Simply Red | Biography & History | AllMusic google+ Artist Biography by William Ruhlmann Led by the vocalist Mick Hucknall , the English blue-eyed soul band Simply Red became international stars with their debut album, Picture Book . On the hit ballad "Holding Back the Years," Hucknall proved that he could sing soulfully without affectation, while their cover of the Valentine Brothers ' "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" proved that they could do light funk capably. With each album, their fan base expanded, especially in the U.K.

The band was formed in 1984 by singer Mick "Red" Hucknall (born Michael James Hucknall , June 8, 1960, Manchester, England) with three ex-members of Durutti Column -- bassist Tony Bowers (born October 31, 1952), drummer Chris Joyce (born October 11, 1957, Manchester, England), and keyboardist/brass player Tim Kellett (born July 23, 1964, Knaresborough, England) -- plus guitarist Sylvan Richardson and keyboardist Fritz McIntyre (born September 2, 1956, Birmingham, England). The group signed to Elektra Records and released Picture Book (October 1985), which featured "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," a Top 40 cover of a 1982 R&B chart single by the Valentine Brothers , and "Holding Back the Years," a Hucknall original that topped the U.S. charts. The single caused the album to go platinum, and made the group one of the major successes of 1986.

Men and Women (March 1987), which featured two collaborations between Hucknall and soul songwriter Lamont Dozier , was less popular, though it generated the Top 40 hit "The Right Thing." (In the U.K., "Infidelity" and a cover of Cole Porter 's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" also made the Top 40.) Richardson left in 1987 and was replaced by guitarist Aziz Ibrahim , who was replaced by Heitor T.P . (born in Brazil). The third album, A New Flame (February 1989), went gold due to the cover of the 1972 Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes hit "If You Don't Know Me by Now" that hit number one and became a gold single. (In the U.K., "It's Only Love" and "A New Flame" also made the Top 40.) By the time of the fourth album, Stars (September 1991), Bowers and Joyce had left, with Shaun Ward joining on bass and Gota on drums, and saxophonist Ian Kirkham had become a permanent member. Stars was a relative commercial disappointment in the U.S.

(though it spawned Top 40 hits in "Something Got Me Started" and "Stars" and eventually went gold), but it became a major success elsewhere, especially in the U.K., where it was the best-selling album of 1991, topped the charts for 19 weeks, and spawned the Top Ten hits "Stars" and "For Your Babies" and the Top 40 hits "Something Got Me Started," "Thrill Me," and "Your Mirror." Worldwide, it had sold eight and a half million copies by the second quarter of 1993. Ward and Gota were gone by the release of Simply Red 's fifth album, Life (October 1995), leaving a lineup of Hucknall , McIntyre , Heitor T.P. , Kirkham , and backup singer Dee Johnson . The album again proved more of a success at home than in America, topping charts all over Europe, as did its leadoff single, "Fairground," while spending only three months in the U.S. charts. Blue followed in May 1998.

It topped the British charts and spawned Top Ten hits in "Say You Love Me" and a cover of the Hollies ' "The Air That I Breathe" at home, but was a negligible seller in the U.S. In November 1999, Simply Red issued Love and the Russian Winter , which reached the U.K. Top Ten, with the single "Ain't That a Lot of Love" (a cover of a Sam & Dave song) hitting the Top 20. After establishing the simplyred.com label, the band released Home in April 2003. It reached number two in the U.K., with the singles "Sunrise" and a cover of the Stylistics ' "You Make Me Feel Brand New" becoming Top Ten hits. Two years later came Simplified , a collection of old and new songs that hit number three in Britain and number two in the Eurochart. Another two-year absence followed before the notable Stay in April 2007. It hit number four in the U.K. and number two in the Eurochart.

By the time of its release, the lineup of Simply Red consisted of Hucknall , Kirkham , Sarah Brown (background vocals), David Clayton (keyboards), Peter Lewinson (drums), Steve Lewinson (bass), Kevin Robinson (trumpet), and Kenji Suzuki (guitar). Hucknall then decided to retire Simply Red but he revived the band in 2015, making a splash with the new album Big Love . Simply Red - Artists - American Top 40 With Ryan Seacrest American Top 40 With Ryan Seacrest Tweet Simply Red This year Mick Hucknall celebrates 25 years of unbroken service with the band he founded, fronted and named. Simply Red emerged out of the streets and clubs of Manchester in the post-punk era of 1984 and within 12 months were riding in the British charts. The original line-up of singer Hucknall, bassist Tony Bowers, drummer Chris Joyce, guitarist Dave Fryman, keyboardist/singer Fritz McIntyre and horn player Tim Kellet became regulars on the thriving club circuit and soon caught the attention of record company scouts on the hunt for new talent.

