Harris has a recognisable and popular style of bass playing, particularly the "gallop" which can be found on many Iron Maiden recordings, such as the singles "Run to the Hills" and "The Trooper".

[4] Just ten months after he bought his first bass, Harris joined a band, initially known as Influence and later Gypsy's Kiss, featuring Bob Verscoyle (lead vocals), Dave Smith (guitar) and drummer Paul Sears.

[13] Before Iron Maiden signed their contract with EMI in 1979, Harris worked as an architectural draughtsman in the East End of London until he was made redundant, at which point he undertook a job as a street sweeper.

[16] His songwriting typically showcases his trademark galloping bass patterns, which features heavily in songs such as "The Trooper" and "Run to the Hills",[17][18] and his progressive rock-influenced time changes.

[22] Harris frequently writes lyrics about mythology, history or topics inspired from books and films, reflecting his interests and progressive rock influences.

[25] Originating with a band, named British Lion, which he managed and wrote with in the early 1990s, Harris kept in touch with its vocalist, Richard Taylor, and guitarist, Graham Leslie, and the album, consisting of 1970s influenced hard rock songs, was written and recorded over a number of years around Iron Maiden's tour schedule.

[37] Harris's playing is often unusually prominent in the mix on Iron Maiden's recordings; he generally uses a tone with a treble-heavy EQ and compression to accentuate the attack on the strings.

His influences include Black Sabbath,[19] Deep Purple,[19] Emerson, Lake & Palmer,[38] Genesis,[4][19] Jethro Tull,[4][19] Led Zeppelin,[19] Golden Earring,[39] Pink Floyd,[19] Thin Lizzy,[40] UFO,[41] Uriah Heep,[5] Wishbone Ash,[40] and Yes.

[19] Speaking about the early Iron Maiden sound, Steve Harris described the band as using twin-guitar harmonies inspired by Wishbone Ash and Thin Lizzy,[42] complex time and mood changes from Genesis and Jethro Tull,[42] and the dark melodic elements of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin.

[47] In 2009, Fender issued a signature Steve Harris Precision bass,[48] featuring an alder body, a blue-sparkle finish, mirrored scratchplate, Seymour Duncan SPB-1 pick-ups and a Badass II bridge.

[56] Until Virtual XI, Michael Kenney, Harris' bass technician, had provided the keyboards from 1990's No Prayer for the Dying onwards, and still does so live and acts as a supervisor in the studio.

[69] On top of this, he has contributed to the production of thirteen of the band's music videos, with "Infinite Dreams", "Holy Smoke", "Tailgunner" and "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" being directed and edited by Harris alone.

[71] In 2008, she released a solo album, entitled Calm Before the Storm,[72] and is currently a member of a band called Kingdom of I,[73] after forming Six Hour Sundown.

[86] A keen footballer,[1] Harris played for amateur clubs as a child and was later scouted by Wally St Pier and asked to train for West Ham United,[2] of whom he has been a fan since he was 9 years old.

"[2] Nevertheless, Harris still plays football regularly with his own team, "Maidonians",[88] and still supports West Ham, staying in contact with the club and having their crest on his most-used Precision Bass.