Racey

Racey
The original lineup of Racey, 1979.
Background information
Origin	Weston-super-Mare, United Kingdom
Genres	Power pop, glam rock (before 1980), new wave
Years active	1976-1985
Labels	RAK Records
Associated acts	Richard Gower's Racey (1992 to present), The Original Racey (1990 to present)
Website	www.racey.net www.raceyweb.com/history.htm
Past members	Richard Gower, Phil Fursdon, Pete Miller, Clive Wilson

Racey were a British pop group, formed in 1976 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England, by Clive Wilson and Phil Fursdon. They achieved success in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with hits such as "Lay Your Love on Me" and "Some Girls". Their 1979 song "Kitty" was an international hit for Toni Basil in 1981, who kept the song's melody and structure but changed the lyric slightly to describe the narrator's preoccupation with a man named "Mickey" rather than a woman named Kitty.

The original line-up featured Richard Gower (born 1955, Hackney, London, England; vocals and keyboards), Phil Fursdon (vocals and guitar), Pete Miller (vocals and bass) and Clive Wilson (vocals and drums). After early success in their local pub circuit, they came to the attention of Mickey Most. Racey's first single, "Baby It's You", was penned by Smokie members Chris Norman and Pete Spencer and released in 1978. Their second single, "Lay Your Love on Me", was the group's first hit single, peaking at No.3 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1978 through to early 1979. The third single, "Some Girls", was written for the American band Blondie, for whom Mike Chapman also produced, but was instead given to Racey as a follow-up to "Lay Your Love on Me". The band then parted company with Chinn and Chapman after the album was released and although they continued to play and tour they released only a few more singles that did not match their previous successes. The only album they made under the original line-up was their 1979 debut album Smash and Grab. The band's hits were either written and/or produced by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn.

The band formally split in 1985, and since then two separate groups named Racey exist, one featuring band member Richard Gower and the other featuring Clive Wilson, Phil Fursdon and Pete Miller, the original bass player. Miller died of cancer on 6 May 2003. Several albums and CDs with re-recordings of the original hits as well as new material are available from both of the present day versions of the group.