Executives at the UK arm of renowned US label Elektra were the most persistent — and most generous – and Simply Red found themselves with a major record deal within six months of starting up and on their way to a recording studio with ace American producer Stewart Levine. At this point the band experienced their first change as guitarist Sylvan Richardson replaced Dave Fryman during the making their first album Picture Book which was released in October 1985 and climbed to number two thanks to the top 20 success of début hit Money’s Too Tight (Too Mention). While four more tracks from the album made minor indentations on the chart, it was a song Hucknall wrote in his bedroom which announced Simply Red’s arrival in the big time. While Picture Book peaked inside the US top 20, Holding Back The Years found its way to the very top of the American singles chart in July 1986 while in the UK, on its re-release six month after peaking at 51, the record climbed to number two.

While album number two – Men And Women – featured the same band with the addition of horn player Ian Kirkham and vocalist Janette Sewell, a new producer in the shape of Alex Sadkin was at the helm for the March 1987 release. A new writing team also appeared with Hucknall sharing the credits with Motown legend Lamont Dozier while tracks by Cole Porter (the classic Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye) and reggae legends Bunny Wailer and Sylvester Stewart augmented Hucknall’s solo efforts. Boasting four chart singles, Men And Women became Simply Red’s second successive UK album to stall at number two. It also took the band back on the road and following major UK, European and American tours, they broke new ground in Australia, Japan and New Zealand. In fact in 1987 Simply Red spent nigh on nine months on the road, playing an impressive 120 live shows. Simply Red’s third album A New Flame was issued in February 1989 and it signalled another breakthrough for the band which now sported Heitor T.P. on guitar.

After topping the UK album chart for the first time, Simply Red’s version of the Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff soul classic If You Don’t Know Me By Now swept to number two in the UK but went one better in America. Topping the US singles chart for the second time put Simply Red alongside fellow British acts such as John Lennon, David Bowie and Queen. The quality and success of the new album – it sold a million in the UK and over 6 million worldwide – also heralded the band’s move from club and theatre dates to major arenas including playing to 60,000 people in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Between October 1988 and March 1990 Simply Red once again set off to conquer the world, playing 140 shows along the way. At the same time Hucknall was planning the band’s fourth album which would again break new ground. Stars was the first album to feature a collection of songs written entirely by Hucknall and while eight were solo efforts, two were created with fellow band member McIntyre.

With three top 20 hits – Something Got Me Started, Stars and For Your Babies –the band’s fourth album was again produced by Levine who had returned to the fold on A New Flame. It also featured new bass player Shaun Ward and percussionist Gota alongside Hucknall, McIntyre, Kirkham, Kellett and Heitor. For band leader Mick Hucknall and Simply Red, Stars became an album of truly classic proportions. In America, where it wasn’t considered radio friendly, the album still managed sales of 700,000 while it topped the 8 million mark worldwide, including over 4 million in the UK. While the album Stars was a genuine global triumph and the accompanying tour — taking in places like Israel, Greece and Singapore for the first time — attracted over 1.5 million people, it was in the UK where new records were set. It topped the album chart on five separate occasions for a total of 12 weeks, spent 134 weeks on the chart, was the biggest selling album in both 1991 and 1992 and earned the band BRIT Awards and World Music Awards for Best Album.

It would now be a further four years before Simply Red returned with a new studio album but a highly regarded live EP recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1992 earned them new fans and kept them in the charts. In 1995 the album Life became Simply Red’s third successive chart topper and it heralded a change in the band’s line up as Kellet and Ward departed and reggae stars Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakepeare and Bootsy Collins augmented the regular line up in the recording studio. Finally Simply Red also claimed the elusive number one spot in the UK singles chart thanks to Fairground while three other tracks, including We’re In This Together, the official song for the Euro 96 European football championships, also charted. The accompanying Life world tour ran through 1995 and 1996 and brought new bassist Steve Lewinson and vocalist Sarah Brown into the group. Despite some initial resistance from Hucknall, 1996 saw the release of Simply Red’s long awaited Greatest Hits collection and the 15 track album meant another number one for the band plus the specially recorded top five hit Angel, featuring the considerable talents of the Fugees.

