The Real Thing

British soul group The Real Thing, formed in 1970 with members Chris Amoo, Dave Smith, Kenny Davis and Ray Lake. Their early career involved performing live covers of American hits, which secured them a recording deal with EMI . The band initially struggled for success but their breakthrough came with the pop-soul single "You to Me Are Everything" which reached Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and number 66 on Billboard's Hot 100. The group released a series of albums, including Real Thing in 1976, Four from Eight in 1977, and Step into Our World in 1978 (reissued in 1979 as Can You Feel the Force). Notable songs include "Whenever You Want My Love" (1978) and "Can't Get By Without You" (1986), which peaked at number 2 in the UK. The band toured internationally with David Essex, performing as backing vocalists on his tour. In the 2000s, The Real Thing experienced a resurgence with remixes of their hits, including "You to Me Are Everything (The Decade Remix)". After the passing of Ray Lake (2000) and Eddie Amoo (2018), the remaining members released A Brand New Day, their first album in over 40 years.