Our pleasure lasted all of three weeks, until mediocrity got its revenge and the Real Thing were toppled from the number one spot by Demis Roussos. They werent the hotties my schoolgirl peers supposed. [17][18] The single, released by AATW in 2005, peaked at No. The Real Thing's Children Of The Ghetto has been covered by musicians like Mary J Blige and Courtney Pine (Credit: Alamy) . 72. Thats another thing I think that led directly to the riots., Theres something poignant about having a career including singalong singles that filled dancefloors like You to Me Are Everything, irresistible feel good tunes like Can You Feel the Force, and classic ghetto medleys all that idealism but still being painfully aware of a harsher, depressing reality. Lightboxes. Click here to upload yours. [26] The latter act went on to be renamed The Real Thing by manager Tony Hall, after seeing the Coca-Cola advert on a large billboard in Piccadilly Circus. 4 From 8 is a good album Im not knocking it it didnt have that commercial edge you need. But it also sparked at least one of his kid's careers. The band consisted of Chris and his friends Dave Smith, Ray Lake and Kenny Davis (and later joined by Edward Ankrah, younger brother of Joe Ankrah, from The Chants). and 'Can't Get By Without You', we'd argue that The Real Thing are a somewhat overlooked and underrated group. The follow-up LP was a concept album entitled 4 From 8, containing only self-penned songs including an eleven minute track, Liverpool 8 Medley, a combination of three songs; Children of the Ghetto, Liverpool 8 and Stanhope Street; The LP was totally where we were at and what we were into, says Eddy. They had arrived; four long years after Opportunity Knocks the Real Thing picked up the Daily Mirror Best New Group award. . put them back in the charts. Was Ray Lake from the band the real thing married did he have kids Eddie Amoo (born Edward Robert Amoo, 5 May 1944, Liverpool; Ray Lake (born Raymond Lake, 11 February 1946, Liverpool; died 2000), This page was last edited on 7 January 2023, at 18:22. The legendary soul singer, who played in the Liverpool band alongside his brother Chris and pals Dave Smith and Ray Lake, passed away suddenly in Aus "Can You Feel the Force?" 18, "Let's Go Disco" at No. You can get an online thing going now.". Originally named The Sophisticated Soul Brothers, Chris Amoos band took on a savvy manager, Tony Hall (a multi-faceted journalist, promoter and jazz producer), and a snappy new name (The Real Thing was inspired by a famous soft drink advert). 5 in 1979, the same year that "Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)" hit No. Eddy Amoo remembers particular problems for the black community; From my personal point of view, Liverpool was OK. Its always been pretty racist not racist so much in the people that you meet on the streets- but racist in the institutions in Liverpool. [1] He comes from a mixed-race background, with a Ghanaian grandfather and an Irish grandmother. Formed in 1970 by Chris Amoo, Dave Smith, Kenny Davis and Ray Lake, they were later joined by Chris's brother Eddy. Eddy leaves behind a large and loving family, a community he adored in Toxteth, Liverpool and his beloved music and band, The Real Thing. The disco explosion was upon us, but the rising interest in black music was further fed by radio; radio crossed over soul ballads and funk, bump & boogie into the mainstream. But the band persisted, even after the departure of Kenny Davis. The turn-around for their career began with their collaboration with David Essex and Pye Records. James Brown had one of his biggest ever British hits in 1976 with Get Up Offa That Thing. Dave Smith is still in the Real Thing, as is Chris Amoo, although Chris has also carved out a parallel career as an award-winning dog breeder. From April, they were set to be embarking on their own tour, including a night with Odyssey on May 13 in Ipswich. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. Especially racism; I dont think things are as bad as they were in the early 70s, Eddy believes, But the fact still remains that Liverpool is still a very institutionally racist city. \"Can You Feel the Force?\" climbed to #5 in 1979, the same year that \"Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)\" hit #33. As a successful dog breeder, he and his wife Julie Amoo entered their Afghan Hound, named Viscount Grant, into Crufts dog show, where he won the 1987 Best in Show title. 16. We never got back to that pinnacle we reached creatively with Can You Feel the Force.. The Real Thing are a British Soul group from Liverpool, formed in 1970. Sadly, Eddy passed away at the age of 73 in February 2018. Ray Lake of The Real Thing, London 1977 Stock Photo - Alamy The film was a big hit, but Eddy still regrets Lets Go Disco was ever a single. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. [4] During the time period, they accumulated eight more British hits. But I think it was possibly the wrong time for audiences to accept it, and radio stations werent interested in playing anything that wasnt commercially viable. Why were Justin Haywards vocals rather than Amoos used on the hit album? Inspired by his elder sibling, Chris formed his own vocal group, extravagantly-called The Sophisticated Soul Brothers. Who is Ray Romano's Daughter Alexandra, And What Does She Do? When I watched some of the clips back in Everything, that absolutely chilled me; thats when I realised that Ray didnt have a chance.. 