The line up of Simply Red took on a totally new appearance for the 1998 album Blue which was destined to make it five number one albums in a row plus a further four hit singles including Hucknall’s Say You Love Me and the pop classic The Air That I Breathe. While McIintye and Heitor moved on, so Gota returned as co-producer together with Andy Wright and Hucknall under the banner AGM. Although the band made only three appearances during 1998 – all in London – they returned to full-time touring the following year, covering South Africa, Europe and Latin America. As Simply Red neared the end of their long and successful relationship with Warner Music and East West Records, the label they switched to in 1991, they managed one last album for the corporation in the shape of Love And The Russian Winter which delivered a further two chart singles. By 2002 Hucknall and his management team of Andy Dodd and Ian Grenfell had created a unique and ground-breaking business model in the music industry under the banner simplyred.com which oversaw the band’s recording, touring, merchandising and sponsorship activities.

It was an alternative way forward for a band which had collected more than 130 platinum and gold sales awards from around the world. Home was the first release from the radical new set-up and Simply Red created an album which peaked at number two in the UK and delivered four more hit singles including the top ten hits Sunrise and a version of the Stylistics’ hit You Make Me Feel Brand New. The success of Home earned it the accolade becoming the biggest selling independently released album globally in the history of the music industry. Following the hugely successful World tour around the Home album, Hucknall continued to search for new challenges for his established team of eleven players. In 2005 he went to work on a Latin inspired unplugged album entitled Simplified which, for the second time, utilised Hucknall’s new home-based studio and led into a series of prestigious Albert Hall dates in London and a major European tour.

The top three UK album and European top ten hit featured Perfect Love and the double A-side Something Got Me Started/A Song For You as single releases before Simply Red – featuring long time players Ian Kirkham, Dave Clayton, Chris De Margary, Dee Johnson, John Johnson, Sarah Brown, Kenji Suzuki, Pete Lewinson, Steve Lewinson, Kevin Robinson — returned to the studio to record the 2007 album Stay. It was released following concert dates in the UK, Europe, Australia and Canada and Simply Red’s tenth studio album in 22 years made it 10 top ten hits in a row with an impressive number four placing. The album featured Lady — Hucknall’s first joint composition with Jools Holland – and a cover of the inspirational Ronnie Lane song Debris. Ever anxious to stretch himself musically, Hucknall embarked on debut solo effort in 2008 with his tribute album to the great soul singer Bobby Bland which he followed with a few select Tribute To Bobby concerts ahead of more Simply Red gigs throughout Europe and the UK. In the run up to Simply Red’s silver anniversary, Hucknall undertook the unenviable task of producing the ultimate Simply Red collection.

Released in November 2008, ‘The Greatest Hits 25’ double CD features the top 25 Simply Red tracks from the past two and half decades and includes a brand new cover version of the Moody Blues 1960s smash hit Go Now. For a band with all-time worldwide sales of over 50 million and 30 top 40 UK hits to their credit – in addition to having played over a 1000 concerts to more then 10 million people – Simply Red are set to create more records with their Greatest Hits and the 2009 world tour. Back in 1985, in his group’s first official press biography, Mick Hucknall confidently predicted “it’s just the beginning.” Now let’s hope that, despite recent question marks raised over the future of the band, the 25th birthday celebrations don’t bring the curtain down for the last time on Simply Red. Brian Southall Simply Red 25: The Greatest Hits: Amazon.co.uk: Music Sold by Hatherley's and Fulfilled by Amazon . Gift-wrap available.

