Tight Fit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tight Fit | |
|---|---|
 Tight Fit in their most famous line-up (1982)
|
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Dance, MOR |
| Years active | 1981–1983 |
| Label(s) | Jive Records |
Tight Fit were a British pop group who had a number of hits in the early 1980s, including a UK number 1 (for three weeks) with their cover version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1982. The group had two completely different line-ups - the first (a group of session singers) in 1981 and a male/female trio in 1982.
Contents |
[edit] Band membership
- Steve Grant (born Stephen Robert Grant, 26 February 1960) - lead vocalist [1]. Please note it has wrongly been stated that Steve Grant died in 1990, whereas from approximately 1990-1999 he appeared in Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal Dury Lane, London. Since 1999 he lives partly in London and partly in Southern Spain. After leaving Tight Fit, Grant recorded for a short period with London's Record Shack Records. Unfortunately the singles did not repeat the success of Tight Fit.
- Denise Gyngell (born 30 August 1961) - later married record producer Pete Waterman
- Julie Harris (born 15 August 1958)
- Richard Scarfe
- Martin Page
- Brian Fairweather
[edit] History
In 1981, record producer Ken Gold came up with the idea to record a single made up of a medley of 60s songs. The medley trend was in full swing at this time, following the sucess of Starsound and their Stars on 45 singles. He put together a group of male/female session singers and released "Back to the 60s" inder the title Tight Fit. The song became a hit in the Summer and reached No.4 in the UK Charts.[1] A follow-up, "Back to the 60s Part 2" was released soon after and also hit the UK top 40.
Later in the year record producer Tim Friese-Greene recorded the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" with another group of session singers. The song was released in early 1982 again under the ttle Tight Fit. The song gained instant attention and so a group was formed to front it. Male model Steve Grant was teamed up with female singers Denise Gyngell and Julie Harris. The song reached No.1 in the UK for three weeks and the line-up were catapulted into sudden and unexpected stardom.[2]
Satisfied that this line-up could actually sing in their own right, Friese-Greene produced their next single, "Fantasy Island" - a song which had been in the Dutch Eurovision Song Contest heats. The song, in a very similar vein to pop group ABBA, also became a success and reached No.5 in May. [3]
The group then set about recording an album as well as rehearsing for their first tour. A third single was released in August. "Secret Heart" wasn't as big as a success as the previous two and stalled at No.41.[4] The debut album was released soon after, but co-incided with both Harris and Gyngell leaving the group. Both unhappy with their contract, they claimed that they weren't receiving any royalties from their hits and were being paid a paltry wage to tour the world as well as recording sessions, TV appearances and magazine interviews. Swiftly, two new female singers were employed to take their place and the group released another single, "I'm Undecided" - a song from the album, with new vocals. The song failed to make the UK Charts and this signalled the end of Tight Fit's brief pop stardom. In an interview, Harris stated that the public didn't take to the new line-up and had she and Gyngell been still with the group, it would have likely been a hit.
The following year, Tight Fit released one more single - a cover of Stephen Stills' "Love The One You're With". Under the banner Steve Grant with Tight Fit, the song completely missed the chart and the group duly split-up.
Grant, Harris and Gyngell all tried to launch music careers outside Tight Fit following their departrures. Harris released two singles in 1983: "One Two Three" (a song she originally sang on the "Tight Fit" album), under the name Julie and the Jems and "Escargot a la Bongo" under the name Chopper Harris. Gyngell teamed up with her two brothers under the name He, She, Him and released a single "Try A Little Tenderness". Grant released some solo singles and in 1986 joined a male three-piece group Splash!. They released a single "Que-est ce que C'est", but like the others, also a failed to find any success.
[edit] Discography
Singles:
- "Back To The Sixties" - (1981) - Jive Records - No. 4
- "Back To The Sixties Part 2" - (1981) - No. 33
- "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - (1982) - No. 1
- "Fantasy Island" - (1982) - No. 5
- "Secret Heart" - (1982) - No. 41
- "I'm Undecided" - (1982) - bubbling under
- "Love The One You're With" credited to Steve Grant with Tight Fit - (1983) - Did not chart
Albums:
- "Back To The Sixties" - (1981) - Jive Records - No.38
- "Tight Fit" - (1982) - Jive Records - No.87
- Steve Grant's Record Shack Singles:
Conviction (with Earlene Bentley) Run For Cover (solo)
- Grant and Harris both appeared on the charity single, "Doctor in Distress" by Who Cares (1985)[5]
[edit] Confusion
The band are sometimes confused with an American group formed in 1982, originally under the name Fallen Angel. They changed their name to Tight Fit in 1987. Members include original guitarist Joe Locke, original lead vocalist Jane Bassett, guitarist Augie Miller, drummer Jimi Ray (joined 1988), bassist Jay Carr (joined 1989) and keyboardist Tzer (Michael Tabaczka).
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 19th Edition - ISBN 1-904994-10-5
[edit] Links
[3]Tight Fit fan site
