Smokie – A new CD: Take a Minute
To be released in South Africa in Feb 2011

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After many years, the British Pop Group SMOKIE will be releasing their new album, TAKE A MINUTE, internationally in February 2011.  This album will also be released in South Africa by Next Music and Lefra Productions.  TAKE A MINUTE boasts a follow up song on the ever popular, LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE.  “We initially didn’t want to record this song as it was given to us by song writer O Evenrud, but when we were in the studio recording the album, we started to play SALLY’s SONG and it just worked,” says Terrey Uttley, founding member of SMOKIE.  “LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE actually started with the character, Sally.  Nobody ever worried about who Sally was – so I presume it was just natural to record a song about SALLY as well.”

Martin Bullard – Keyboards: “It has been a great pleasure and a privilege to work with Lars Pedersen whose inspiration to record an album with Smokie in traditional style has resulted in a work which truly represents the band. Lars promoted teamwork and togetherness amongst band members and this has translated into a very fine collection of songs with performances that really capture each individual's personality. Studio albums can sound stiff and this one doesn't at all. For my own part I can say that I have had the most fun recording this album and I hope that this will always be the chosen method for creating new recordings in future”.

The song, Take a Minute, will definitely be a new hit for SMOKIE.  Terry Utley's, The Biggest Lie, is also a great song with Terry on lead vocals himself.  Guitarist, Mike McConnell wrote the melodic and fast I Don't Want to Lose You and 'Til the Grass Grows Over Me.

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 album “On the Wire”.  Written mainly by Smokie themselves, this chart topping album proved that Smokie are still on top form.  2006 saw the release of a live DVD , and a new album of love songs entitled “From The Heart”, and in 2007 Smokie have released yet another album entitled “Eclipse”, an acoustic album of some classic Smokie tracks. 2011 marks the opening of the 5th(!) decade in this bands stunning career. There’s no smoke without fire, so the saying goes – and Smokie are still firing on all five cylinders.  Get your SMOKIE – TAKE A MINUTE CD NOW!