They made perfect use of their most important years from 1975 to 1979 and fired off a barrage of hits that still resonate today. In 1975, Smokie - initially under Smokey - entered the charts with " If You Think You Know How To Love Me ", a single from their second album "Changing All The Time" . Then a certain Smokey Robinson (the one with the Miracles) got in touch from America and made sure Smokey had to change their name to Smokie . In 1977, Smokie achieved their first number one spot in the BRAVO charts . " Living Next Door To Alice " stayed at the top position for nine weeks. At first, Smokie didn't even want to record the song. The song is about a man who has adored a neighborhood girl for 24 years. Chris Norman , Smokie frontman, said: "No man can be that stupid!" Despite this, manager Mickie Most and the songwriting duo Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman persuaded them to record the song. Howard Carpendale must have been pleased, because he managed to create one of his biggest hits ever with the German version " Tür an Tür mit Alice " .
Smokie all come from the northern English province of Yorkshire and consist of the aforementioned singer and guitarist Chris Norman (born October 25, 1950, Redcar), guitarist Alan Silson (born June 21, 1951, Bradford), drummer Pete Spencer (born October 13, 1948, Leeds) and bassist Terry Uttley (born June 9, 1951, Bradford). Two gold OTTOs and one bronze version adorn their home, while the homes of BRAVO readers are adorned with a 38-piece star cutout from 1977.
The really big hits come every album and every year. » Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone « , » Needles And Pins « , » Oh Carol « , » Mexican Girl « ... At the end of the seventies - by then people were cool and listened to synth pop or wave - Smokie's star was waning. Their soft, chorus-oriented guitar pop was no longer in vogue. The band split up in 1982, but three years later they got back together for a benefit concert in aid of the fire victims at Bradford football stadium and continued for another four years with the original line-up.
The success that Chris Norman experienced in 1979 in his duet with Suzi Quatro and the hit " Stumblin' In " gave him the taste for going solo. With the Bohlen composition " Midnight Lady " for the Schimanski crime scene "Der Tausch" he scored another number one hit in 1986.
In the mid-80s, Alan Barton joined the group as a singer. In 1993, the new frontman died in a tour bus accident in the Sauerland region. Smokie landed 18 hits in the BRAVO charts and spent a total of 41 weeks at the top with six different titles. The last original member to tour under the name Smokie was bassist Terry Uttley . He died in 2021 at the age of 70 after a short illness.