71[16] in the UK charts for Bangalter & Falcon), so much so that a number of other dance records used the same sample over the following years. He had a brainwave. He is also a dog breeder, and a judge at dog shows including Crufts, where he has had great success with his Afghan Hound . As the film depicts, The Real Thing did have a Beatles connection. Chris added after the statement: The fans' outpouring of support makes us realise how much love there is out there for The Real Thing, and we're doing this for them, and for Eddy, who was the greatest showman. ray lake the real thing daughter - focusom.com Success brought unwanted attention. Theyre now down to a duo, Chris Amoo and childhood friend Dave Smith (Chriss older brother Eddie died in 2018; fellow bandmate Ray Lake died in 2000), but The Real Things beat hasnt stopped for half a century. In Groups: The Real Thing. 29 on Billboard's "R&B Singles" and No. Why Pet Shop Boys are the cleverest men in pop, their tour dates stretch across the year ahead. "Can't Get By Without You" (The Decade Remix II), Chris Amoo (born Christopher Charles Amoo, 14 October 1952, Liverpool) vocals, Dave Smith (born David Smith, 6 July 1952) vocals. No longer would they be called Vocal Perfection a gift to hostile critics. Much of their archive footage has been wiped, including that Opportunity Knocks debut (the first time that an all-black group appeared on a UK TV talent show). He tells me that Ray Lake from the band died a couple of years ago, reportedly the victim of a drugs overdose. Be serious. Meanwhile, Eddys younger brother, Chris, had declared his desire to form band; the Real Thing were born. S imon Sheridan's solid, efficient documentary pays tribute to the Liverpudlian pop-soul beat combo the Real Thing, who had a No 1 in the UK with the smooth-grooving ballad You to Me Are . Instead they became the Real Thing. Worse yet was Ray Lakes decline into heroin addiction and, eventually, suicide. McCartney gave Joe a note to produce down at the Cavern, remembers Eddy; We went down to one of the lunchtime sessions and got up onstage and sang for them and they went ape-shit. Its a strange feeling and I bet bands like Sweet Sensation had the same experience as us., The 4 From 8 LP has a great gatefold sleeve featuring photographs of the band and Liverpool 8, and the citys Anglican cathedral amid desolate streets. The Top of the Pops viewers in our household cheered wildly when the Real Thing knocked the Wurzels off the top of the charts; at last something with a bit of class, something half decent to dance to at the youth club disco. Hi there! Ballads and love songs dominated, but dancefloors were seeing more action than at any time since the mod explosion in 1964. They invited us down to the Cavern later and they rehearsed three or four songs with us and we came on halfway through the show that night. They returned to mainstream success in 1986 with the Decade Remix of "You to Me Are Everything". The family is still close, of course, even though all of the children are now grown. The Real Things Children Of The Ghetto has been covered by musicians like Mary J Blige and Courtney Pine (Credit: Alamy). Stanley House [a once-thriving youth community centre], where wed started making music, was gone, and the police were very heavy-handed. Is it definitely our Children of the Ghetto? Though she's not listed on those businesses' team lists,Alexandra does have photos of herself working the counter at one of the pasta places. There's a tragic trajectory throughout in the story of the charismatic but always troubled Ray Lake - known as "One Take Lake . The band remained close to Toxteth, even as they dealt with the highs and lows of the music industry; when anti-police riots erupted in this economically deprived neighbourhood in 1981 (the same year as in Brixton, south London, and other cities in the UK), the media coverage was frequently racist, and Toxteth became tainted by reputation. ray lake the real thing daughter Today, Cokes rights department would shut that rebrand down before you could say Id like to teach the world to sing. Its arguably echoed by many black stars of his generation, yet I wonder how he could keep his cool, in the midst of such mainstream bigotry: in 70s and 80s Britain, even light entertainment was often cheerfully racist. But although her LinkedIn still shows she's working for Shondaland, taking a look at her Instagram, fans can see that the Romano daughter is repping for two NYC-area eateries (both pasta places). She may not have the same list of travel essentials as celebs like Kendall Jenner (like a private jet), but she's glam enough. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. True, the song was written by two white guys, and yes, the band could hardly yet emulate State-side sophistication (1976 was also the year of Stevie Wonders Songs in the Key of Life), but Chris Amoos husky, creamy voice was soul brother to Teddy Pendergrasss, while Ray Lakes falsetto was as captivating as that of Eddie Kendricks. Ray's daughter, Alexandra Romano, got her start in Hollywood alongside her dad. Everything: The Real Thing Story (BBC Four) travels back in time to the year when the quartet Chris Amoo, Dave Smith, Kenny Davis and Ray Lake, later joined by Chriss brother Eddie supplied the soundtrack to the hottest summer in living memory. But in 1976 the conditions were right for more British soul music to make an impact; in June 1976 it was the turn of the Real Thing to get to hit the top of the charts. Once I persuade Eddy that its definitely their song, he reflects on how valuable the song is to the Real Things career; Its brought us a lot of success. I'd have liked this film to have explored his story a little more, though obviously I appreciate that there's only so much you can tell in ninety . Theyre amazingly under-rated; they also released lots of really good records later on, including street soul on small labels.. They projected a positive portrait of young black masculinity into a reactionary mainstream culture.
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