Smokie (band)

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Smokie (originally spelt Smokey) are an English rock band from

".

History

Early years

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The band was formed as The Yen after a chance meeting between Ron Kelly and Alan Silson in Moore's Music Shop, North Parade, Bradford, in October 1963. Two days after that meeting they were joined by Chris Norman for rehearsals, but without finding a suitable bass player, just practised together for a year. The addition of Terry Uttley on bass guitar at the beginning of 1965 completed the lineup and The Yen's first gig was at Birkenshaw School in February 1965. It was composed of Chris Norman (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Terry Uttley (bass/vocals), Alan Silson (lead guitar/vocals), and Ron Kelly^[4] (drums). They were renamed The Sphynx, and later Essence. As Essence, they toured small clubs in Bradford and the surrounding communities before they split in 1966. The Black Cats were already a working band when Ron Kelly joined them at Dewsbury College in September 1966. The Black Cats at this time were Peter Eastwood on guitar/vocals and Arthur Higgins on bass. Kelly replaced the drummer they had at the time. Alan Silson and Pete Eastwood joined the band, but the latter soon left and was replaced by Chris Norman. In November 1967 the band changed their name to The Four Corners.

In April 1968, the group found a manager in Mark Jordan, who advised them to rename themselves The Elizabethans. The group now became fully professional, and the members garnered higher salaries. In June 1968, Terry Uttley joined the group as a replacement for Arthur Higgins, who had left the band in order to carry on his education. On 9 December 1968 the group had their first TV appearance, on

's BBC Radio One Saturday show, but this popularity did not translate into record sales. The last Decca single was "Make it Better"/"Lonely Long Lady", which flopped, and their Decca contract was cancelled.

Rise to fame

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During the band's Decca contract, Eager used his contacts with the Manchester-based agency Kennedy Street Enterprises, to gain the band an audition to be Peter Noone's backing band. The band were asked to become his permanent band after their audition at Noone's House in Denham, Buckinghamshire, and soon they embarked on a nationwide tour with him. Noone did not bring the boys any luck, but during the tour Bill Hurley offered to manage them. Hurley convinced Eager to release the boys from the contract with him. Ron Kelly left Kindness on 8 August 1973 and the band recruited an old school friend, Pete Spencer (drums/vocals), who had played in various groups (including with Allan Holdsworth), to drum for them. This lineup performed on a sightseeing boat in Frankfurt, Germany. Hurley introduced the band to composers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who also wrote songs for glam rock contemporaries Sweet, Mud, and Suzi Quatro. At first "Chinnichap" turned them down, but Hurley's tenacity eventually convinced the composers/producers to give the young group a chance. Hurley and Chinnichap started working with the band, and suggested yet another name change, to "Smokey".

They purchased new instruments and in late 1974 began recording their debut album

on tour.

Height of popularity

Around this time,

UK Singles Chart.^[2] They followed it with "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me

".

The third album was partly produced in the US, where Nicky Chinn had relocated. Called

I'll Meet You At Midnight". Their cover of Australian band New World's single, "Living Next Door to Alice", released in November 1976, reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, followed by another hit "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone".^[2] Smokie now found themselves European superstars,^[2] with sold-out tours and million-selling albums. The next two albums, 1977's Bright Lights & Back Alleys and The Montreux Album (1978), cemented their status and were both chart successes. From Bright Lights & Back Alleys came two hit singles, the reggae influenced "It's Your Life" and a cover of "Needles and Pins

".

At the peak of Smokie's success in 1978, Chris Norman teamed up with Suzi Quatro and released a duet single, "

Head Over Heels in Love", a No. 31 UK hit.^[6]

In 1979, the album The Other Side of the Road was released, entirely recorded in Australia. It spawned two more singles for the band, "Do to Me" and "Babe It's Up to You", but it became clear that their sales were declining.

Smokie took a hiatus before

Solid Ground was released in 1981. The advance single was a cover of Del Shannon's 1963 hit, "Little Town Flirt" — but it failed to reach the UK Singles Chart.^[2]

Chris Norman and Pete Spencer wrote and produced the song "This Time (We'll Get It Right)". It was recorded by the 1982 England's World Cup Squad and was a No. 2 hit in the UK Singles Chart, selling over one million copies.[7]

Decline and Norman's departure

In early 1982, the last album for EMI/BMG was released,

Strangers in Paradise. The departure from Chinnichap became notable, and the four members of Smokie appeared unable to recreate their success using their own material. Shortly after the release of Strangers In Paradise, work began on two parallel albums, one released by Smokie as Midnight Delight,^[8] and the other Chris Norman's solo debut, Rock Away Your Teardrops.^[9]

Neither release sold well.