Fulfilment by Amazon (FBA) is a service Amazon offers sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's warehouses, and Amazon directly does the picking, packing, shipping and customer service on these items. Something Amazon hopes you'll especially enjoy: FBA items are eligible for and for Amazon Prime just as if they were Amazon items. If you're a seller, you can increase your sales significantly by using Fulfilment by Amazon. We invite you to learn more about this programme . This item can be delivered to your selected dispatch location in the United States. Details Note: This item is eligible for click and collect. Details Pick up your parcel at a time and place that suits you. Choose from over 13,000 locations across the UK Prime members get unlimited deliveries at no additional cost How to order to an Amazon Pickup Location? 7. You Make Me Feel Brand New 8. Something Got Me Started 9. Money's Too Tight To Mention 10. Fairground 11. If You Don't Know Me By Now 12. Go Now Product Description Product Description 2008 two CD edition of their definitive hits collection features 25 tracks spread over two CDs.

The compilation includes their biggest hits plus the new single, 'Go Now', a cover of the Moody Blues heart-rending classic. Simply Red's shimmering Pop Soul and elegantly heartworn balladry have provided a glistening, emotional soundtrack to our turbulent times. Their phenomenal career has spanned three decades; they've released 10 studio albums racking up over 50 million global sales, notched up over 30 Top 40 UK singles, countless awards including three Brits, two Ivor Novello's and a Mobo Special Achievement. They won the rarest prize for a British artist with a number one hit in the USA; the album Stars was the biggest selling album in the UK for two consecutive years; they have played around 1000 live shows to devoted audiences of 10 million people. Simply Red are simply a phenomenon. Customer Reviews SIMPLY RED BIOGRAPHY Simply Red Biography Last updated: 12/20/2012 03:46:59 PM http: // The British soul pop band Simply Red was formed in 1984 by singer Mick "Red" Hucknall (born Michael James Hucknall, Jun.

8, 1960, Manchester, England) with three ex-members of Durutti Column, Tony Bowers (b. Oct. 31, 1952) (bass), Chris Joyce (b. Oct. 11, 1957, Manchester, England) (drums), and Tim Kellett (b. July 23, 1964, Knaresborough, England) (brass, keyboards), plus Sylvan Richardson (guitar) and Fritz McIntyre (b. Sep. 2, 1956, Birmingham, England) (keyboards). The group signed to Elektra Records and released Picture Book (October 1985), which featured "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," a Top 40 cover of a 1982 R&B chart single by the Valentine Brothers, and "Holding Back the Years," a Hucknall original that topped the U.S. charts, caused the album to go platinum, and made the group one of the major successes of 1986.

Men and Women (March 1987), which featured two collaborations between Hucknall and soul songwriter Lamont Dozier, was less popular, though it generated the Top 40 hit "The Right Thing." (In the U.K., "Infidelity" and a cover of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" also made the Top 40.) Richardson left in 1987 and was replaced by guitarist Aziz Ibrahim, who was replaced by Heitor T.P. (b. Brazil). The third album, A New Flame (February 1989), went gold due to the cover of the 1972 Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes hit "If You Don't Know Me by Now" that hit number one and became a gold single. (In the U.K., "It's Only Love" and "A New Flame" also made the Top 40.) By the time of the fourth album, Stars (September 1991), Bowers and Joyce had left, with Shaun Ward joining on bass and Gota on drums, and saxophonist Ian Kirkham had become a permanent member. Stars was a relative commercial disappointment in the U.S.

(though it spawned Top 40 hits in "Something Got Me Started" and "Stars" and eventually went gold), but it became a major success elsewhere, especially in the U.K., where it was the best-selling album of 1991, topped the charts for 19 weeks, and spawned the Top Ten hits "Stars" and "For Your Babies" and the Top 40 hits "Something Got Me Started," "Thrill Me," and "Your Mirror." Worldwide, it had sold 8.5 million copies by the second quarter of 1993. Ward and Gota were gone by the release of Simply Red's fifth album, Life (October 1995), leaving a lineup of Hucknall, McIntyre, Heitor T.P., irkham, and backup singer Dee Johnson. The album again proved more of a success at home than in America, topping charts all over Europe, as did its lead-off single, "Fairground," while spending only three months in the U.S. charts. In 1996 they released "Greatest Hits" and Blue followed in 1998, and a year later Simply Red issued Live at the Lyceum.

