Casino Steel had been in the influential Hollywood Brats, who formed in London in 1972 around the songwriting partnership of Steel and Andrew Matheson. Similar in style and looks to The New York Dolls they were born out of disgust and aimed to shock. Steel went on to join legendary UK punk band London SS alongside Matt Dangerfield (The Boys), Mick Jones (The Clash), Tony James (Generation X) and Brian James (The Damned) amongst others. At one session Honest John Plain joined them on drums.
After London SS Steel, Plain and Dangerfield formed The Boys with Duncan ‘Kid’ Reid & Jack Black. Along with The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and Generation X, The Boys were amongst the first wave of the UK punk explosion in the mid 1970’s and became the first UK punk band to sign an album deal in January 1977. Highly regarded by the music press and their contemporaries, their pop approach and use of harmonies led to their description as “The Beatles of Punk”, with their debut album entering the UK charts in September 1977.
Every Christmas The Boys rearranged the ‘B’ and the ‘Y’ and became The Yobs, releasing classic punk Christmas songs.
In March 1980 Steel left The Boys to hook up with his good friend Gary Holton (Auf Wiedersehen Pet) from The Heavy Metal Kids and as Holton/Steel they enjoyed considerable success across Europe, until Holton’s untimely death in 1985.
Steel’s solo success continued and he went on to become a big country star, working alongside the likes of Claudia Scott, Carlene Carter & Ottar ‘Big Hand’ Johansen. He also toured with Waylon Jennings, George Jones and Johnny Cash.
Casino won a Norwegian Grammy with the country-trio Claudia/Big Hand/Casino, after which Claudia (Scott) & Casino formed CCCP together with Carlene Carter and John Payne. Scott&Steel recorded an album together, before splitting up to do solo-careers.
Casino did his first solo-album in LA, with a little help from his friends Andrew Matheson and Ian McLagan. He then went on to record an album “Casino Steel & The Bandits” with ace guitar-players Mick Ronson & Marius Müller.
Steel then went on to record the Grammy nominated “Dirty Laundry” with Plain, Ian Hunter (Mott The Hoople), Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), Darrell Bath (The Crybabys) and Vom (Die Toten Hosen).
His first solo country album “There’s A Tear In My Beer” was released to great critical acclaim in September 2005.
In 2007 Casino Steel & Honest John Plain renewed their partnership in a new punk supergroup, playing Ramones-influenced rock’n’roll with a hint of Johnny Cash! The Last Rock ‘N’ Roll Band, released their debut on 10 October 2007. Casino Steel and Honest John Plain were also headlining the Burapa Festival in Thailand 2009.
In 2010 Honest John Plain, Duncan Reid, Casino Steel & Vom Ritchie of The Boys recorded a new album along with Backstreet Girls guitarist Petter Baarli. The Mattless Boys was released in October 2010.
In July 2014 The Boys released their first album in 32 years. “Punk Rock Menopause” received fantastic reviews all over the world and The Boys are currently more popular than ever. In 2023 they got the No.1 spot twice on The Official Legacy Charts in the UK.
Casino Steel is still touring with The Boys all over the world. In recent years they’ve played in China, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, England and Norway. They have also toured Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, USA, Canada, England, France, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Italy, Spain, Switzerland during the last 20 years.
In 2023 The Boys have toured Italy and England, with Sweden and Denmark due for Nov/Dec. Meanwhile, Casino Steel is busy touring Norway with his regular Americana-band Nilsen’s Southern Harmony and he’s regularly guesting The Peter Wave Band.
In 2023, Casino released the country/Americana single “Crucified. The ballad takes listeners on an emotional journey, painting vivid pictures of heartbreak, resilience, and self-reflection. Through its exquisite instrumentation, heartfelt vocals, and thought-provoking lyrics, “Crucified” unfolds as a contemplative tale of love lost and the profound impact it leaves on the human spirit.
