Ian Kirkham (born 9 March 1963 in

Preston, Lancashire Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...

''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll'' - 3rd Edition) is an English

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pro ...

, best known for his playing with

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since the ...

from 1986 until the band retired in 2010. He reprised his role in the band when it reformed in 2015, and played on their 2019 album, '' Blue Eyed Soul''. He is the second longest running member of the band, behind founder and lead vocalist

Mick Hucknall Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...

. Kirkham grew up in

. He started learning piano at five, and saxophone at eleven.

References

1963 births Living people English rock saxophonists British male saxophonists Musicians from Preston, Lancashire Simply Red members 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century British male musicians {{saxophonist-stub