In 1999 Simply Red released "Love and the Russian Winter" and they made a world tour called "the Spirit of Life Tour". Simply Red's album It's Only Love was released in 2000. After three years, Simply Red release their last album called "Home" and a new greatest hits album called "The very best of Simply Red" which contains 37 songs. Thanks to prawittuadee@gmail.com for submitting the biography. Simply Red - Biography | Billboard Simply Red 1984 Members: Heitor T.P. Tony Bowers Sarah Brown Fritz McIntyre Sylvan Richardson David Clayton Gota Mick Hucknall Chris Joyce Tim Kellett Ian Kirkham Peter Lewinson Steve Lewinson Kevin Robinson Tim Vine Shaun Ward David Fryman Janette Sewell Dee Johnson Geoff Holroyde Mark Jaimes John Johnson Kenji Suzuki Led by the vocalist Mick Hucknall, the English blue-eyed soul band Simply Red became international stars with their debut album, Picture Book.

On the hit ballad "Holding Back the Years," Hucknall proved that he could sing soulfully without affectation, while their cover of the Valentine Brothers' "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" proved that they could do light funk capably. With each album, their fan base expanded, especially in the U.K. The band was formed in 1984 by singer Mick "Red" Hucknall (born Michael James Hucknall, June 8, 1960, Manchester, England) with three ex-members of Durutti Column -- bassist Tony Bowers (born October 31, 1952), drummer Chris Joyce (born October 11, 1957, Manchester, England), and keyboardist/brass player Tim Kellett (born July 23, 1964, Knaresborough, England) -- plus guitarist Sylvan Richardson and keyboardist Fritz McIntyre (born September 2, 1956, Birmingham, England).

The group signed to Elektra Records and released Picture Book (October 1985), which featured "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," a Top 40 cover of a 1982 R&B chart single by the Valentine Brothers, and "Holding Back the Years," a Hucknall original that topped the U.S. charts. The single caused the album to go platinum, and made the group one of the major successes of 1986. Men and Women (March 1987), which featured two collaborations between Hucknall and soul songwriter Lamont Dozier, was less popular, though it generated the Top 40 hit "The Right Thing." (In the U.K., "Infidelity" and a cover of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" also made the Top 40.) Richardson left in 1987 and was replaced by guitarist Aziz Ibrahim, who was replaced by Heitor T.P. (born in Brazil).

The third album, A New Flame (February 1989), went gold due to the cover of the 1972 Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes hit "If You Don't Know Me by Now" that hit number one and became a gold single. (In the U.K., "It's Only Love" and "A New Flame" also made the Top 40.) By the time of the fourth album, Stars (September 1991), Bowers and Joyce had left, with Shaun Ward joining on bass and Gota on drums, and saxophonist Ian Kirkham had become a permanent member. Stars was a relative commercial disappointment in the U.S.

(though it spawned Top 40 hits in "Something Got Me Started" and "Stars" and eventually went gold), but it became a major success elsewhere, especially in the U.K., where it was the best-selling album of 1991, topped the charts for 19 weeks, and spawned the Top Ten hits "Stars" and "For Your Babies" and the Top 40 hits "Something Got Me Started," "Thrill Me," and "Your Mirror." Worldwide, it had sold eight and a half million copies by the second quarter of 1993. Ward and Gota were gone by the release of Simply Red's fifth album, Life (October 1995), leaving a lineup of Hucknall, McIntyre, Heitor T.P., Kirkham, and backup singer Dee Johnson. The album again proved more of a success at home than in America, topping charts all over Europe, as did its leadoff single, "Fairground," while spending only three months in the U.S. charts. Blue followed in May 1998.

It topped the British charts and spawned Top Ten hits in "Say You Love Me" and a cover of the Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe" at home, but was a negligible seller in the U.S. In November 1999, Simply Red issued Love and the Russian Winter, which reached the U.K. Top Ten, with the single "Ain't That a Lot of Love" (a cover of a Sam & Dave song) hitting the Top 20. After establishing the simplyred.com label, the band released Home in April 2003. It reached number two in the U.K., with the singles "Sunrise" and a cover of the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New" becoming Top Ten hits. Two years later came Simplified, a collection of old and new songs that hit number three in Britain and number two in the Eurochart. Another two-year absence followed before the notable Stay in April 2007. It hit number four in the U.K. and number two in the Eurochart.

