Group "Smoky" - the history of origin and the path to success

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Smoky is a legendary British band from the 1970s with a strong musical personality and is still touring extensively. The almost forty-year history of the group is a story of ups and downs, a story of talent and professionalism. But it all started with a simple school friendship.

Road to fame

Christopher Ward Norman and Allan Sillson were classmates in a school in the small town of Bradford. Deciding to create a rock band, they invited two more schoolchildren into it - Thierry Uttley, who plays bass guitar, and drummer Peter Spencer. The group was named Elisabeth. At first they played at school parties, the repertoire consisted of Beatles songs. Then the guys began to write their songs and, changing the name to "Kindness" ("Kindness"), in 1968 they went to conquer London. But the group did not achieve much success. I had to perform in small pubs and clubs. Even with great difficulty, the recorded two records went unnoticed by the public. It wasn't until 1974 that the young musicians were noticed by fashion writers Nikki Chin and Mike Chapman, working with Suzi Quatro. In their person, the group receives producer support and again changes its name - now it is the "Smokey" group. In 1975comes the first breakthrough to the top of the charts. The single "If you think you know how to love me" was released, which became an international hit, and then the same luck awaits the album "Changing all the time". After the album of the new group is released in the USA, an awkward situation arises: in America there is already an artist with the name "Smokey" - Smokey Robinson. In order to avoid misunderstandings and disputes, the group corrects its name. Now and forever it's "Smokie".

At the peak of success

The Smokey group is gaining immense popularity, its new songs immediately become hits. The four have toured the world with great success. A separate tour had to be done in Australia - the music and songs of the Smokey group are incredibly in demand. 1978 becomes a year of triumph for musicians. But a lot of work has been done for this: the disc “The Montreux Album” was released, which was named by music critics as the best disc of 1978. Chris Norman and Peter Spencer wrote the single "Mexican girl", which became the biggest hit of the year. Jointly performed by Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro, the song "Stumblin' in" immediately appears in the Top 10 of the Billboard magazine. European music magazines polled Norman and Spencer as the best composers of 1978. Musicians become true superstars. The Smokey group is accompanied by commercial success. Discs are sold in millions of copies, concerts are always sold out. As is often the case, in the 1980s, the band had a creative crisis.

In 1982, the Smokey announced that they were disbanding. But in 1985, the musicians got together to play in their native Bradford at a charity concert. The reason for this action was a fire at a football stadium in which people died. The Smokey group performed so successfully that it was decided to continue working together. But by this time Chris Norman had already begun to develop a solo career, and in 1986 he finally left the group.

"Smoky" continue their career, recording many new songs. And, although the rock group "Smoky" could not return to its former popularity, its work continues to delight fans all over the world to this day.