Tight Fit

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Tight Fit were a British pop group who had a number of hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 (for three weeks) with their cover version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1982.

History
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/female session singers and released "Back to the 60s" under the group title, Tight Fit. The song became a hit in the summer and reached No.4 in the UK Singles Chart. 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 title Tight Fit. The song gained instant attention and so a group was formed to front it. Dancer, singer and male model Steve Grant was teamed up with female singers Denise Gyngell and Julie Harris. The song reached No.1 in the UK and remained there for three weeks.

Friese-Greene produced their next single, "Fantasy Island" - a song that 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.

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" got to No.41 in the charts. The debut album was released soon after, but coincided with both Harris and Gyngell leaving the group. 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 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 did not manage to enter the charts and the group duly split.

After Tight Fit
Grant, Harris and Gyngell all launched music careers outside Tight Fit following their departures. 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: "Conviction" (with Earlene Bentley) and "Run for Cover"), and in 1986 joined a male three-piece group, Splash! They released a single "Que-est ce que C'est", but did not manage to find success with this release. Grant's background was in musical theatre, to which he returned afterwards.

In the 1980s he appeared in productions of On the Town and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and in the 1990's he appeared in productions of Kiss Me, Kate and Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London, where he was a part of the cast at various stages between 1992 and 1999, when the production closed. Since 1999 he has lived partly in London and partly in Southern Spain.

Tight Fit Today
In 2008, members Denise Gyngell and Julie Harris reformed Tight Fit with new male member as a touring band, playing nightclubs around Britain.

September 2009, Julie and Denise contacted original member, Steve Grant, to invite him to rejoin the band.

Tight Fit are now back in the studio recording new material with a renown producer, and plan to embark on a variety of gigs in the UK and abroad before the end of the year.

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