Ray Lake The Real Thing Death: At the age of 74, Eddy Amoo, who starred in THE Real Thing, passed away. His brother Chris, as well as buddies Dave Smith and Ray Lake, were all members of the Liverpool band, and the legendary soul singer passed away today in Australia. Chris and Dave revealed on February 23 that their brother and Inspiration, Eddy Harrison, the leader of the Liverpudlian band The Real Thing, was noted for his charm, compositional prowess, and showmanship.
This brand has been performing and touring continuously since its inception in the 1970s. With songs like Children of the Ghetto and The Real Thing’s smash successes You To Me Are Everything, Feel the Force, and Can’t Get By Without You, Eddy will be remembered for his impassioned performances and political commentary. Eddy leaves behind a plethora of memories and a legacy that will live on, in addition to his lovely family, Toxteth, Liverpool, and his favorite band, The Real Thing.
“Eddy,” a “tour de force in British music,” has been called “sorely missed” by many, and his legacy will live on. “Chris and Dave are heartbroken by the death of their brother and friend Eddy. With all of the love and support they’ve gotten from fans, coworkers, and the people of Liverpool, they’re ready to take on the world “he stated Chris and Dave have chosen to prolong The Real Thing’s 2018 tour as of April 7. Despite canceling all of their March shows, they will perform as a two-piece with their live band beginning April 7 and continuing until 2018.”
Chris has realized how much the band owes the fans, as well as the late Eddy Merckx, the greatest showman of all time, for their enormous support for The Real Thing. We should keep going and feel the force, as Eddy would have wanted us to. Two of the band’s most popular songs from the 1970s are Can’t Get By Without You and You To Me Are Everything.
Eddy was a Member of Lennon’s Backing Band
Eddy was a member of John Lennon’s backing band, The Chants, in the 1960s, which aided in the development of his solo career. Right now, no one knows where they are. The Real Thing was a tremendous song in the UK for a spell in the 1970s. With five top ten songs and a US chart entry, it was the most successful black rock and soul band in the UK throughout the 1970s.
The Real Thing’s best-known songs are You To Me Are Everything, Can You Feel the Force, and Can’t Get By Without You, but we believe they deserve greater attention. The band was complete when Chris’ brother Eddy joined in the late 1970s after Chris had created it with Dave Smith, Kenny Davis, and Ray Lake.
What are they up to now that they’ve returned?
The Real Thing’s last chart appearance came at number nine, using a sample of “Love Is Such A Wonderful Thing,” Freeloaders’ song “So Much Love To Give” from 2005. Ray Lake, unfortunately, died in 2000. Members Kenny Davis and Ray Lake both left the band early on. They intended to start their own tour in April, which would include a May 13th event in Ipswich with Odyssey. Chris has found success as… a dog breeder! Since his solo songs in the 1980s, Chris has found success as… a dog breeder! He and his wife Julie were named Best in Show for 1987 after attending Crufts with their dog. In 2013, his Afghan hound finished third in its class. He continues to judge dog shows around the United States.
The band’s aspirations for a new album, according to Eddy’s statements to UK Music Reviews in 2015, are “not that clear,” as he noted. We shouldn’t bother going into the studio to make an album unless we have the assistance of a record company to help us advertise and sell our songs. But achieving this aim will be extremely difficult for us. Even if social media has given you a platform, it’s no longer essential to go hat in hand to record labels in order to get heard. You have everything you require to begin using the internet right now.”
Best known for its Famous hits “You To Me Are Everything
The Real Thing is best known for its famous hits “You To Me Are Everything,” “Can’t Get By Without You,” and “Can You Feel the Force,” which have made them the most successful black band in British history. Chris Amoo and Dave Smith, two of the band’s original members, are celebrating 45 years in the music industry this year, which is difficult to fathom. The band’s fame and endurance in British music history are unprecedented.
Chris’ older brother Eddy created The Chants, Britain’s first black acapella quintet, in the 1960s, and the band’s roots can be traced back to that era. The Chants were asked to audition at the Cavern Club in Liverpool by Paul McCartney, who met them at the Little Richard performance at the Tower Ballroom in Birkenhead. They were so taken with their sound that they invited them to perform with them the next night, much to Brian Epstein’s chagrin.
Because of John Lennon’s perseverance, the Chants became a tremendous hit on stage, and Epstein was their manager for a brief time. The Chants were signed to Pye Records by Tony Hatch, but after touring for 13 years, they never achieved the same degree of popularity as their ‘Merseybeat’ competitors. During his time with The Chants, Eddy’s songwriting talents improved, which helped him prepare for his next musical undertaking.
While he was engaged with The Chants, Eddy’s younger brother, Chris, had been keeping a careful check on him. After being inspired by his older sister, Chris started his own singing group, The Sophisticated Soul Brothers. The band was created by Chris, his friends Dave Smith, Ray Lake, and Kenny Davis (and later joined by Edward Ankrah, younger brother of Joe Ankrah, from The Chants). After the S.S.B. began picking up jobs, Tony Hall, the legendary A&R man, went all the way from London to see them perform.
Opportunity Knocks”
He immediately signed them, but he soon realized they needed a new name. Tony was persuaded to buy Coca-Cola after seeing an advertisement flash over his car at Piccadilly Circus traffic signals one day. In the month of January 1972, The Real Thing was born.
Within days after the band’s creation, Hughie Green presented the popular ITV talent show “Opportunity Knocks.” They performed a cover of ‘Grazin’ the Grass,’ and achieved the maximum possible score for their performance. It’s a shame that the band’s breakthrough 1980s television appearance, when they were the first all-black group to appear in a talent contest, has been lost to time. Tony Hall never lost faith in the band’s capacity to flourish while serving as their music business mentor. (bobbergdesigns.com) Eddy wrote ‘Vicious Circle,’ The Real Thing’s debut hit, barely three months after their participation on ‘Opportunity Knocks.’
Tony was given a tape of Eddy’s songs while in The Chants, and he was so taken aback by his songwriting ability that he demanded more. Like The Temptations’ “Cloud Nine,” “Vicious Circle” was a hard-hitting “conscience” song. In April 1972, it was published on the EMI label. Despite the fact that it failed to chart, the song garnered a lot of airplay and positive reviews from the predominantly white music press.
