Real Thing

Real Thing

Real Thing are a Liverpool-based British soul group that forms in the 1970s and remains active. The core members listed are Chris Amoo and Eddie Amoo, and the group is associated with brit funk, disco, funk, R&B and soul. Their history begins in the Merseybeat scene of the 1960s, where Eddie Amoo comes from The Chants, a group whose beat singles receive critical attention without chart success.

Early formation and breakthrough

The group starts out under a different name before adopting Real Thing. Early members who appear on the ITV talent show Opportunity Knocks include Chris Amoo, Kenny Davis, Dave Smith, Eddie Ankrah and Ray Lake. After the appearance, the group is renamed The Real Thing, and Tony Hall, a former Radio Luxembourg DJ, plays an important part in their early development. They also spend time working as backing singers on tour with David Essex, which raises their profile.

Recordings and chart success

After failed contracts with major record labels, Real Thing sign to Pye Records in 1975. Their commercial breakthrough comes in 1976 with “You to Me Are Everything”, written and produced by Ken Gold and Mick Denne, which reaches number one in the UK Singles Chart. The song leads a run of nine Pye hits over three years, including “Can’t Get By Without You” and “Can You Feel the Force”, both of which reach the UK top five. Their sound mixes commercial soul with disco influences, and they become the UK’s best-selling black group of the late 1970s.

Later career

In 1980 the group moves to the Calibre record label, after which their commercial momentum declines and later material performs less strongly. Remixes of their first two hits chart around ten years after the original releases. The group continues to perform and record with three founder members still involved.