The Real People
| The Real People | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Liverpool, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock, Britpop |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | CBS |
| Website | The Real People's official website |
The Real People are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1988. The band consists of Tony Griffiths (bass guitar, vocals), Chris Griffiths (guitar, vocals), Martin Lappin (guitar) and Tony McGuigan (drums).
Formed in 1987 by brothers Christopher and Anthony Griffiths, the original line-up consisted of Chris Griffiths (guitar, vocals), Tony Griffiths (bass, vocals), Dave Reilly (drums, ex-China Crisis), Jay Norton (keyboards, ex-It's Immaterial), and Gordon Morgan (guitar, ex-Black). Tony Elson replaced Dave Reilly on drums and was later replaced by Garry Ford. Gordon Morgan was replaced by Sean Simpson, followed by Alan Gillibrand, then by Ian 'Sitar'.
Originally influenced by The Stone Roses and the Inspiral Carpets, as well as by the Mersey sound of the 1960s, the band started playing in local clubs and later toured as support act for the Inspiral Carpets, Ocean Colour Scene, Nelly Furtado, The Pixies, Simple Minds, David Bowie, and others throughout the 1990s and onwards.
JoJo & The Real People signed a management deal with local entrepreneur Mick Swift of Whitehouse Management, Bold Street, Liverpool in 1986. Their first record deal was in 1988, a one single deal brokered with Polydor Records after Mick Swift had persuaded Eddie Lundon of Kirkby band China Crisis to produce the demo of their debut single "One by One". The band also signed a publishing deal with Polygram.
In 1989, and now managed by Jeffrey Abbotts, they were then signed as The Real People by CBS on the Columbia label, although CBS were subsequently bought out by Sony. During this time, under the management of Jeffrey Abbotts, they toured extensively, including a major tour of the USA, Japan, Europe, etc. etc. They released their self-titled debut album The Real People on 6 May 1991. All the songs were written by Chris and Tony Griffiths. This reached the number 59 in the UK Albums Chart. They recorded a second album, 'Marshmellow Lane', for CBS, but although "Believer", the first single from the album, charted at No. 38 and another single, "Too Much Too Young", appeared soon afterwards, the album was never actually released. Several tracks subsequently appeared on a two band compilation album called Liverpool – The Calm Before the Storm, released in 1996 on the Columbia label. Tony and Chris Griffiths went on to set up their own recording studio (Realistic Studios) in Birkenhead, Wirral, and started their own label Egg Records.
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