By the time of its release, the lineup of Simply Red consisted of Hucknall, Kirkham, Sarah Brown (background vocals), David Clayton (keyboards), Peter Lewinson (drums), Steve Lewinson (bass), Kevin Robinson (trumpet), and Kenji Suzuki (guitar). Hucknall then decided to retire Simply Red but he revived the band in 2015, making a splash with the new album Big Love. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & William Ruhlmann, Rovi Related Artists Simply Red on Apple Music To preview a song, mouse over the title and click Play. Open iTunes to buy and download music. Biography Led by the vocalist Mick Hucknall, the English blue-eyed soul band Simply Red became international stars with their debut album, Picture Book. On the hit ballad "Holding Back the Years," Hucknall proved that he could sing soulfully without affectation, while their cover of the Valentine Brothers' "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" proved that they could do light funk capably. With each album, their fan base expanded, especially in the U.K.

The band was formed in 1984 by singer Mick "Red" Hucknall (born Michael James Hucknall, June 8, 1960, Manchester, England) with three ex-members of Durutti Column -- bassist Tony Bowers (born October 31, 1952), drummer Chris Joyce (born October 11, 1957, Manchester, England), and keyboardist/brass player Tim Kellett (born July 23, 1964, Knaresborough, England) -- plus guitarist Sylvan Richardson and keyboardist Fritz McIntyre (born September 2, 1956, Birmingham, England). The group signed to Elektra Records and released Picture Book (October 1985), which featured "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," a Top 40 cover of a 1982 R&B chart single by the Valentine Brothers, and "Holding Back the Years," a Hucknall original that topped the U.S. charts. The single caused the album to go platinum, and made the group one of the major successes of 1986.

Men and Women (March 1987), which featured two collaborations between Hucknall and soul songwriter Lamont Dozier, was less popular, though it generated the Top 40 hit "The Right Thing." (In the U.K., "Infidelity" and a cover of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" also made the Top 40.) Richardson left in 1987 and was replaced by guitarist Aziz Ibrahim, who was replaced by Heitor T.P. (born in Brazil). The third album, A New Flame (February 1989), went gold due to the cover of the 1972 Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes hit "If You Don't Know Me by Now" that hit number one and became a gold single. (In the U.K., "It's Only Love" and "A New Flame" also made the Top 40.) By the time of the fourth album, Stars (September 1991), Bowers and Joyce had left, with Shaun Ward joining on bass and Gota on drums, and saxophonist Ian Kirkham had become a permanent member. Stars was a relative commercial disappointment in the U.S.

(though it spawned Top 40 hits in "Something Got Me Started" and "Stars" and eventually went gold), but it became a major success elsewhere, especially in the U.K., where it was the best-selling album of 1991, topped the charts for 19 weeks, and spawned the Top Ten hits "Stars" and "For Your Babies" and the Top 40 hits "Something Got Me Started," "Thrill Me," and "Your Mirror." Worldwide, it had sold eight and a half million copies by the second quarter of 1993. Ward and Gota were gone by the release of Simply Red's fifth album, Life (October 1995), leaving a lineup of Hucknall, McIntyre, Heitor T.P., Kirkham, and backup singer Dee Johnson. The album again proved more of a success at home than in America, topping charts all over Europe, as did its leadoff single, "Fairground," while spending only three months in the U.S. charts. Blue followed in May 1998.

It topped the British charts and spawned Top Ten hits in "Say You Love Me" and a cover of the Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe" at home, but was a negligible seller in the U.S. In November 1999, Simply Red issued Love and the Russian Winter, which reached the U.K. Top Ten, with the single "Ain't That a Lot of Love" (a cover of a Sam & Dave song) hitting the Top 20. After establishing the simplyred.com label, the band released Home in April 2003. It reached number two in the U.K., with the singles "Sunrise" and a cover of the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New" becoming Top Ten hits. Two years later came Simplified, a collection of old and new songs that hit number three in Britain and number two in the Eurochart. Another two-year absence followed before the notable Stay in April 2007. It hit number four in the U.K. and number two in the Eurochart.

