Smokie Tickets

Short Biography
Look at the Guinness Book of Hit Singles and you could be forgiven for thinking Smokie's success story was a 1970s phenomenon. After all, 11 of their 14 British hits came in that eventful musical decade.  However, their massive success story has continued to flourish around the globe including Scandinavia, South Africa, Germany and even China.  Smokie are a band which has sold out tours and gained platinum records in four decades - 70s, 80s, 90s and the present day.

A quick recap then on past glories.  Smokie first got together at school in Yorkshire in the late 60s. After going through various names and styles, they signed with Mickie Most's then ultra-hot RAK label and found themselves chartbound.  Songs like ‘If You Think You Know How To  Love Me', ‘Don't Play Your Rock'n'Roll To Me', ‘It's Your Life' and ‘Oh Carol'  (all Top 10 entries) became radio staples and gave Smokie their ticket to travel the world.

The sound was a combination of hook-laden songs and Smokie's distinctive but unashamedly Stateside-influenced soft-rock harmonies, their secret being their vocal blend - a rasping, emotion-drenched lead set against melodic harmonies that produces an unique, bittersweet result.

After accumulating worldwide sales of over 30 million, Smokie made ‘Wild Horses', a 1997 Nashville-recorded album that cost the band a quarter of a million pounds to produce.  It gave them a foothold in US country radio, while hits collections continue to find a ready market.  That trend continued with ‘Uncovered' and ‘Uncovered Too', which were both huge hits throughout Scandinavia - reaching the top 5 in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden - achieving double platinum status.
.
In 2003, Smokie released the ultimate greatest hits collection.  Entitled "The Box Set", the collection consisted of 10 CD's spanning the decades from the 1970's through to today and gained Gold and Platinum awards throughout Scandinavia.

2004 was spent mainly in the studio writing and recording their brand new album "On the Wire".  Written mainly by Smokie themselves, this chart topping album has proved that Smokie are still on top form.

When Vladimir Putin decided to assemble a group of artistes from around the world to perform to perform at his personal New Years Party at the Kremlin Palace he told his aides that they simply had to get his favourite group you guessed it none other than Yorkshire's  very own Smokie.

2006 saw the band release their new album "From The Heart" a fabulous love album with three brand new songs.  

2008 saw the release of the band's latest release, Smokie's All Time Greatest Hits Collection, a 3 CD collection of Smokie's best known tracks, including Alice, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, I'll Meet You At Midnight, along with some other favourites Whiskey In The Jar, (I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight, I Don't Wanna Talk About It.

There's no smoke without fire, so the saying goes - and Smokie are still firing on all five cylinders!

In-depth Biography
Originally formed in Yorkshire, England, in 1966, Smokie hit the British pop charts several times during the late '70s with updated psychedelic pop, influenced by the band's stay on Mickie Most's Rak Records as well as the writers of most of the band's hit material, Rak's Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. Vocalist Chris Norman, bassist Terry Utley, guitarist Alan Silson, and drummer Ron Kelly had played in the Elizabethans, but formed the band Kindness in 1970. The quartet recorded many singles during the late '60s and early '70s, but failed to show any chart activity. By 1973, Kelly had left the band and was replaced by Pete Spencer. In 1975, the band, signed to Rak Records, and billed as Smokey, hit number three in the U.K. with "If You Think You Know How to Love Me." After another Top Ten hit, "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me," Smokey became Smokie; during 1976, the group scored with three Top 20 hits, including the number five "Living Next Door to Alice." Smokie hit number five both in 1977 ("It's Your Life") and 1978 ("Oh Carol"), but the band's chart run ended by early 1980, and following 1982's Midnight Delight, they disbanded. Both Spencer and Norman continued to work at Rak during the '80s, writing hits for several groups; they re-formed Smokie in 1986, resurfacing with the LP My Heart Is True. Two more albums, All Fired Up and Greatest Hits Live, followed, with the group remaining active throughout the '90s, issuing new material as well as a number of hits collections. ~ John Bush & Al Campbell, Rovi