The alt rock singer, born Polly Jean Harvey, grew up on a sheep farm in Corscombe, a small village in Dorset, England. Her parents owned a stone quarrying business but were also heavily involved in music, organizing small gigs around West Country. Ian Stewart of the Rolling Stones was also a close friend and frequent guest in the Harvey household.
Harvey was inspired by her parents' record collection that included blues legends like John Lee Hooker, Howlin' Wolf, and Nina Simone, along with rock musicians like Captain Beefheart, Jimi Hendrix, and The Rolling Stones. Harvey said her teenage rebellion consisted of going to school discos and listening to Duran Duran. "My mum was horrified that I was buying Spandau Ballet records," she added.
PJ Harvey started out as a trio after the singer met drummer Rob Ellis and bassist Ian Oliver while performing in John Parish's rock ensemble Automatic Dlamini. Oliver ended up returning to Automatic Dlamini and was replaced by Steve Vaughan. (Parish went on to co-produce Harvey's third studio album, To Bring You My Love.)
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