The Real Thing ( UK band ) - wikipedia The Real Thing ( UK band ) The Real Thing The Real Thing ( 1972 ) Background information Origin Liverpool, England Genres British soul Brit funk disco R&B Years active 1970 ( 1970 ) -- present Labels Pye, Calibre, Jive Associated acts David Essex The Chants Biddu Members Chris Amoo Dave Smith Past members Eddie Amoo Ray Lake Kenny Davis The Real Thing are a British soul group formed in the 1970s. In addition to a string of British hits, the band charted internationally with their song `` You to Me Are Everything '', which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on Billboard 's R&B Singles chart and No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100. By number of sales, they were the most successful black rock / soul act in England during the 1970s. The journalist, author and founder of Mojo, Paul Du Noyer credits them alongside Deaf School with restoring `` Liverpool 's musical reputation in the 1970s '' with their success. Contents 1 History 2 Group personnel 3 Discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 Singles 4 See also 5 Further reading 6 References 7 External links History 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. The singles they released through EMI in 1972 and 1973 such as `` Vicious Circle '' were, despite their high quality, not successful sellers ( and have not so far been included on any of the band 's compilation albums ). But the band persisted, even after the departure of Kenny Davis. They did appear on Opportunity Knocks ( the TV talent show ). 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 '', which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 28 on Billboard 's `` R&B Singles '' and No. 64 on Billboard 's `` Hot 100 ''. Their follow - up, `` Ca n't Get By Without You '', did not chart in the US but was still a success in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 2. In 1976, they released their first album, Real Thing, which included both of their hit singles as well as a third UK hit, `` You 'll Never Know What You 're Missing '', which peaked at No. 16. They continued recording prolifically, releasing a steady stream of subsequent albums : 1977 's Four from Eight ( originally to have been called Liverpool 8 in honour of the racially mixed, economically depressed neighbourhood in which they grew up, before Pye rejected the title ), 1978 's Step Into Our World, ( reissued in 1979 as Can You Feel the Force ) and 1982 's compilation 100 Minutes. During the time period, they accumulated eight more British hits. `` Love 's Such a Wonderful Thing '' peaked at # 33 in 1977. 1978 saw `` Whenever You Want My Love '' at # 18, `` Let 's Go Disco '' at # 39 and `` Rainin ' Through My Sunshine '' at # 40. `` Can You Feel the Force ? '' climbed to # 5 in 1979, the same year that `` Boogie Down ( Get Funky Now ) '' hit # 33. 1980 's `` She 's a Groovy Freak '' capped a successful run, at # 52, coming just a few months too late to be included in the band 's first compilation, a K - tel collection of their Greatest Hits released in May 1980. 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. They scored a dance floor hit with a single specially written for them by Lynsey De Paul and Terry Britten, called `` We Got Love '' in 1984. In 1986, the band enjoyed a 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 No. 5 during a 12 - week run in spring and returning in June for an additional week at No. 72. `` Ca n't Get By Without You ( the Second Decade Remix ) '' rose almost as high to No. 6, remaining a consecutive 13 weeks. `` Can You Feel the Force '' ( ' 86 Remix ) climbed to No. 24, but the band 's final UK charter for the year, `` Straight to the Heart '', peaked at No. 71, remaining for only two weeks. Group personnel Current members Chris Amoo ( born Christopher Charles Amoo, 14 October 1952, Liverpool ) -- vocals Dave Smith ( born David Smith, 6 July 1952 ) -- vocals Real Thing Band John Chapman -- Saxophone Sam Edwards -- Keyboards Stuart Ansell -- Guitar Jon Bower -- Bass Danny Rose -- Drums Former members Eddie Amoo ( born Edward Robert Amoo, 5 May 1944, Liverpool ; died 23 February 2018, Australia ) -- vocals, guitars Ray Lake ( born Raymond Lake, 11 February 1946, Liverpool ; died 2000 ) -- falsetto backing vocals Kenny Davis -- vocals Discography The Real Thing discography Studio albums Live albums Compilation albums Singles 24 Albums Studio albums Year Title Chart Positions UK 1976 Real Thing 34 1977 4 from 8 1978 Step into Our World retitled as Can You Feel the Force ( 1979 ) 73 1980... Saints Or Sinners ? Live albums Year Title Chart Positions UK 1998 The Real Thing Live Compilation albums Year Title Chart Positions UK 1980 20 Greatest Hits 56 1982 100 Minutes 1986 The Best of The Real Thing 24 Singles Year Title Album Chart Positions UK IRL NZ 1972 `` Vicious Circle '' -- -- -- -- 1973 `` Plastic Man '' -- -- -- -- `` Listen, Joe Mcgintoo '' -- -- -- `` Humpty Dumpty '' -- -- -- `` Daddy Dear '' -- -- -- `` Watch Out Carolina '' -- -- -- `` Stone Cold Love Affair '' -- -- -- 1976 `` You to Me Are Everything '' Real Thing 10 `` Ca n't Get By Without You '' -- -- 1977 `` You 'll Never Know What You 're Missing '' 16 -- -- `` Love 's Such a Wonderful Thing '' 4 From 8 33 -- -- `` Lightning Strikes Again '' -- -- -- 1978 `` Whenever You Want My Love '' Step into Our World / Can You Feel the Force 18 -- -- `` Let 's Go Disco '' -- 39 -- -- `` Rainin ' Through My Sunshine '' Step into Our World / Can You Feel the Force 40 -- -- 1979 `` Can You Feel the Force ? '' 5 23 24 `` Boogie Down ( Get Funky Now ) ''... Saints Or Sinners ? 