LIVERPOOL MUSIC LEGENDS THE REAL THING TO RECEIVE ONE OF CITY'S HIGHEST HONOURS

Music pioneers and Liverpool legends The Real Thing will be made Citizens of Honour this week at a ceremony at St George’s Hall. Back in July, the ECHO reported how the band, which formed in Liverpool back in 1972, were among those to be nominated to receive one of Liverpool’s highest honours.

Together, Chris Amoo, Eddy Amoo, Ray Lake and Dave Smith went on to top the charts and are best known for their hits You To Me Are Everything, Can’t Get By Without You and Can You Feel the Force. Over 50 years on from their debut, The Real Thing remain the UK’s most successful Black group.

They were also the first Black British soul group to have a UK Number One and to appear on Top of the Pops. In July, a meeting of the full council agreed the four band members will be admitted to the Roll of Citizen of Honour of the City of Liverpool.

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Chris Amoo and Dave Smith both still perform as The Real Thing, following the death of band mates Eddy and Ray. In recent years, they have performed at The Liverpool Philharmonic, as well as on stage at the National Lottery's Big Eurovision Welcome event, which was hosted by Joel Dommett and AJ Ododu.

The Real Thing were nominated to receive the honour by Liverpool City Council’s Head of UNESCO City of Music Kevin McManus. The ceremony takes place this week on Thursday, October 3.

At the ceremony, Chris Amoo and Dave Smith, along with family members of Eddy Amoo and Ray Lake, will be presented with scrolls to mark the honour. The scroll’s citation reads: "The Real Thing be admitted to the Roll of Citizen of Honour in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the music industry.

"Recognised as the pioneers of Black British music, The Real Thing are credited for restoring Liverpool’s reputation in the 1970s and remain an inspiration to many, the remaining members of the band are still performing today."

Citizens of Honour were introduced in 2008 to complement the higher honour of Freedom of the City. It acknowledges people who have made significant, exceptional or unique contributions to enrich the image of Liverpool and/or its citizens.

2024-09-30T14:14:20Z dg43tfdfdgfd