Remembering Steve Ellis: The Voice of “Everlasting Love” (1950–2026)
Some voices only need one song to live forever. For Steve Ellis, that song was "Everlasting Love," a soaring, string-drenched single that knocked the Beatles off the top of the British charts in early 1968, when its singer was still a teenager. Ellis, the frontman of Love Affair and a hero of the mod generation, died on October 30, 2026, at age 76, following complications from a chronic illness, according to a statement from his family.
A Mod Kid from North London
Born on April 7, 1950, in Edgware, Middlesex, Ellis grew up on the rock and roll of the 1950s, but it was American rhythm and blues that truly lit the fuse. At just fifteen he was fronting his own group, Soul Survivors, and by 1966 that band had become Love Affair. With a big, gritty voice that sounded far older than his years, Ellis gave London's sharp-dressed mod scene one of its most recognizable singers.
Two Takes to Number One
"Everlasting Love" began life as a 1967 American hit for soul singer Robert Knight. Love Affair first tried it at Island Studios, but the label passed. CBS producer Mike Smith then cut a new version, built around a 40-piece orchestra arranged by Keith Mansfield and a crew of top London session players, with Ellis's lead vocal front and center. The finished track was reportedly captured in just two takes.
Released in December 1967, the single climbed to No. 1 on the UK chart on January 31, 1968, and held the spot for two weeks, unseating the Beatles' "Hello, Goodbye." When the press later made a fuss over the band's members not playing on the record, Love Affair addressed it openly on television. The voice everyone loved, though, was always Ellis's own. More British hits followed, including "Rainbow Valley," "A Day Without Love" and "Bringing On Back the Good Times."
A Song That Refused to Fade
Love Affair's version never charted in the United States, but the song itself became one of pop's great survivors. Carl Carlton took it into the U.S. top 10 in 1974, Gloria Estefan turned it into a dance-club favorite in 1995, and U2 recorded it as a B-side in 1989. Jamie Cullum covered it for the Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason soundtrack in 2004, and Jamie Dornan sang it on screen in Kenneth Branagh's Belfast. Every new version sent curious listeners back to the 1968 original.
Life After Love Affair
Ellis left the band in December 1969 to strike out on his own. In 1972 he teamed with keyboardist Zoot Money to form Ellis, releasing the albums Riding on the Crest of a Slump and Why Not? He later fronted the hard-rock band Widowmaker, whose 1976 debut led to dates supporting Nazareth and a spot on the Who's stadium tour that summer.
His admirers included rock royalty. His 2008 solo album The Best of Days featured guest appearances from Paul Weller and Roger Daltrey, and he kept recording well into the 2010s with Boom Bang Twang in 2018. Weller, a longtime friend, was among the first to pay tribute after the news broke, and the organizers of festivals where he regularly performed remembered him as a familiar, much-loved presence on stage.
Steve Ellis spent six decades proving that a great voice doesn't need a stadium to leave its mark. Put on "Everlasting Love" tonight and you'll hear exactly why that song, and the teenager who sang it, have never really gone away.
Did you own the Love Affair "Everlasting Love" 45, or first discover the song through one of its many covers? Share your memories of Steve Ellis in the comments below.