Smokie were named Kindness, but changed it in 1974, and the group came out of Bradford. In fact, the group
were started at school back in 1964 and had several different names. In 1973 they were introduced to pop moguls Chinn and
Chapman, who at first were not interested in the band at all
, but after a few weeks they gave Smokey (as they were called then) a chance. In February 1974 their first album was released called Pass It Around. A single was released but failed to chart as the BBC would not play it as it could have been a reference to drugs. So the band went on the road with Pilot who of course had a huge hit with January.
Lead singer of Smokie was Chris
Norman, who was born in 1950. His distinctive voice was caused by an accident and gave him a particular vocal distinction. The main group members during the 1970s included Terry Uttley and Steve Pinnell.