By the time of its release, the lineup of Simply Red consisted of Hucknall, Kirkham, Sarah Brown (background vocals), David Clayton (keyboards), Peter Lewinson (drums), Steve Lewinson (bass), Kevin Robinson (trumpet), and Kenji Suzuki (guitar). Hucknall then decided to retire Simply Red but he revived the band in 2015, making a splash with the new album Big Love. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & William Ruhlmann Top Albums Simply Red | Download Music, Tour Dates & Video | eMusic Group Members: Sarah Brown , Kevin Robinson , Mick Hucknall , Gota All Music Guide: Led by the vocalist Mick Hucknall, the English blue-eyed soul band Simply Red became international stars with their debut album, Picture Book. On the hit ballad "Holding Back the Years," Hucknall proved that he could sing soulfully without affectation, while their cover of the Valentine Brothers' "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" proved that they could do light-funk capably. With each album, their fanbase expanded, especially in the U.K.

The band was formed in 1984 by singer Mick "Red" Hucknall (born Michael James Hucknall, June 8, 1960, Manchester, England) with three ex-members of Durutti Column -- bassist Tony Bowers (born October 31, 1952), drummer Chris Joyce (born October 11, 1957, Manchester, England), and keyboardist/brass player Tim Kellett (born July 23, 1964, Knaresborough, England) -- plus guitarist Sylvan Richardson and keyboardist Fritz McIntyre (born September 2, 1956, Birmingham, England). The group signed to Elektra Records and released Picture Book (October 1985), which featured "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)," a Top 40 cover of a 1982 R&B chart single by the Valentine Brothers, and "Holding Back the Years," a Hucknall original that topped the U.S. charts. The single caused the album to go platinum, and made the group one of the major successes of 1986.

Men and Women (March 1987), which featured two collaborations between Hucknall and soul songwriter Lamont Dozier, was less popular, though it generated the Top 40 hit "The Right Thing." (In the U.K., "Infidelity" and a cover of Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" also made the Top 40.) Richardson left in 1987 and was replaced by guitarist Aziz Ibrahim, who was replaced by Heitor T.P. (born in Brazil). The third album, A New Flame (February 1989), went gold due to the cover of the 1972 Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes hit "If You Don't Know Me by Now" that hit number one and became a gold single. (In the U.K., "It's Only Love" and "A New Flame" also made the Top 40.) By the time of the fourth album, Stars (September 1991), Bowers and Joyce had left, with Shaun Ward joining on bass and Gota on drums, and saxophonist Ian Kirkham had become a permanent member. Stars was a relative commercial disappointment in the U.S.

(though it spawned Top 40 hits in "Something Got Me Started" and "Stars" and eventually went gold), but it became a major success elsewhere, especially in the U.K., where it was the best-selling album of 1991, topped the charts for 19 weeks, and spawned the Top Ten hits "Stars" and "For Your Babies" and the Top 40 hits "Something Got Me Started," "Thrill Me," and "Your Mirror." Worldwide, it had sold eight and a half million copies by the second quarter of 1993. Ward and Gota were gone by the release of Simply Red's fifth album, Life (October 1995), leaving a lineup of Hucknall, McIntyre, Heitor T.P., Kirkham, and backup singer Dee Johnson. The album again proved more of a success at home than in America, topping charts all over Europe, as did its leadoff single, "Fairground," while spending only three months in the U.S. charts. Blue followed in May 1998.

It topped the British charts and spawned Top Ten hits in "Say You Love Me" and a cover of the Hollies' "The Air That I Breathe" at home, but was a negligible seller in the U.S. In November 1999, Simply Red issued Love and the Russian Winter, which reached the U.K. Top Ten, with the single "Ain't That a Lot of Love" (a cover of a Sam & Dave song) hitting the Top 20. After establishing the simplyred.com label, the band released Home in April 2003. It reached number two in the U.K., with the singles "Sunrise" and a cover of the Stylistics' "You Make Me Feel Brand New" becoming Top Ten hits. Two years later came Simplified, a collection of old and new songs that hit number three in Britain and number two in the Eurochart. Another two-year absence followed before the notable Stay in April 2007. It hit number four in the U.K. and number two in the Eurochart.

By the time of its release, the lineup of Simply Red consisted of Hucknall, Kirkham, Sarah Brown (background vocals), David Clayton (keyboards), Peter Lewinson (drums), Steve Lewinson (bass), Kevin Robinson (trumpet), and Kenji Suzuki (guitar).

Question: The pop group "Simply Red" had over 20 hit records in the top twenty. What was their only Number One?
Answer: FAIRGROUND