an American keyboardist, songwriter, singer, producer, and author. In December 2018, American progressive rock band Kansas (band), Kansas announced Brislin as the group’s keyboardist; his playing, vocals, and ...

. They released ''Big Sky'' in 2009. Nardelli started working in collaboration with Swedish band Moon Safari on a new album in 2010 from the Syn called ''Trustworks''. In an interview for Progzilla radio in October, Nardelli announced that ''The Syn Live at Rosfest'' album was being released early in 2015, together with a newly commissioned film ''The Syn in the 21st Century'', as a prelude to the release of the new studio album ''Trustworks''. In January 2016 Umbrello Records, announced that the ''Trustworks'' album would finally be released worldwide on 25 March 2016, having been five years in the making.

In business

After the Syn disbanded, Nardelli, along with his partner Ian Ross, a member of the Ross Foods family and a founder of Radio Caroline, opened a chain of fashion shops in Chelsea and Kensington. Continuing a connection with the music industry, Nardelli teamed with Tommy Roberts, known for his fashion shop Mr. Freedom. and launched a record label, Fresh Records through WEA. In 1997, Nardelli acquired from the government of Belgium's Walloon region the Donnay sports brand. He also worked with

Mike Ashley (businessman) Michael James Wallace Ashley (born 9 September 1964) is a British billionaire retail entrepreneur focused in the sporting goods market, and the chief executive of Frasers Group Plc (formerly Sports Direct International). He entered the departm ...

to successfully purchase the Disport retail chain in Belgium and the Longoni Sports retail chain in Italy. Nardelli also founded Umbrello Records with

, and the IPTV music station theONE.tv. In 2009, Nardelli formed P3 Eco Group (Portfolio Property Partners) with Graham Johnson and Brigadier Ian Inshaw, a Deputy Lord Lieutenant to the Queen and former High Sheriff of Oxfordshire. The company is one of the new eco developers and their site at NW Bicester was selected by Government to be one of four new eco towns. The eco town was master planned by Terry Farrell. In June 2018, Nardelli was appointed a Rudolph Steiner School charity trustee. In March 2020, Nardelli was elected Chairman of the Coolhurst Tennis & Squash Club in London, with one of his first actions being to have to close the club following the government pandemic shut-down.

Discography

With The Syn Solo singles *"I'll Never Find Another You"/"Mile End Road" - Decca/1978 *"Don't Ever Change"/"Dance Little Rita" - Decca/1978 With 14 Hour Technicolour Dream V-band *"Reasons & Rituals" - download/2008

References

External links

The Syn official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nardelli, Steve 1948 births Living people English rock guitarists English rock singers English male singer-songwriters English male guitarists