Convention Center: Smokey Band

Glam-pop band, giants seventies and Haiitiz, Smokey, making her way to appear at the Congress Center in Haifa ## delicious seventies, and of course the hit: Living Next Generation O. Ellis

Yoram Mark-Reich

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_{Smokey. Photo: Now Music}

British glam rock band Smokey marks four decades in a special tour, which will hit Israel for two shows this month - February 25 at the Tel Aviv Cultural Hall, and the following day - on February 26 at the Haifa Convention Center.

Smokey was set up in the mid-1960s in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, but its big break came about a decade later, with hits by duo Nicki Chin and Mike Chapman. In 1972 they released the single "Living next to door to Alice", which became an overnight hit worldwide and became the song most closely associated with that decade.

In 1975 the band released the song "If you think you know how to love me" which became one of the band's most famous songs, and in 1988 released the album "Wild Horses" with an unprecedented investment of a quarter million pounds, which allowed them to officially enter the radio stations Popularity in the U.S. At the beginning, the band comprised four members, including vocalist Chris Norman, Alan Silson, Terry Otell and Ron Kelly. Smokey, who at one point had to change her name from Smokey to Smokie because of a threat from the claim by singer Smokey Robinson, The most significant change was the retirement of original singer Chris Norman in 1986, who was replaced by Alan Burton for nine second M.

In 1995 during a tour in Germany, Burton was killed when the band's bus veered off the road. Terry and Silson, who were also on the bus, were slightly injured. Silson retired from the band after the accident and was replaced by Mike McConnell, as Barton's successor Mike Craft was selected, and Smokey went on a world tour again. Over the years, changes have been made to the band's composition but it is still a great success, and has sold over 30 million copies of their albums worldwide.

Smokey has flourished around the globe in the last four decades and to this day is gaining huge popularity. This popularity can be seen by the fact that Smokey reached the top five places in Scandinavia, Denmark, Finland, Norway and