In 1983, band members Alan Silson, Chris Norman and Terry Uttley collaborated with Agnetha Fältskog, singing together on the track "Once Burned Twice Shy" from her first English language solo album entitled Wrap Your Arms Around Me. The band say it was on the flight to record this song in Sweden that they decided to part ways. Chris Norman began his solo career and Terry Uttley went on to play bass for several other groups including Peter Goalby and John Coghlan (ex Status Quo drummer). The band said "It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time."^[10]

Though Smokie had begun work on a comeback, in 1986, Norman, by that stage enthused with the relative success of his second solo album,

Black Lace, who had been suggested by Chris as a good replacement for the band because of his similar vocal style to Norman's. Smokie also recruited keyboard player Martin Bullard. Spencer quit and was replaced on drums by Steve Pinnell. The new lineup released All Fired Up in 1988, which brought some attention and contained a new version of "Rock Away Your Tear Drops", the song that had been the title track to Norman's debut album.^[9]

Comeback

Several releases followed over the next years including

café, Gompie, organised a recording, and had a No. 17 UK hit with the title of "Alice (Who the X is Alice) (Living Next Door to Alice)" in the United Kingdom,^[13]

and in the Netherlands where it reached No. 1.

Shortly after the song was recorded Smokie's tour bus careered off of the road during a hailstorm in Germany. Barton, badly injured, died after five days in intensive care.[14] The rest of the band and Brown agreed to donate their royalties from the song to Barton's first wife.^{[citation needed]}

1990s–present

The remaining members decided to continue with the band and went about finding their third lead singer. A friend of the band, Mike Craft was chosen. The band released The World and Elsewhere later that year, followed by Light a Candle — The Christmas Album.

In 1996, Alan Silson terminated his membership, saying he intended to pursue a solo career and to work with other acts as well, joining

Mickey Finn's T. Rex, and that he also no longer wanted to be on the road all the time. Mick McConnell, one of the band's road crew and their guitar technician replaced him as the group's new lead guitarist, this formation recording the next album, Wild Horses – The Nashville Album (1998), in Nashville, Tennessee.^[15]

In February 2001, Smokie released two albums, Uncovered and Uncovered Too, which consist entirely of cover versions, with no original songs.

In 2004, Smokie recorded a studio album, On the Wire, with eleven of the 14 songs written by the band themselves. In 2006, the band released the album From the Heart. Although mainly a compilation, it did contain three new tracks.

In 2010, Smokie gained new chart success with a CD of brand new material, Take a Minute. Released in Denmark in August of that year, it peaked at No. 3 on the Danish Albums Chart.^[16] Releases in the remainder of Scandinavia and Germany took place during October, with the single "Sally's Song (The Legacy Goes On)"^[17]  — a continuation of the story of the other character in "Living Next Door to Alice"  — also released.

On 16 April 2021 it was announced that Mike Craft had decided to retire after 26 years of service to the band. He was replaced by Pete Lincoln, former member of Andy Scott's Sweet.

Terry Uttley died on 16 December 2021, at the age of 70. At the time of his death, he was the last remaining original member who was still active with the band.^[18]

Personnel

• 
  Steve Pinnell
• 
  Martin Bullard
• 
  Mick McConnell
• 
  Pete Lincoln

Members

Current Steve Pinnell – drums (1986–present) Martin Bullard – keyboards (1986–present) Mick McConnell – lead guitar, vocals (1996–present) Pete Lincoln – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2021–present) Luke Bullard – bass, vocals (2021–present; substitute 2019)[19]

Former members Terry Uttley – bass, vocals (1964–1966, 1968–2021; his death) Arthur Higgins – bass, vocals (1966–1968) Alan Silson – lead guitar, vocals (1964–1996) Chris Norman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (1964–1986) Pete Spencer – drums, vocals (1973–1986) Alan Barton – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1986–1995; his death) Mike Craft – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1995–2021)

