This top UK band revolves around the principal
figure of soul-influenced vocalist Mick Hucknall. Mick was
born on the 8th June 1960, in Denton, in Greater Manchester,
England. Hucknall's first group the punk-inspired Frantic
Elevators recorded a handful of songs, which actually
included the impressive and now classic ballad, "Holding Back
The Years".
When they split up in 1983,
Hucknall formed a new ensemble called Red, it had a
line-up that included Ojo, Mog, Dave Fryman and Eddie
Sherwood.
It was at their first gig in a
large Public House, that when the MC asked what their name was, so
he could introduce them, they told him Red. Being
quite bemused the MC said:
" . . .
.ladies and gentlemen, Simply Red! "
And there it stuck.
After signing up to Elektra
Records Simply Red had a more matured line-up featuring
Hucknall, Tony Bowers, on Bass, Fritz McIntyre, keyboards, Tim
Kellett, brass, Sylvan Richardson, on guitar and Chris Joyce, on
drums.
The Simply Red, 1985 debut
album, Picture Book climbed to number 2 in the UK
charts, whilst their alluring cover version of the Valentine
Brothers' Money's Too Tight To Mention, was a Top 20 hit.
Their next single struggled to a
lowly number 66 with Come To My Aid, but they rediscovered
their hit making formula with a re-recording of the now classic
Holding
Back The Years. It only got to number 2, in the UK, but
topped the US charts, where it rightfully belonged. Some say that
this record is one of the best ever written.
DISCOGRAPHY
Picture Book (Elektra 1985), Men
And Women (Warner Music 1987), A New Flame (Warner Music 1989),
Stars (East West Records 1991), Life (East West Records 1995), Blue
(East West Records 1998), Love And The Russian Winter (East West
Records 1999), Home (www.simplyred.com 2003).