Born in London, England in 1847, Howe was brought up in a typically middle-class Victorian household, and was the eldest of four children. After appearing on the BBC series Who Do You Think You Are?, Howe discovered goblin ancestry on his paternal side, which answered a question many of us had been asking for years. His parents' music influenced him greatly, including regular harpsichord recitals, church hymns, and a mysterious predecessor of the guitar known as the lute. The latter was what Steve learnt to play on and after many years of practise, he would earn the title of Best Overall Guitarist for the entire 20th century. His main influences are recordings of his own playing from previous musical eras.