Lineups

1964–1966	Chris Norman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Alan Silson – lead guitar, vocals Terry Uttley – bass, vocals Ron Kelly – drums
1966–1968	Chris Norman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Alan Silson – lead guitar, vocals Arthur Higgins – bass, vocals Ron Kelly – drums
1968–1973	Chris Norman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Alan Silson – lead guitar, vocals Terry Uttley – bass, vocals Ron Kelly – drums
1973–1986	Chris Norman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Alan Silson – lead guitar, vocals Terry Uttley – bass, vocals Pete Spencer – drums
1986–1995	Alan Barton – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Alan Silson – lead guitar, vocals Terry Uttley – bass, vocals Martin Bullard – keyboards Steve Pinnell – drums
1995–1996	Mike Craft – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Alan Silson – lead guitar, vocals Terry Uttley – bass, vocals Martin Bullard – keyboards Steve Pinnell – drums
1996–2021	Mike Craft – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Mick McConnell – lead guitar, vocals Terry Uttley – bass, vocals Martin Bullard – keyboards Steve Pinnell – drums
2021	Pete Lincoln – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Mick McConnell – lead guitar, vocals Terry Uttley – bass, vocals Martin Bullard – keyboards Steve Pinnell – drums
2021–present	Pete Lincoln – lead vocals, rhythm guitar Mick McConnell – lead guitar, vocals Luke Bullard – bass, vocals Martin Bullard – keyboards Steve Pinnell – drums

Timeline

Discography

Main article: Smokie discography

• Pass It Around (1975)
• Changing All the Time (1975)
• Midnight Café (1976)
• Bright Lights & Back Alleys (1977)
• The Montreux Album (1978)
• The Other Side of the Road (1979)
• Solid Ground
  (1981)
• Strangers in Paradise (1982)
• Midnight Delight (1982)
• All Fired Up (1988)
• Boulevard of Broken Dreams (1989)
• Whose Are These Boots? (1990)
• Chasing Shadows (1992)
• Burnin' Ambition (1993)
• The World and Elsewhere (1995)
• Light a Candle (1996)
• Wild Horses – The Nashville Album (1998)
• Uncovered (2000)
• Uncovered Too (2001)
• On the Wire (2004)
• Take a Minute (2010)^[20]

Industry awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
1975	Best New Group	Saturday Scene British Pop Awards [21]	Won
1977	Band	Gold Otto Bravo [22]	Won
1978	Band	Gold Otto Bravo[23]	Won
1978	Band	Silver Das Freiziet Freizeit Revue	Won
1979	Band	Silver Otto Bravo[24]	Won

References

1. ^ "Smokie | Biography, Albums, & Streaming Radio". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
2. ^
   ISBN 1-904994-10-5
   .
3. ^ John Bush. "Smokie | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
4. ^ "Spirit of Smokie". Spiritofsmokie.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
5. ISBN 1-904994-10-5
   .
6. ISBN 1-904994-10-5
   .
7. ISBN 1-904994-10-5
   .
8. ^ "Smokie - Midnight Delight (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
9. ^ ^{a b} "Chris Norman - Rock Away Your Teardrops (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
10. ^ "Biography". Smokie.co.uk. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
11. ^ "norwegiancharts.com - Smokie - Boulevard Of Broken Dreams". Retrieved 21 October 2017.
12. ^ "norwegiancharts.com - Smokie - Whose Are These Boots?". Retrieved 21 October 2017.
13. ISBN 1-904994-10-5
    .
14. ^ "Entertainment | 'Worst song' Agadoo re-released". BBC News. 30 March 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
15. ^ "Smokie - Wild Horses - The Nashville Album (CD, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
16. IFPI
    Denmark.
17. ^ "Smokie - Sally's Song (The Legacy Goes On) (CD)". Discogs.com. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
18. ^ Rensmo, Mattias (18 December 2021). "Smokies sista kvarvarande originalmedlem död". Sverige Radio. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
19. ^ "Luke Bullard". N.O.W. Music Co. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
20. ^ "Smokie | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
21. ^ "London Weekend Saturday Scene Awards" (PDF). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
22. ^ "Bravo Otto 1977". Bravo-archive.de. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
23. ^ "Bravo Otto 1978". Bravo-archive.de. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
24. ^ "Bravo Otto 1979". Bravo-archive.de. Retrieved 6 April 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smokie.

• Smokie biography at AllMusic
• Smokie discography at Discogs
• Smokie Discography 1975-1982
• Smokie at
  IMDb
• Smokie fanclub