Biography
Tight Fit are an English pop group who had several hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 for three weeks with their cover version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in 1982.
In 1981, record producer Ken Gold came up with the idea to record a single made up of a medley of 1960s songs. The medley trend was in full swing at this time, following the success of Starsound and their Stars on 45 singles. He put together a group of male and female session singers and released “Back to the 60s” under the group name Tight Fit. The medley included a voice-over by the DJ Emperor Rosko and became a hit in the summer, reaching No.4 in the UK Singles Chart. Instead of the session singers who sang on the record, actor/singers including Lowri-Ann Richards and Robert Pereno were hired to front the group when Tight Fit… first appeared on BBC TV's music show Top of the Pops. A follow-up, “Back to the 60s Part 2” was released soon after, reaching No.33 in the UK Singles Chart.
Later in the year, record producer Tim Friese-Greene recorded a version of the song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” with another group of session singers. The singer was Roy Ward, the former drummer and percussionist from the British 1970s band City Boy. A line-up was put together in late 1981 to front the single consisting of dancer, singer, and model Steve Grant along with female singers Denise Gyngell and Julie Harris. The song was released in early 1982, again under the name Tight Fit. The song gained instant attention, reaching No.1 in the UK for three weeks in March 1982, catapulting Tight Fit into sudden and largely unexpected stardom.
Satisfied this line-up could actually sing in their own right, Friese-Greene began working with them on an album and also produced their next single, “Fantasy Island” – a song by The Millionaires which had been in the Dutch Eurovision Song Contest heats. The song, in a very similar vein to the pop group ABBA, was also a success, reaching No.5 in May 1982.
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” was not as successful as the previous two, peaking at No.41. The album was released soon after, but coincided with both Harris and Gyngell leaving the group. Both unhappy with their contract, they claimed they were not receiving any royalties from their hits and were being paid a paltry wage for their work. Two new female singers, Vicky Pemberton and Carol Stevens, were promptly 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 Chart, signalling the end of Tight Fit's brief pop stardom. Harris claimed the public did not take to the new line-up, and had she and Gyngell still been with the group, it would probably have 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 name Steve Grant with Tight Fit, the song completely missed the chart and the group duly split up.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA licence)
Current members
Former members
1Discography
| Artist | Title | Year | Format | Classification | Gem, favourite, must-listen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Tight Fit | The Lion Sleeps Tonight | © & ℗1982 | Vinyl 7", 45 RPM, Single, Stereo | Synth / Dance / Italo-Disco |
2Songs
| Song | Year | Records |
|---|---|---|
| I'm Dancing In The Street | 1982 |
|
| The Lion Sleeps Tonight | 1982 |