33 -- 46 1980 `` Give Me Your Love '' -- -- -- `` Saint or Sinner ? '' -- -- -- `` She 's a Groovy Freak '' -- 52 -- -- 1981 `` I Believe in You '' -- -- -- `` Foot Tappin ' '' -- -- -- 1982 `` Love Takes Tears '' -- -- -- `` Seen to Smile '' -- -- -- 1984 `` We Got Love '' -- -- -- `` Street Scene '' -- -- -- 1986 `` You to Me Are Everything ( The Decade Remix 76 -- 86 ) '' 5 6 `` Ca n't Get by Without You '' ( The Decade Remix II ) 6 8 -- `` Can You Feel the Force ? '' ( ' 86 Remix ) 24 17 -- `` Straight to the Heart '' 71 -- -- `` Hard Times '' 90 -- -- `` I Ca n't Help Myself ( Sugar Pie Honey Bunch ) '' -- -- -- -- `` The Crime of Love '' -- -- -- -- 2005 `` So Much Love to Give '' ( with Freeloaders ) Freshly Squeezed ( Freeloaders album ) 9 30 -- See also List of disco artists ( S-Z ) Brit funk Jazz - funk List of bands and artists from Merseyside List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart List of performers on Top of the Pops Further reading The Guardian :, The Real Thing : soundtrack to the Toxteth riots References Jump up ^ `` The Chants -- Bill Harry -- Mersey Beat ''. Triumphpc.com. Retrieved 7 March 2014. Jump up ^ `` 34. Biddu ''. The 50 Greatest Producers Ever. NME. 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012. Jump up ^ Cohen, Sara ( 2007 ). Decline, renewal and the city in popular music culture : beyond the Beatles. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 51. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7546 - 3243 - 6. Retrieved 24 June 2010. Earlier on The Real Thing, Britain 's biggest selling black rock / soul act of the 1970s... Jump up ^ Du Noyer, Paul ( 1 September 2007 ). `` Subversive dreamers : Liverpool songwriting from the Beatles to the Zutons ''. In Michael Murphy, Deryn Rees - Jones. Writing Liverpool : Essays and Interviews. Liverpool University Press. p. 246. ISBN 978 - 1 - 84631 - 073 - 7. Retrieved 24 June 2010. CS1 maint : Uses editors parameter ( link ) ^ Jump up to : `` The Real Thing Biography ''. allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Real Thing Billboard Singles ''. allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010. Jump up ^ Real Thing : Real Thing at Discogs ( list of releases ) Jump up ^ `` The Real Thing ''. allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010. ^ Jump up to : Roberts, David ( 2002 ). Guinness World Records British Hit Singles ( 15th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Ltd. p. 392. ISBN 0 - 85112 - 187 - X. Jump up ^ Real Thing : 4 from 8 at Discogs ( list of releases ) Jump up ^ Real Thing : Step Into Our World / Can You Feel the Force at Discogs ( list of releases ) Jump up ^ `` Greatest Hits ''. allmusic.com. Retrieved 24 June 2010. Jump up ^ `` The Real Thing -- We Got Love / Street Scene -- RCA -- UK -- RCA 445 ''. 45cat.com. 2013 - 01 - 31. Retrieved 2016 - 04 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Soul Walking : The Real Thing ''. Soulwalking.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018. Jump up ^ `` Eddy Amoo : The Real Thing singer dies at 73 ''. BBC News. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018. Jump up ^ `` Ray Lake ''. Discogs. Retrieved 7 April 2018. External links Feature on the band including an interview with Eddy Amoo -- ' Children of the Ghetto ; the Story of the Real Thing ' The Real Thing biography at Allmusic.com Video interview with Eddy Amoo from BBC Liverpool08 The Real Thing discography at Discogs MusicBrainz : 71668e88 - 208d - 410f - ac5f - 7a54ebee26cf Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Real_Thing_(UK_band)&oldid=851297552 '' Categories : English dance music groups Musical groups established in 1970 English pop music groups Musical groups from Liverpool Black British musical groups Pye Records artists British rhythm and blues musical groups British soul musical groups British disco groups Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Uses editors parameter EngvarB from September 2014 Use dmy dates from September 2014 Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français Nederlands Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 21 July 2018, at 10 : 09 ( UTC ). 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Question: what happened to ray lake of the real thing
Answer: died 2000