The Real Thing

The Real Thing are a British soul group formed in the 1970s. The band charted internationally with their song "You to Me Are Everything", which reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart. They also had successes with a string of British hits such as "Can't Get By Without You" and "Can You Feel the Force?". They returned to mainstream success in 1986 with the Decade Remix of "You to Me Are Everything". By number of sales, they were the most successful black rock/soul act in England during the 1970s.

Founded in 1970 by Chris Amoo, Dave Smith, Kenny Davis and Ray Lake, the Real Thing's live, progressive soul-influenced covers of American hits attracted enough attention for them to secure a recording deal with EMI but their 1972 and 1973 singles were, despite their high quality, not successful sellers. The group continued even after the departure of Kenny Davis in 1974 (Davis would die from drowning, aged just 44). The turn-around for their career began with their collaboration with David Essex and Pye Records. They toured internationally with Essex, recording with him a number of popular songs, though none were big charters.

After Chris Amoo's brother Eddie joined the band, the Real Thing finally found chart success with the pop-soul single "You to Me Are Everything". Their follow-up, "Can't Get By Without You" reached #2. A third UK hit, "You'll Never Know What You're Missing" peaked at #16. During the rest of the 1970s, they accumulated eight more British hits, culminating with "Can You Feel the Force?" climbing to #5 in 1979.

In 1982, they returned to working with David Essex, performing as backing vocalists on his tour and they also performed as backing vocalists on Essex's 1982 top 20 hit "Me and My Girl (Nightclubbing)" appearing with him on Top of the Pops. In 1986, the band enjoyed another chart resurgence with the remixing of several of their hits. "You to Me Are Everything (The Decade Remix)" charted twice in the UK, peaking at #5, "Can't Get By Without You (the Second Decade Remix)" rose almost as high to #6, "Can You Feel the Force" ('86 Remix) climbed to #24, but the band's final UK charter for the year, "Straight to the Heart", could only manage #71.

Ray Lake would take his own life in 2000, suffering from heroin addiction. Eddie Amoo died in 2018. The group continues as a duo with Chris Amoo and Dave Smith.